In Praise of Sappho: Greek Anthology IX.189

 

Lesbides ite simul dominae Iunonis ad aram

Suspenso tenerae moliter ite gradu:

docta chorum vobis sacrata per atria Sappho

inchoet aurata conspicienda lyra:

hac duce gaudentes saltate. Videbitur ipsa

edere mellitos Callipoea sonos.

 

ἔλθετε πρὸς τέμενος ταυρώπιδος ἀγλαὸν Ἥρης,

Λεσβίδες, ἁβρὰ ποδῶν βήμαθ᾽ ἑλισσόμεναι,

ἔνθα καλὸν στήσασθε θεῇ χορὸν ὔμμι δ᾽ ἀπάρξει

Σαπφὼ χρυσείην χερσὶν ἔχουσα λύρην,

ὄλβιαι ὀρχηθμοῦ πολυγηθέος: ἦ γλυκὺν ὕμνον

εἰσαΐειν αὐτῆς δόξετε Καλλιόπης.

--Greek Anthology IX.189; Translated into Latin by Hugo Grottius

Ladies of Lesbos, go to the sanctuary of cow-eyed Hera,

Twirl around with delicate footstep,

and create there a blessed dance for the goddess;

The sagacious Sappho will guide you in the dance.

As she holds a golden lyre in her hands,

O Blessed troupe of dancers,

It will seem as though Calliope herself

Is performing her honey-sweet songs.

<Anonymous>	MAP:
Name:  ???? Date:  Works:  Greek Anthology; Anthologia Graeca; Florilegii Graecii	REGION  UNKNOWN
BIO:	Timeline:
The Greek Anthology is a modern collection of Greek lyric poetry compiled from various sources over the course of Greco-Roman literature. The current collection was created from two major sources, one from the 10th century CE and one from the 14th century CE. The anthology contains authors spanning the entirety of Greek literature, from archaic poets to Byzantine Christian poets.	Byzantine Greek

SAPPHO	MAP:
Name:  Σαπφώ / Sappho Date:  630 – 570 BCE Works:  <lost: only fragments remain>	REGION  5
BIO:	Timeline:
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.	Archaic Greek