Απόσπασμα από το «Waiting for the Angel» του Roderick Beaton.

«With Aronis [Nikos was the son of George’s old headmaster, Christos Aronis] and his friends, George soon began going to concerts and the theater. Together they attended evening lectures at the University on such subjects as Greek poetry, ancient and modern, archaeology and folklore, and went to hear Kostis Palamas, the doyen of Greek poets, then in his prime, lecture at the Parnassus society.

On the day after Epiphany, 7 January (Old Style) 1916, the Seferiadis children performed a play before Despo [George’s mother] and several distinguished neighbours. The Failed Emancipation, according to hand-written programme, was a ‘satire’ by N.Aronis; the leading lady was a schoolfriend of Ioanna’s, Melpo Stai, who was about to become George’s first love and the object of his first poems.

In a note dated 1918, George wrote, «My first verse was a tear for my first love». His infatuation with Melpo followed a pattern to be repeated in later, more serious affairs. He addressed her by a nickname which was a variant of her given name: the grammatically irregular «Melpa». He wrote poems addressed to her or inspired by his feelings for her.
The moment of truth came that summer: Ioanna recalls creeping up the back stairs to eavesdrop on George’s solemn declaration of love in the form of a poem. Melpo rebuffed him, and George decamped in dudgeon to forget his sorrows, with Aronis and another friend, on the island of Aegina.»