"Maid of Athens, ere we part" is a poem by Lord Byron, written in 1810 and dedicated to a young girl of Athens.English Poetry II: From Collins to Fitzgerald. The Harvard Classics (1909–1914)
The poem was first published in the 1812 collection Childe Harold's Pilgrimage: A Romaunt and Other Poems. It was included in the volume along with his major narrative poem, Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, published by John Murray in London. Background The poem begins:
Each stanza of the poem ends with the same Greek refrain, which Byron translated as "My life, I love you!" It may be viewed as an example of macaronic verse, although it lacks the humorous intent typical of that genre.
One scholar in 1916 argued that Byron had mistranslated the line, and it should in actuality be read as, "My Zoe, I love you."
History of the poem According to C. G. Brouzas, the subject of Byron's "Maid of Athens" was Teresa Makri, the 12-year-old daughter of Tasia Makri, at whose house Byron lodged briefly in 1809 and in February 1810. Byron claimed to be in love with the child; in a letter to Henry Drury the poet declares to be "dying for love of three Greek Girls at Athens", "Teresa, Mariana, and Kattinka", and wrote the poem for her before departing for Constantinople. On his way back from Turkey to the Morea, on 17 July 1810, he stayed at Makri's house for another ten days, during which time he offered her £500 for her daughter.C. G. Brouzas, "Byron's Maid of Athens: Her family and surroundings". Philological Papers v. 7, 65--??, West Virginia University Bulletin, Series 49, n. 12--VI, June 1949. Reviewed by H. Jenkins in The Journal of Hellenic Studies v. 73, p. 200 (1953)
Byron never met Teresa again. She eventually married James Black (1803–1868) and died impoverished in 1875 in Athens, Greece.Richard Edgeumbe, letter to "The Times", 25 October 1875
Musical settings The poem has been set to music by numerous composers, including Charles Gounod, William Horsley,Philadelphia: Published at G. Willig's Musical Magazine, c. 1814. and Henry Robinson Allen.
References
External links The poem's full text at Wikisource
First publication. Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. A Romaunt. London: John Murray, 1812 as "VII. Song", page 181.