Sappho

Sappho of Lesbos lived in the mid 600s BCE off the coast of Asia Minor. Her contemporaries so admired her poetry they referred to her as the tenth Muse, a true feat for a female who wrote primarily about "girlhood, marriage, and love, especially the love of young women for each other and the poignancy of their parting as they leave to assume the responsibilities of a wife." Her writing suggests a strong community of women who had their own society in the midst of the more patriarchal world in which they lived.

In an effort to not buy so many books - and a laziness regarding the library - I chose to read the selections from Sappho provided by the Norton Anthology of World Literature and the Bedford Anthology of World Literature. While not quite as awesome as reading books dedicated solely to the poet, I'm still quite pleased with what I was able to read. Besides, not much of Sappho's work remains as she was a victim of censorship long before the FCC started butting its nose into people's business.

In Sappho's case, the snooty destroyers of poetry primarily came from the Christian Church. In two separate centuries (fourth and eleventh) two high ranking religious officials, a Bishop and a Pope, ordered her work destroyed. Her work survives as quotes in others' texts and on strips of papyrus found by Egyptologists. Apparently these strips were found in the mouths of mummified crocodiles - not exactly the most noble use of her poetry, but what can you do?

The Norton and Bedford Anthologies offer quite different selections from Sappho. Seven short works are presented in the Bedford: It's no use, Sleep Darling, Don't ask me what to wear, Lament for a Maidenhead, He is more than a hero, You know the place: then, and I have had not one word from her. In the Norton Anthology, we have "Throned in splendor, deathless, O Aphrodite", "Like the very gods in my sight is he", and "Some there are who say that the fairest thing seen": three slightly longer and a bit more formal works; although I believe the second is probably due to the difference in translators. For example, I'm sure the following two poems - one from Norton and one from Bedford - are the same poem by Sappho.

Like the very gods in my sight is he who
sits where he can look in your eyes, who listens
close to you, to hear the soft voice, its sweetness
murmur in love and

laughter, all for him. But it breaks my spirit;
underneath my breast all the heart is shaken.
Let me only glance where you are, the voice dies,
I can say nothing,

but my lips are stricken to silence, under-
neath my skin the tenuous flame suffuses;
nothing shows in front of my eyes, my ears are
muted in thunder.

And the sweat breaks running upon me, fever
shakes my body, paler I turn than grass is;
I can feel that I have been changed, I feel that
death has come near me.
~~

He is more than a hero

He is a god in my eyes -
the man who is allowed
to sit beside you - he

who listens intimately
to the sweet murmur of
your voice, the enticing

laughter that makes my own
heart beat fast. If I meet
you suddenly, I can't

speak - my tongue is broken;
a thin flame runs under
my skin; seeing nothing,

hearing only my own ears
drumming, I drip with sweat;
trembling shakes my body

and I turn paler than
dry grass. At such times
death isn't far from me


Which do you prefer? What sort of difference in meaning do you see between the two poems? Just curious as to what you guys think of these two poems. I definitely have my own opinion on meaning, but I'd love to hear what others see in it.
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Echoes of Man is my month-long sojourn into antiquity. I plan on entering the ancient world and basking in its glory for the entire month of November.

During this time, I will be reading and reviewing literature of the time and posting about related topics. If you have anything you would like to add - a review, an informative post, etc. - let me know. I would love to have you join in!
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Echoes of Man Image from ~darkmatter257 at deviant art