An anthology like "The Poetry of the Greek Revolution 1821" has the special privilege of presenting in our letters the timeless and unbroken epic that continues the free modern Greek life to this day. The incomparable advantage of such a presentation lies in the most radical essence of poetry, in its truth, which this highest art of written expression always holds and seeks to project without compromises and historical adulterations, naked, as demanded by Makriyannis, and uncompromising.

The gunpowder and poetry have never been closer to the sun of freedom since the outbreak of the most unimaginable revolution that could then be heard and known in the world: to drive out all the Turks or perish altogether (a folk song) and the few determined ones launched an assault on the heavens of their sweet utopia of freedom; they were those few initiates of passion and sacred madness for freedom who managed to overthrow the disastrous and powerful rule of their Turkish oppressor, who had countless military forces and immeasurable wealth.

When the new, achieved freedom was permanently established in its place with the broken marbles, the golden ears of wheat, the sea-fighting oceans, and the mountains sworn to freedom, our poetry never ceased over the course of two centuries to define the character and form that the events of '21 took as a genuine revolutionary act, as an unforgettable essence and a lasting reminder of Art and History, constantly reminding souls of the conscious duty to the... divine and entirely blood-soaked Homeland.

In the pages of this publication, the reader will encounter '21 in its most vibrant and flourishing portrayal; with the poems arranged in chronological order, they will journey through '21 along the route of two centuries, from the years of the Revolution to the first decades of the 21st century; from the folk songs of the Greek people to the modern poems of contemporary writing.

The reception of the Poetic '21 can thus be a reflective and substantive participation in the cause of freedom, which both today’s times demand from those who are always free and yet always besieged.

In the first part of this anthology, folk songs created, sung, and danced by the Greek poet people are included, after the Revolution of '21 was proclaimed and subsequently completed. 46 revolutionary songs from various regions of Greece are drawn from the valid collections previously published by folklorists: Nikolaos G. Politis, the Academy of Athens, Georgios Chasiotis, Panagiotis Aravantinos, Arnold Passow, and Georgia Tarsouli.

The accompanying Appendix contains 11 songs said to have been sung or composed by Kolokotronis, Makriyannis, Theodoros Grivas, and other well-known figures who participated in the armed Liberation Struggle.

In the second part, works written by our poets since the years of the Revolution up to the poems published within the first two decades of the 21st century are anthologized. In a grand circle of artistic inspiration and honor for the freedom gifted to us by '21, these pages include 205 poetic works written by 140 creators, covering the unbroken poetic succession of two centuries.

This is the lasting journey into memory and knowledge that our poetry donates in continuity for two centuries to our freedom achieved since 1821.