γλύκηα μᾶτερ, οὔτοι δύναμαι κρέκην τὸν ἴστον
πόθῳ δάμεισα παῖδος βραδίναν δι’ Ἀφροδίταν.
--Sappho fr. 102; translated from the Greek by Christian Frederick Neue, 1827.
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.
SAPPHO
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MAP:
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Name: Σαπφώ / Sappho
Date: 630 – 570 BCE
Works: <lost:
only fragments remain>
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REGION 5
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BIO:
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Timeline:
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Sappho 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 is emotional, intimate and personal. Her poetry centers
around womanhood and womanly love, providing rare insight into social mores
of the time period. The modern term “lesbian” (a woman who is attracted to
another woman) reveals the longevity of her impact upon western culture
[NOTE: Although “lesbian” is the accepted term in modern English, authors in
the ancient world used a different word for a homosexual woman, and only occasionally
used the term “lesbian” euphemistically]. 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.
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Archaic Greek
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