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Name: Sappho Date: d.
570 BCE Region: Lesbos [modern Greece] Citation: Fragment 102 |
Sweet mother, I can no longer work the loom, for I am undone by my love for a …,
thanks to the sublime Venus
* Although the narrator is clearly a woman (δάμεισα is feminine), the gender of the narrator's crush is unknown, as παῖς can mean young child, young man, or young woman. Is the narrator yearning for motherhood (literal meaning of παῖς) ? Does she love a young man (ὁ παῖς)? Does she love a young woman (ἡ παῖς)? The tantalizing ambiguity of this passage makes it one of the most poignant and universally beloved poems of the ancient world.
Dulcis mater, non possum profecto pulsare telam, desiderio domita [pueri / puellae?] gracilem per Venerem.
Sappho [d. 570 BCE, modern Greece] was universally
applauded by the ancient world as the “Tenth Muse.” Because she was one of the
earliest Greek lyric poets, there is very little definitive information on
Sappho’s life. It is generally agreed
that Sappho was a wealthy noblewoman from the island of Lesbos who had three
brothers and a daughter named Kleis. She used her prominent social position to
support a cohort of other women artists, and composed many poems about them,
expressing her love for them, praising their beauty, and celebrating their
marriages. Whereas earlier Greek poetry was epic poetry with serious themes of
gods, warfare, and the state, Sappho’s lyric poetry was emotional, intimate and
personal. Her poetry centered around womanhood and womanly love, providing rare
insight into the time period. The modern terms “sapphic” and “lesbian” reveal
the longevity of her impact upon modern culture. Unfortunately, although her
poetry was universally revered by the Greeks and Romans alike, Sappho’s works
only exist as fragments, adding mysterious allure to her larger-than-life
status but unfortunately hindering our understanding of her life and thoughts.
