Who was Sappho? The Legend Behind the Tenth Muse
Who Was Sappho? The Greatest Lyric Poet of Ancient Greece
Sappho, in ancient times, was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets; most of her poems were written to be sung while accompanied by music, and were passed down over the centuries.
She was born around 615 B.C. to an aristocratic family on the Greek island of Lesbos. She was so famous that statues were raised and ceramics fashioned in her honour. The Sappho bust appeared on coins of two cities of the island of Lesbos, Mytilene and Eresu.
Very little is known of her life and of the nine volumes of her work, only 650 lines survived. She was exiled to Sicily around 600 BC, because some kind of political conflict arose and her family got involved. The story about her death is that she killed herself by leaping from the Leucadian cliffs due to her love for the ferryman Phaon.
Sappho in Art: The Paintings That Inspired Obljewellery
Obljewellery, inspired by the paintings "The Death of Sappho" by Miguel Carbonell Selva, "Sappho on the Leucadian Cliff" by Pierre Narcisse Guerin, "Sappho" by Carlo Agricola, and the most ancient painting — the Sappho portrait, a Roman fresco of about AD 50 from Pompeii — created a Sappho jewellery collection handmade from sustainable wood.
The Death of Sappho by Miguel Carbonell Selva, 1881
Sappho on the Leucadian Cliff by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, 1800
Sappho portrait, Pompeii (AD 45–79)
Sappho by Karl Agricola, 1839
Sappho and the Education of Women in Ancient Greece
Women lived controlled lives in ancient cultures with limited access to formal education. A girl was only taught basic skills in reading, writing and arithmetic, to run a household once she was married off. But Sappho's works indicate that in Mytilene, the city where she was born, women — at least from her privileged social standing — had access to a formal education that included training in choral composition, musical accomplishment and performance.
Sappho was a prolific poet. The style of her poems varied from epic narratives to personal sentimental narratives. Sentiments of love and desire, mostly directed towards women, were almost always the main theme. She is well known as a symbol of love and desire between women. The English words Sapphic and lesbian derive from her name and that of her home island respectively.
Sappho's Most Famous Poems
Midnight Poem (Fragment 48)
The midnight poem is a fragment of Greek lyric poetry, one of the best-known surviving pieces of Greek lyric poetry — four lines describing a woman alone at night.
"The moon and the Pleiades have set,
it is midnight,
time is passing,
but I sleep alone."
Sappho 31
An archaic Greek lyric poem in which Sappho describes her love for a young woman.
"That man seems to me to be equal to the gods
who is sitting opposite you
and hears you nearby
speaking sweetly
and laughing delightfully, which indeed
makes my heart flutter in my breast;
for when I look at you even for a short time,
it is no longer possible for me to speak
but it is as if my tongue is broken
and immediately a subtle fire has run over my skin,
I cannot see anything with my eyes,
and my ears are buzzing
a cold sweat comes over me, trembling
seizes me all over, I am paler
than grass, and I seem nearly
to have died.
but everything must be dared/endured, since (?even a poor man) ..."
Sappho 94 — Sappho's Confession
A fragment written as a conversation between Sappho and a woman who is leaving her, perhaps in order to marry, describing a series of memories of their time together.
"Honestly, I would like to die."
She was leaving me, saying goodbye, her cheeks
wet with tears, and she said to me:
"What a cruel unhappiness,
Sappho, I swear that I leave you against my will."
This is what I replied to her:
"Go, fare well, and remember me,
for you certainly know how we cared for you.
If you don't, why then, I would like to remind you …
… and the beautiful times we had:
for with many a crown of roses
mixed with crocus and violets
you were garlanded while you were at my side
and with many a flower necklace
you encircled your tender throat,
plaiting blossoms together to make a wreath,
and with flowery perfumes …
precious, queenly …
you anointed yourself …
and on beds of soft luxury
you would satisfy all your longing
for that tender girl …
Never was there a festival
at a shrine or a temple where
we were absent
… nor a grove or a dance…"
Fragments
Fragment 51
I don't know what to do.
I have two thoughts.
Fragment 52
I don't expect to touch the sky.
Fragment 56
Not one girl, I think, will ever look on the sunlight of another time who has such talent as this one does.
But you, O Dika, wreathe lovely garlands in your hair
Weave shoots of dill together, with slender hands,
For the Graces prefer those who are wearing flowers,
And turn away from those who go uncrowned.
References and Art Credits
Literary & Historical Sources:
- Poetry Fragments: Sappho: A New Translation by Julia Dubnoff. Fragments 31, 48 (Midnight Poem), 94, 51, 52, 56.
- Biographical Data: Historical records of Mytilene and the island of Lesbos regarding the life of Sappho (c. 615 – 570 BC).
- Cultural Context: Women’s Education in Ancient Greece, study on the social standing of women in Aeolian culture.
Artworks in order of appearance:
- The Death of Sappho: Miguel Carbonell Selva, 1881. Oil on canvas. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
- Sappho on the Leucadian Cliff: Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, 1800. Oil on canvas. Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Orléans.
- Sappho Portrait (Roman Fresco): National Archaeological Museum, Naples (AD 45–79). Discovered in Pompeii.
- Sappho: Karl Agricola, 1839. Watercolor and graphite on paper. Historical Romanticism Collection.