Little biographical information about Sappho survives. We know she was born in Mytilene on the island of Lesbos into a wealthy family. With her family she was temporarily exiled to Sicily around 600. Later she returned to Lesbos and remained there until her death. She wrote poetry and sang these poems while playing the lyre.
Most of her poetry has been lost. Her fame in ancient days, however, was great. Ancient artists drew her on red-figured vases or carved her out of marble. Ancient poets, Plato, and Solon compared her with the Muses themselves. After hearing his nephew sing one of her poems, Solon asked to be taught it. When asked why, he answered so he could die a happy man.
Scholars at the great library of
Her poems continued to be learned by students and imitated by poets in Roman times. This active appreciation of her poetry disappeared in western
Two of Sappho’s surviving poems express her responses to scenes from Homer’s Iliad. One speaks of Helen; the other, of the wedding of Hector and Andromache. Sappho criticizes Homer’s point of view, and Mars god of war whom he honors, when she says of Helen (in Anne Carson’s translation):
and some men say an army of ships is the most beautiful thing
on this black earth. But I say it is
... what you love.
Easy to make this understood by all.
For she who overcame everyone
in beauty (Helen)
left her fine husband
behind and went sailing to
Not for her children nor her dead parents
had she a thought, no—
……………………………..
I would rather see her lovely step
and the motion of light on her face
than the chariots of the Lydians or ranks
of footsoldiers in arms.
Copyright © 2013 by Steven Farsaci.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.