The Poetry of Sappho: An Archetype of Greatness

This was the first piece I wrote for Writing in Women last semester about the great Greek poet and teacher, Sappho.

     As Carol Ann Duffy writes in the Preface of Stung with Love by Sappho, the “greatest poets are able, long after their deaths, to speak to our humanity” (viii). Sappho wrote nearly all of her poetry about the complexities and wonders that came along with being a human being in her time. What is most compelling about Sappho and her poems is that the majority of the issues and feelings that she wrote about, such as love, passion, and youth, still ring true to this day. People in the twenty-first century, although they live their lives differently, experience the same emotions that Sappho discusses in her poetry. It is the genuine experience and sentiment behind Sappho’s poems that make her such a great poet. In her work as a poet, Sappho becomes a teacher of lessons in humanity and human nature. Sappho’s poems have stood the test of time and to this day speak to humanity in a way that only great poems can. Through her consistent use of dramatic images and descriptions and her ability to connect with humanity and educate them on a certain level, Sappho has left an impression on the world that has survived over two thousand years after she left it.
     Sappho’s poetry was written in a style that was different than most other poets of her time, making it truly unforgettable. Her poems were “melodic, intimate, sensual, and she wrote lyrics of love and desire, of loss and longing” (Duffy viii). Sappho’s poems were full to the brim with beautiful images, vivid descriptions, and powerful connections to nature and the world around her. She utilizes lunar imagery in a number of her poems, and references the power and allure of the moon various times. In one of her poems, she writes “A full moon shone, / And around the shrine / Stood devotees / Poised and in place. (11). In this fragment, Sappho is perhaps speaking of the group worshipping of a moon goddess such as Artemis. She may also be referencing a Pagan ritual, in which men and women would gather around an altar, or shrine, at night and worship the Goddess and the God by bringing down the energy of the full moon. Sappho’s striking imagery and description, even in such a short fragment, gives the audience the image of a heavy full moon, and the energy of the people gathered around it. In another of her poems, she writes “Star clusters near the fair moon dim / Their shapely shimmering whenever / She rises, lucent to the brim / And flowing over” (79). Sappho’s use of imagery and description in this poem make it easy to imagine the bright, beautiful moon that outshines these star clusters. The nature imagery that Sappho utilizes in both of these poems allows for a connection to be made between herself and her readers. These poems are easily relatable, as one has the opportunity to see the moon every night by simply looking outside the window.
     Considered by Plato to be the Tenth Muse, Sappho inspired ideas of love, sexuality, and sensuality, seeming to be a goddess herself. She had interactions with gods and goddesses, both honoring them and asking for their help. In the world today, many people believe that they can speak to God and that God speaks to them, whether it is silent or spoken communication. Sappho also seems to believe this, as in one of her poem fragments she writes of an interaction with the goddess Aphrodite, in which she is asking for guidance in love. The goddess responds “‘She who shuns love soon will pursue it, / She who scorns gifts will send them still: / That girl will learn love, though she do it / Against her will’” (9). Sappho, perhaps not entirely convinced, asks Aphrodite to stand at her side in her battle and relates the troubles of her heart and her love to the injustice of war. Sappho’s contact with Aphrodite, the goddess that she seems most in tune with, presents to her readers the idea that supernatural beings, such as gods and goddesses, can play a part in daily life. This makes her poems something that anyone who holds a belief in a god or a goddess, or a combination of the two, can connect with. Since the majority of humanity believes in a supreme being, this is an idea that seems comforting and true. For those that do not believe in a higher power, Sappho’s poems may be read as a different way of viewing the world and what is out there. It is essential to remember when considering Sappho’s poetry that even though she wrote about magical and powerful experiences, such as two-sided paranormal conversations, she was indeed only a human. She experienced human emotions and dealt with the trials and tribulations that came along with her existence as a human being, just the same as everyone else. Her poems present readers with lessons on life and love, and show that she too felt pain and sorrow. One of her fragments reads, “The gorgeous man presents a gorgeous view; / The good man will in time be gorgeous, too” (83). Sappho provides a lesson here, that unfortunately many people do not learn until it is too late. A man or a woman who is beautiful on this outside may be nice to look at, but they may really only be something to look at. Someone with a beautiful face or body might turn out to have a horrendous personality. On the other hand, a good person, regardless of their outer appearance, will become physically appealing as a connection is made with them and as love grows. In her knowledge of the world around her, Sappho becomes a teacher and helps the rest of humanity to actually live instead of simply surviving.
     It is believed by many people that Sappho was a teacher of young girls and women, and that she was a wise and intelligent woman. The things she taught these girls would not be considered curriculum in today’s public schools, but they are perhaps much more important than solving a math problem or memorizing the dates of a war. As explained in the Introduction by Poochigian, Sappho’s students would study poetry and art, and there was more of a focus on life lessons than anything else (xix-xxi). Sappho would teach lessons about love, hate, beauty, and perhaps most importantly, youth. In a number of her full poems and fragments, Sappho alludes to youth and how quickly it can fade. She advises her students, telling them “Girls, chase the violet-bosomed Muses’ bright / Gifts and the plangent lyre, lover of hymns: / Stiffness has seized on these once supple limbs, / And black braids with the passing years turned white” (45). Sappho is no stranger to the aches and woes of ageing, and warns her girls to get the most out of life while they can, and that they should take advantage of their youth while they still have it. A few lines later in the same poem, she makes the point of saying that “humans simply / Cannot be ageless like divinities” (45). Sappho acknowledged her own ageing and seems as though she has accepted that life cannot go on forever. In this poem, Sappho teaches her students, and the rest of humanity, that life is too short to be wasted. It seems that is of the utmost importance to Sappho that humanity does not lose sight of that, and that humans always remember to live their lives to the fullest.
     Sappho has made an everlasting impact on the world of poetry and literature, as well as on humanity as a whole. Through her utilization of carefully crafted imagery and descriptive phrases, along with her ability to incorporate significant lessons into her poetry, Sappho has become known as not just a talented poet, but a wise teacher. She not only taught her students to appreciate life and the beauty that it holds, but she has also taught humanity to do the same. Her poems about the ethereal quality of the moon and of nature have enlightened people to the fact that beauty can be found right outside their window. Her lessons about love and the importance of getting the most out of life have had an eternal influence on the way that humans live today. It is not a simple feat to teach and mold the human race in the way that Sappho has done, and it is not a challenge to be taken lightly. She has impacted the lives and thoughts of so many people through the few poems and fragments that have been found, that it is hard to imagine how influential she would have been had more of her poems been discovered. There is no doubt that in the past two or three thousand years there have been few, if any, people who are worthy of standing up next to Sappho as the epitome of a truly great poet.

Works Cited:

Duffy, Carol Ann. “Preface.” Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments. Sappho. Trans. Aaron Poochigian. London: Penguin, 2009. vii-viii. Print.

Poochigian, Aaron. “Introduction.” Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments. Sappho. Trans. Aaron Poochigian. London: Penguin, 2009. xi-xl. Print.

Sappho. Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments. Trans. Aaron Poochigian. London: Penguin, 2009. Print.

Finally, A Positive Role Model

In my first semester of college I took a class titled "Women in Writing: Gender and Genderbending." This was where my love for British, French, and Greek literature began. We learned about and read the works of people like Sappho, Christine de Pizan, Joan of Arc, Marie de France, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Queen Elizabeth I. This was the last paper I wrote for the class, about Elizabeth I. This was probably my favorite class out of the ones I have taken in college so far. I learned more in one week of this class than an entire semester of some of my others. My essays about Elizabeth I and Sappho were my favorites, so I will probably post those two.

     The mention of Elizabeth I often conjures up the image of a heavily made up white-faced woman with excellent posture and a dress made of intricate fabric and excessive ruffles, but there is much more to this woman than makeup and frills. Representative of one of the most prosperous times in Europe, Queen Elizabeth I is an icon of royalty, success, and of England as a whole. She has presented the world with a standard image that is easily recognized. She created a standard for what a powerful and successful woman looked and acted like. Her image carries along with it a great deal of respect, as she is one of the rare historical personages who was able to bring about change through writing as well as politics. Although she made incredible changes and accomplishments in England during the time of her reign, Elizabeth I was also gifted in the literary arts. As expressed in the article “A Queen for Whose Time?” by David Grant Moss, Elizabeth I is still an incredibly relevant figure in twenty-first century society. Through reading and learning about Queen Elizabeth I, much can be learned about the strength of women and the incredible impact that one female voice can have on an entire country and even the world.
     Elizabeth I was a very well-read woman who had a vast knowledge of numerous subject areas. Not only was she an influential politician and ruler, but also an incredibly gifted writer and public speaker. She wrote a variety of letters, speeches, poems, prayers, translations and essays during her lifetime. Elizabeth was a well-educated young woman who received a balanced education in religion and humanism. Her studies also included classical Latin and Greek language and literature, teachings of the Bible, and writings by the Fathers of the Church. She was also skilled in the French and Italian languages, which lead to her translation and transcription of various texts (May xvii). Elizabeth not only wrote for practical reasons but took advantage of the free and expressive nature of poetry. As Steven W. May notes in the introduction to Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works, “Beyond the writing required by her status as a sovereign, Elizabeth undertook a variety of linguistic and literary compositions that were apparently motivated by her love of languages and desire to remain proficient in them” (xix). She appreciated the beauty of language and education, and was determined not to let her voice go unheard. It was her profound knowledge of these subjects and forms of expression that allowed her to be such an intelligent woman and impressive and insightful writer.
     Possibly her most well-known pieces of writing, her speeches were full of stylistic language and strong messages. Queen Elizabeth’s speech at Tilbury Camp on August 9, 1588 expresses just how strongly she felt about her position as a female ruler. She writes in her tenth speech, directed toward the English army, “I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England, too” (77). Elizabeth was a strong woman in her ability to rule England and was one of the first few successful woman rulers of the country. She does not deny the fact that she is a woman and that many people might view her as weak and unfit to rule. Instead she admits to her feeble state as a delicate woman, but embraces the fact that she has a strong heart and will to lead. Elizabeth knows she is more than capable of ruling her country like a proper English king would, and makes an effort to ensure that her people believe in her just as much as she does.
     The twenty-first century is full of biased media coverage, unreachable standards of beauty and success, strict rules and expectations of women, and very few positive role models. Elizabeth’s confidence in herself and her ability to be successful set a valuable example for the women of this century. Many of these women deal with issues of self-confidence and the oppression that living in a patriarchal society places on them. Elizabeth sends a positive message through her speeches and poems. Her writing expresses to women of this century that they too can be successful, no matter where they come from or what they have done in the past. In her speech at Tilbury Camp, she also stresses the importance of being willing to sacrifice oneself for the greater good and keep a strong front in the face of adversity. She writes in her speech, "I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and goodwill of my subjects. And therefore I am come amongst you as you see at this time not for my reaction and disport, but being resolved in the midst and heat of the battle to live or die amongst you all, to lay down, for my God and for my kingdom and for my people, my honor and my blood even in the dust" (77). She stresses the fact that she is trustworthy and willing to put her life down for her God and for her people. Elizabeth’s writing reveals that even though there are people that might doubt them, the women of the twenty-first century have the potential to be influential people if they are confident in themselves and work toward their goals as she did. Her poetry also support the common belief that it is more about what is on the inside than what is on the outside. In her third poem of the collection, she writes "No crooked leg, no bleared eye, / No part deformed out of kind, / Nor yet so ugly half can be / As is the inward, suspicious mind" (5). Elizabeth’s belief is not that beauty or outward appearance holds more value than what a person believes or thinks, but is quite the opposite. In this poem she expresses the principle that it really does not matter what a person may look like on the outside. It is only the person with a cruel soul or suspicious intentions that is truly ugly and those with good on the inside are in fact beautiful, even if they have physical imperfections.
     On the other hand, Elizabeth I also provides women with a look at her imperfections, many of which they can identify with and relate to. While many things have changed and women have made an unbelievable amount of progress since the time Elizabeth lived, there is still a great deal of uncertainty and turbulence that comes with being a woman, regardless of the time period. She writes in the sixth poem of her collection "I grieve and dare not show my discontent; / I love and yet am forced to seem to hate; / I do, yet dare not say I ever meant, / I seem stark mute, but not inwardly do prate, / I am, and not; I freeze, and yet am burned, / Since from myself another self I turned" (12). This poem is a reflection of Elizabeth’s sorrow and grief, possibly regarding a problem with one of her many suitors or simply the difficulties of being a woman in the sixteenth century. Feelings of unworthiness and doubt are common amongst young people, particularly young women. The fact that a powerful historical figure such as Elizabeth I owns up to her insecurities and writes about them honestly tells women that they do not have to be afraid of admitting their faults and fears; perhaps they are better off in doing so.
     Queen Elizabeth I did not have an effortless or trouble-free life, by any means. She dealt with many things that most people today would shudder at the thought of, such as imprisonment by her family and the pressure of ruling an entire country on her own. She did, however, have the rare ability to look beyond these difficult things. In doing this, she found the strength in herself to rule England successfully in spite of her many insecurities and flaws. Fortunately for the generations ahead of her, Elizabeth was not afraid to voice her opinion and oftentimes made it incredibly obvious to anyone willing to listen. Elizabeth’s strengths as a woman of power set an unparalleled example for the women of the twenty-first century. By expressing their opinions, not being afraid of what other people might think of them, and being confident in their abilities, they can be successful. The women of this century can find an undeniably positive role model in this historical figure and accomplished writer. Perhaps one of the most influential women of the past five-hundred years, Elizabeth I has left an impact on the world that has lasted long after her death.

Works Cited:
Elizabeth I. “Poem 3” Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works. Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. 5-6. Print.

Elizabeth I. “Poem 6” Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works. Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. 12-15. Print.

Elizabeth I. “Speech 10. August 9, 1588” Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works. Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. 77-83. Print.

May, Steven W. “Introduction.” Queen Elizabeth I: Selected Works. Queen Elizabeth I. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. xi-xxxix. Print.

Moss, David Grant. “A Queen for Whose Time?” The Journal of Popular Culture 39.5 (2006): 796-816. Print.