We’re turning the WABAC machine way, way back for
National Poetry Month today, and going to the island of Lesbos in the Sixth
Century B.C.E., and the poems of Sappho.
Yes, that
Sappho.
She wrote a lot of poems, but we don’t have much left of
her work except a couple of poems and a fistful of fragments. That’s on account
of in 380 C.E. the Christian church destroyed most of everything she produced.
Much of what we do have explores love, and specifically refer to Sappho’s
lovers of both sexes. Many, many of them reference the goddess of love,
Aphrodite. Here’s one that’s probably complete:
“Artfully adorned Aphrodite”
Artfully
adorned Aphrodite, deathless
child
of Zeus and weaver of wiles I beg you
please
don't hurt me, don't overcome my spirit,
goddess,
with longing,
but
come here, if ever at other moments
hearing
these my words from afar you listened
and
responded: leaving your father's house, all
golden,
you came then,
hitching
up your chariot: lovely sparrows
drew
you quickly over the dark earth, whirling
on
fine beating wings from the heights of heaven
down
through the sky and
instantly
arrived - and then O my blessed
goddess
with a smile on your deathless face you
asked
me what the matter was this time, what I
called
you for this time,
what
I now most wanted to happen in my
raving
heart: "Whom this time should I persuade to
lead
you back again to her love? Who now, oh
Sappho,
who wrongs you?
If
she flees you now, she will soon pursue you;
if
she won't accept what you give, she'll give it;
if
she doesn't love you, she'll love you soon now,
even
unwilling."
Come
to me again, and release me from this
want
past bearing. All that my heart desires to
happen
- make it happen. And stand beside me,
goddess,
my ally.
Here’s the scoop on Aphrodite: sometimes she brings
happiness; sometimes not so much. So here’s another view of love—this one a
fragment, but pretty substantial nonetheless. I really like her use of military
images to frame the discussion.
“Some say thronging cavalry”
Some
say thronging cavalry, some say foot soldiers,
others
call a fleet the most beautiful of
sights
the dark earth offers, but I say it's what-
ever
you love best.
And
it's easy to make this understood by
everyone,
for she who surpassed all human
kind
in beauty, Helen, abandoning her
husband--that
best of
men--went
sailing off to the shores of Troy and
never
spent a thought on her child or loving
parents:
when the goddess seduced her wits and
left
her to wander,
she
forgot them all, she could not remember
anything
but longing, and lightly straying
aside,
lost her way. But that reminds me
now:
Anactória,
she's
not here, and I'd rather see her lovely
step,
her sparkling glance and her face than gaze on
all
the troops in Lydia in their chariots and
glittering
armor
Personally, I always favored Athena, but that's just me.
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