Sappho was the first major poet of the West and one of the creators of the lyrical, personal and intimate poetry.<\/b><\/p>\n
\n\tSapphic <\/em>and lesbian <\/em>are two words with which we name the homosexual love between women. The origin of these terms is in the name of the most famous Greek <\/em>poetess of all antiquity, Sappho<\/em>, and the name of the island where she lived most of his time, Lesbos<\/em>, in the late seventh century BC in an aristocratic family.<\/p>\n \n\tSome other of the few biographical data that the ancient sources, no secure nor firm, provide us, are that she was married to a merchant, that she had a daughter named Cleis<\/em>, that she lived some time in exile in Sicily <\/em>and that she had three brothers, one of them ruined by his mad love for a prostitute (some poems refer this). Some other interesting details can be deducted from her own poems.<\/p>\n \n\tBy the way, Alcaeus<\/em>, the other great primitive lyric poet, was also from Lesbos<\/em>, and sometimes these two great poets are represented together.<\/p>\n \n\tNote<\/em>: homosexual <\/em>is a word compound of the Greek <\/em>word \u1f45μοιος, homoyos<\/em>, meaning "same<\/em>" and the Latin <\/em>word sexualis<\/em>, from sexus<\/em>, sex<\/em>. Therefore it refers to the love between persons of same sex. It has nothing to do its origin with the Latin <\/em>word "homo<\/em>" meaning “man<\/em>”.<\/p>\n \n\tLove between persons of the male gender is often called specifically "gay<\/em>", English <\/em>term which originally means "happy<\/em>"; the love between women, as it is indicated, is called "Sapphic<\/em>" or "lesbian<\/em>". It seems that these terms began to be used in the eighteenth century in the Illustrated<\/em> France<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tWe know almost nothing about Sappho of Lesbos<\/em>, and even much of which about her is said with little critical sense, it is due to a negative opinion and tradition since antiquity itself, then enhanced by Christian <\/em>morality. And yet in that there is general agreement is that she was the first and best Greek poetess<\/em> whose reputation was known from antiquity itself. (There were other lesser-known poetesses like Sappho, Korinna, Telesila, Praxila, Cleobulina, Beo, Erina, Noside, …)<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tSappho <\/em>wrote nine books of odes, epithalamiums <\/em>or wedding songs, elegies, hymns to the gods and goddesses. But just we know only seven long poems which we might considered quasi-full or less destroyed, and a few fragments, 264 in total, the most from quotes, sometimes a word on ancient grammarians and commentators. In fact, 63 are formed by a single line; 21 by a strophe and, as I said 7 are quasi full poems.<\/p>\n \n\tAlmost everything in your life is enigmatic and fascinating and rarely tested. It has been said, without sufficient basis, that Sappho <\/em>had and governed a school or group of young girls (parthenoi<\/em>, maidens<\/em>) circle of hetairai <\/em>or "partners<\/em>", perhaps in the likeness of male groups. The discussion about the nature of this group or "thiasos<\/em>" θ\u03afασος, has been abundant. The girls would go to his house, which she called "Abode of the servants of the Muses<\/em>", as reflected in the passage 101<\/em>, perhaps to receive some training and cultivate the spirit, composing and singing poems of love, of beauty , of the modesty of the virgin girls, learning gymnastics, music and dance, personal adornment, like a girls' school; perhaps as preparation for marriage; perhaps to worship Aphrodite<\/em> or Eros<\/em>, like other similar associations or "thiasos<\/em>" θ\u03afασος. Perhaps for some of this. In any case it would be a group of friends women who meet to celebrate with singing and dancing, also with banquets, friendship, as the men did. But if this is so, what is needed to make it a sort of directress of "Academy<\/em>" for young ladies of good family?<\/p>\n \n\tThe discussions and clarifications about the type of relationships that were established in the thiasos <\/em>have been very numerous and still they are today in that many feminist groups with different ideas about the role, status and relationships of women in society are also involved.<\/p>\n \n\tThe opinion expressed without any rigor, that her house was simply a brothel is absolutely discredited. Seneca<\/em>, it is true that ignoring the useless know to that many persons are delivered, makes a reference to it in his letter to Lucilius, LXXXVIII, 37:<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tDidymus the Grammarian is said to have wrote 4000 lbooks; how wretched must a man have been only to have read so many trifling things? For, in these books, great enquiry is made after the country of Homer; who was the true mother of Aeneas; whether Anacreon was more sottish than amorous; wheter Sappho was a prostitute; and other the like trifles; which, if a man knew them, he would not be sorry to forget. Go now, O man, and deny, that life is long.<\/strong><\/em> (Translated by Thomas Morrell, London 1786<\/p>\n \n\tQuattuor milia librorum Didymus grammaticus scripsit: misererer si tam multa supervacua legisset. In his libris de patria Homeri quaeritur, in his de Aeneae matre vera, in his libidinosior Anacreon an ebriosior vixerit, in his an Sappho publica fuerit, et alia quae erant dediscenda si scires. I nunc et longam esse vitam nega!<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tSappho <\/em>is one of the creators of lyric poetry<\/em>, which does not sing the great epic feats of the Greek <\/em>heroes who represent the collective spirit, but the simple and refined personal feelings of delicate and educated girls of Lesbos and especially the love between people. She sings the goddesses of the arts, of the beauty, of the love, of the voluptuousness: Eros<\/em>, Aphrodite<\/em>, the Muses<\/em>. Clearly she expresses her disinterest in the epic and her interest in her feminine and delicate world in these verses:<\/p>\n \n\tSome say an army of horsemen, or infantry, \n\tThis poetry of personal feelings, especially the love, face the great heroic ideals today does not strike our attention, but we should think that we're talking about the origins, the first time this has happened and this must be shocking then.<\/p>\n \n\tIt is a poetry to be sung at the sound of the lyre <\/em>(curiously, though unfounded, it is credited to Sappho <\/em>the invention of plectrum <\/em>or pick which is used to vibrate the strings of musical instruments). The musicality and sonority is precisely one of her most valuable features.<\/p>\n \n\tNote<\/em>: Precisely because of the accompanying of the musical instrument, the lyre, this poetry is called “lyric<\/em>”. The word epic <\/em>comes from the Greek <\/em>adjective \u1f10πικ\u03ccς (epikos<\/em>),from \u1f14πος (epos <\/em>= word, speech, story, song, sentence<\/em>).<\/p>\n \n\tOther features, which cause a strong emotion, are the simplicity of the words (she uses everyday language, the name of things), naturalness of feelings and freshness of a strongly sensuous poetry of direct and intelligible expression, unadorned or affectation, as far from many ancient and modern poets, saturated with rhetorical or cloying incomprehensible language. Her simplicity, then, is in words, in expression and sound.<\/p>\n \n\tThe Sapphic stanza<\/em> consists of three heroic verses and another one of five syllables called “adonius<\/em>”. Although this metric is still based on the length of syllables, the fact that they are verses of a certain number of syllables, approaches it to our system of versification. Sappho<\/em> popularized this strophe and from her it is called so.<\/p>\n \n\tDefinitely it is not an irrelevant fact that the island of Lesbos <\/em>is facing and close to the coasts of sensual Asia <\/em>and not to the most severe and rigid coasts of the Greek <\/em>mainland.<\/p>\n \n\tAlthough it has long wanted to hide, sometimes not knowing the correct interpretation of the text, it is evident a homosexual love, that was probably true, in his poems aimed to young girls "servants of the Muses<\/em>" expressing feelings of love, tenderness, jealousy, rejection …,<\/p>\n \n\tLying on soft beds \n\tSo the appointment of Horace <\/em>in Carmen II, XIII 24-25<\/em> takes it for granted<\/p>\n \n\tand Sappho complaining on her Aeolian lyre \n\tAeolibus fidiibus quaerentem \n\tAnd the same Horace <\/em>in the Epistle 19 of Book I, verse 28<\/em> refers to her as "mascula Sappho,<\/em>" "masculine Sappho.<\/em>"<\/p>\n \n\tI first showed to Italy the Parian iambics: \n\tParios ego primus iambos \tHer womanhood, the direction of a group of girls (thiasos<\/em>), cultivating an intimate poetry that sings personal feelings, aimed especially to other girls (up to fifteen: Atis, Anactoria, Citron, Arquenasa, Girino, etc.<\/em> ) and revealing her homosexual relationships, her devotion to Aphrodite<\/em>, goddess of love, and to Eros <\/em>himself, the accusations of immorality …, they were essential components with which the ancient moralists and built a negative view of the great poet, censored, misunderstood and forgotten. Of course, her model of freedom and equal sex between relations between lovers certainly would clash with the model of love of men, where there is always a hint of one over another woman domain or another man (in the case of pederast <\/em>love of youth).<\/p>\n \n\tBut her work was preserved at least until the third century AD; it is proof of appreciation that she enjoyed. Then, because of his bad reputation, it, which has come of her, is just a few snippets (218 fragments) of her work.<\/p>\n \n\tIn a paroxysm of moral criticism, both blamed are attributed her: unrestrained sexual appetite that caused her to have many male lovers, and the statement that if she would been more attractive to men, she should not have had relations with women. There are theater plays with your name where she is drawn as dominated by a strong sexual appetite. So on Aristophanes <\/em>it appears the term "lesbiatsein<\/em>", verb formed from "Lesbos<\/em>", which would mean "doing a lesbian<\/em>"; the reader can easily deduce the meaning of this word comparing it with other forms of loving practice which is also designated by the name of the place, like "French or Greek<\/em>."<\/p>\n \n\tThere are even some text that describes her as short, brunette and ugly. It is curious how modern they seem some of these statements, absolutely sexist, related to homosexual women.<\/p>\n \n\tMenander <\/em>created a legend about his death, which also Ovid <\/em>divulges and recreates in his Heroidas<\/em>, according to which Sappho <\/em>jumped off the cliff Leucade (Lefkada) <\/em>by unrequited love for the young and beautiful Phaon<\/em>. Lefkada is a mythical place, a high promontory and who throws from it, he or she is freed from a unrequited passion of love.<\/p>\n \n\tAlthough it is a little digression, I will comment that Ovid <\/em>wrote a book of imaginary letters in which twenty Greek <\/em>heroines write to their loved ones. They are The Heroides<\/em>. All women are mythical characters, except Sappho<\/em>, real character, protagonist of the letter number XV,<\/em> which sends to her love Phaon<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tWith this letter Ovide <\/em>greatly helped to spread some of the topics on Sappho <\/em>which and ran in antiquity. Thus:<\/p>\n \n\t– the inflamed sexual appetite and lust of the poetesses, in verses 9-10:<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tI burn like a ripened field of corn, \n\tUror, ut, indomitus ignem exercentibus Euris, \n\tAlso in Ars amatoria, III, 331 <\/em> he asks rhetorically<\/p>\n \n\tLook at Sappho: what more lascivious than she?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n\tNota sit et Sappho (quid enim lascivius illa?),<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t– a bad reputation for her love, on Heroides, verse 201:<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tLesbians, the objects of my guilty love;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tLesbides, infamem quae me fecistis amatae<\/em><\/p>\n \n\t– the recognition and fame she already had, v. 29-30<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tand the name of Sappho resounds through all nations. Even great Alcæus, the partner of my country and my harp, has not more renown, though he sings in loftier notes.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n\tIam canitur toto nomen in orbe meum. \n\t– her ugliness, short and dark-skinned, 31-38<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tIf unfriendly nature has denied me an engaging form, \n\tSi mihi difficilis formam natura negavit, \n\tIn this letter Ovide <\/em>created a famous verse, expression of love feeling: the v. 96<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tI ask not your love, but let me love you<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tNon ut ames oro, verum ut amare sinas.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tOr verse 121<\/em>, abstract of very much love and socially correct behavior:<\/p>\n \n\tLove and shame are ever inconsistent<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tNon veniunt in idem pudor atque amor:…<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tBut all this negative view clashes with the serious and important old men and with the recognition with which she was considered by her city and by these men, even though her work and poetry is enclosed exclusively in the female world.<\/p>\n \n\tDionysius of Halicarnassus<\/em>, in his De Compositione verborum XXIII, 173 considers her as the best representative of the lyric, with Anacreon<\/em>. It is in this passage in which is transcribed and preserved, thanks to him by the conservation, almost single complete poem, Hymn to Aphrodite<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tStobaeus <\/em>is a Byzantine author of the V-VI centuries who wrote an anthology of texts; he makes a quote of Aelian <\/em>in which he says an interesting anecdote referring to the poetess.<\/p>\n \n\tStobaeus, Florilegium, 3.29.58: <\/em><\/p>\n \n\tAelian<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n\tSolon of Athens heard his nephew Execestides sing a song of Sappho about wine and he liked the song so much than he asked the boy to teach it to him; when he was asked why he wanted to learn, he replied that “So I may learn it and then die”. \n\tThe following epigram of the Palatine Anthology <\/em>is credited to Plato<\/em>, who calls her "the tenth Muse"<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tAntología Palatina, IX, 506<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tSome say the Muses are nine, but how carelessly! \n\tAnd some attributed to Plato <\/em>and others to Antipater of Sidon<\/em> an epigram called "Epitaph for Sappho"<\/em>, on which she is called "mortal Musa who sang with the immortal Muses"<\/em>. It is in Palatine Anthology, Hellenistic Epigram (VII 14):<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tAntipater of Sidon: On Sappho<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tO Aeolian land, thou coverest Sappho, who with the immortal Muses is celebrated as the mortal Muse; whom Cypris and Eros together reared,with whom Peitho wove the undying wreath of song, a joy to Hellas and a glory to thee. O ye Fates twirling the triple thread on the spindle, why spun ye not an everlasting life for the singer who devised the deathless gifts of the Muses of Helicon? (<\/strong><\/em>Translated by W.R. Paton. The Loeb Classical Library.)<\/p>\n \n\tHer compatriot Alcaeus <\/em>gave him a tender and lovely verse on fragment 63D:<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tViolet-haired, pure, honey-smiling Sappho"<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI wanted to title this article with this verse.<\/p>\n \n\tStrabo also in XIII, 2,3:<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tAnd along with these flourished also Sappho, a marvellous woman; for in all the time of which we have record I do not know of the appearance of any woman who could rival Sappho, even in a slight degree, in the matter of poetry<\/strong><\/em>. (translated by ed. H. L. Jones, The Geography of Strabo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924.)<\/p>\n \n\tThere are many other positive or negative similar valuations. These contradictions in the assessment brought some antiques to assume or absurdly invent the existence of two Sapphos<\/em>, one the beloved poetess and another one of frivolous life and lover to Phaon<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tSappho <\/em>certainly impressed Ovid <\/em>and Catullus <\/em>(see the article https:\/\/www.antiquitatem.com\/en\/catullus-sapho-lesbian-sapphic-love<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t where I mention the
\n\tA fleet of ships is the fairest thing
\n\tOn the face of the black earth, but I say
\n\tIt's what one loves.<\/strong><\/em>
\n\t(Translated by William Harris)<\/p>\n
\n\t you could fill your desire<\/strong><\/em> (fragment 54)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tof her own country-damsels<\/strong><\/em> (Translated by C.Smart,A.M.)<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tSappho puellis de popularibus<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tfollowing the numbers and spirit of Archilochus,
\n\tbut not his subject and style, which afflicted Lycambes.
\n\tYou must not, however, crown me with a more sparing wreath,
\n\tbecause I was afraid to alter the measure and structure of his verse:
\n\tfor the manly Sappho governs her muse by the measures of Archilochus,
\n\tso does Alcaeus; but differing from him in the materials and disposition.<\/strong><\/em> [of his lines] (Translated by C. Smart, A.M.)<\/p>\n
\n\tostendi Latio, numeros animosque secutus
\n\t25Archilochi, non res et agentia verba Lycamben.
\n\tac ne me foliis ideo brevi oribus ornes,
\n\tquod timui mutare modos et carminis artem,
\n\ttemperat Archilochi Musam pede mascula Sappho,
\n\ttemperat Alcaeus, sed rebus et ordine dispar,<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\twhen driving east-winds spread the catching flames.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\tFertilis accensis messibus ardet ager.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tNec plus Alcaeus, consors patriaeque lyraeque,
\n\tLausdis habet, quamvis grandius ille sonet<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tyet the charms of my wit abundantly compensate that deficiency.
\n\tI am short of stature; yet I have a name that fills the whole earth,
\n\tand by my own merit have gained this extensive renown.
\n\tWhat if I am not fair? Was not even Perseus
\n\tpleased with Andromede, an Æthiopian dame?
\n\tDoves of various colours often unite,
\n\tand the white turtle matches with the shining green.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\tIngenio formae damna rependo meae.
\n\t“Sum brevis; at nomen quod terras impleat omnes
\n\tEst mihi; mensuram nominis ipsa fero.
\n\tCandida si non sum, placuit Cepheia Perseo
\n\tAndromede, patriae fusca colore suae.
\n\tEt variis albae iunguntur saepe columbae;
\n\tEt niger a viridi turtur amatur ave.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tSocrates also considered her as one of the sages of ancient Greek history.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n
\n\tLook at the tenth, Sappho from Lesbos.<\/strong>
\n\t(Translated by W.R. Paton. The Loeb Classical Library).<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n