Book 12 - Sappho "Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments of Sappho"
Sappho "Stung with Love: Poems and Fragments of Sappho" (Penguin Classics)
No matter how good the translation, there is always going to be something lost when modern readers attempt to tackle the classics from ancient Greece, or Rome, or wherever. This is true even of well-known, substantial works like Homer's Odyssey, and is doubly apparent when the work is as sparse as what remains of Sappho's. This collection is accurately subtitled 'Poems and Fragments', for little of Sappho's work survives today, and much of what does is missing stanzas, words or context. The introduction to this collection notes the surprising ways in which Sapphic fragments have come to light, including as scraps of paper used as stuffing in coffins and mummified remains.
The lack of a really substantial body of Sappho's work inhibits one's appreciation for the poet's prowess, but thanks to the efforts of the likes of Aaron Poochigian (who translates the poems in this collection and provides illuminating analysis), one can still marvel at what little remains. Sappho's fragments hint at a poet of great versatility; whilst she is mostly known today for the erotic homosexuality of some of her lyrics, Poochigian's selections demonstrate her true range. She is predominantly concerned with youth and innocence, emotion and hope, of which love and eroticism represent just a small but significant part. Indeed, it is remarkable just how ably she intermixes eroticism with innocence in a way which, due to the morals of modern society, would not be possible for today's poets.
As I have said, some of Sappho's power is bound to be lost in translation, but it is a sign of her greatness that what remains still speaks so strongly; as Carol Ann Duffy puts it in her preface, one is impressed by 'how much life is conveyed by so little'. I came to the poems of Sappho as a complete novice (the only time I'd heard of her was a passing mention in the lyrics of a Nick Cave song), but even I was struck by some of the poems on offer here, even the fragmentary ones. There is enough here to suggest that Sappho was indeed a great poet, but all we have are fragments, hints, questions. As Poochigian explains, with most things Sappho 'we must content ourselves with probabilities' and accept the limitations. But whilst much of her poetry is gone, her legacy is secured. The roll-call of poets throughout the centuries who venerate Sappho is impressive, and her influence on those who followed in her footsteps never in doubt. It is just rather tragic that this slim volume comprises just about all we have left of her.
No matter how good the translation, there is always going to be something lost when modern readers attempt to tackle the classics from ancient Greece, or Rome, or wherever. This is true even of well-known, substantial works like Homer's Odyssey, and is doubly apparent when the work is as sparse as what remains of Sappho's. This collection is accurately subtitled 'Poems and Fragments', for little of Sappho's work survives today, and much of what does is missing stanzas, words or context. The introduction to this collection notes the surprising ways in which Sapphic fragments have come to light, including as scraps of paper used as stuffing in coffins and mummified remains.
The lack of a really substantial body of Sappho's work inhibits one's appreciation for the poet's prowess, but thanks to the efforts of the likes of Aaron Poochigian (who translates the poems in this collection and provides illuminating analysis), one can still marvel at what little remains. Sappho's fragments hint at a poet of great versatility; whilst she is mostly known today for the erotic homosexuality of some of her lyrics, Poochigian's selections demonstrate her true range. She is predominantly concerned with youth and innocence, emotion and hope, of which love and eroticism represent just a small but significant part. Indeed, it is remarkable just how ably she intermixes eroticism with innocence in a way which, due to the morals of modern society, would not be possible for today's poets.
As I have said, some of Sappho's power is bound to be lost in translation, but it is a sign of her greatness that what remains still speaks so strongly; as Carol Ann Duffy puts it in her preface, one is impressed by 'how much life is conveyed by so little'. I came to the poems of Sappho as a complete novice (the only time I'd heard of her was a passing mention in the lyrics of a Nick Cave song), but even I was struck by some of the poems on offer here, even the fragmentary ones. There is enough here to suggest that Sappho was indeed a great poet, but all we have are fragments, hints, questions. As Poochigian explains, with most things Sappho 'we must content ourselves with probabilities' and accept the limitations. But whilst much of her poetry is gone, her legacy is secured. The roll-call of poets throughout the centuries who venerate Sappho is impressive, and her influence on those who followed in her footsteps never in doubt. It is just rather tragic that this slim volume comprises just about all we have left of her.