The Most Beautiful Thing of All, Sappho fr. 16

The Most Beautiful Thing of All

Name: Sappho Date: d. 570 BCE Region: Lesbos [modern Greece] Citation: Fragment 16

Some say that the prettiest thing

In all the world

Is cavalry;

Other say it is infantry;

Others say it is ships;

But I say that it is whatever you love.

You can easily see why:

For Helen, the prettiest woman in the world,

Left her courageous husband,

And sailed to Troy.

She didn’t care about her father or her own children;

She was overwhelmed by Aphrodite [Love].

Thinking of all this, I’m reminded of Anactoria,

Whose lovely gait and glorious face

I’d rather watch

Than all the Lydian armies.

Οἰ μὲν ἰππήων στρότον, οἰ δὲ πέσδων, οἰ δὲ νάων φαῖσ’ ἐπὶ γᾶν μέλαιναν ἔμμεναι κάλλιστον, ἔγω δὲ κῆν’ ὄτ- τω τις ἔραται  πάγχυ δ’ εὔμαρες σύνετον πόησαι πάντι τοῦτ’· ἀ γὰρ πολὺ περσκέθοισα κάλλος ἀνθρώπων Ἐλένα τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν πανάριστον  καλλίποισ’ ἔβα ‘ς Τροίαν πλέοισα κωὐδὲ παῖδος οὐδὲ φίλων τοκήων πάμπαν ἐμνάσθη, ἀλλὰ παράγαγ’ αὔταν ...[1] κἄμε νῦν Ἀνακτορίας ὀνέμναι- σ’ οὐ παρεοίσας  τᾶς κε βολλοίμαν ἔρατόν τε βᾶμα κἀμάρυχμα λάμπρον ἴδην προσώπω ἢ τὰ Λύδων ἄρματα κἀν ὄπλοισι πεσδομάχεντας.

Alii aciem equitum ex omnibus pulcherrimum esse dicunt; alii, peditum; alii, naves; sed mihi est, quod quisque amat! Hoc perfacile cognosci potest. Nam Tyndaris, pulcherrima ex omnibus feminis, maritum optimum relinquit et Troiam tetendit. Nec memor infantis patrisque, immo ea a Venere deducta est … Haec mecum meditans, Anactoriam (illa absente), contemplor, cuius gradum gracilem et vultum mirari velim quam omnes Lydorum curros et acies dimicantes. Translated into Latin by Kris Masters

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[1] Three lines are missing due to damage.

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.