Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Pilgrimage of poems: All the troops in Lydia

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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