Abstract:
Please note: this article is in Greek. When and why do people cry? This is a very interesting cultural question, in particular if we are examining this topic throughout the development of different cultures. In this paper I will only try to focus on selective periods that will allow us to understand the cultural diversity of crying. At first, I will refer briefly to the ancient Greek culture when, for example, Plato, in his “perfect” Republic does not allow people to weep publicly. Later when a more “popular” Christianity arises, tears are more frequent than in the first period of Christianity. An important part of this paper will then focus on the Romanticism and especially the Modern Greek Romanticism with specific references to Kalvos and Solomos. It seems that in Solomos’ poetry tears are becoming less frequent in his late or “mature” period. Then I will examine Kariotakis’, Cavafis’ and Egonopoulos’ works. Finally, I will focus on Pentzikis’ “compositions” using references from various texts: in particular I will focus on Pentzikis’s text “With reason and tears” from his book “Water Overflowing”. This will allow us to interconnect Solomos’
mind and Pentzikis’ “inter-lect” and I will conclude that in Pentzikis’ “dictional” creation nothing separates tears and reason — and that spiritual or material bodies arise together in an un-cultural landscape full of waters and dry stones.
