Early Love Poetry
Firstly, I would like to commend Rosita on her lecture, it was both informative and interesting. I particularly enjoyed how she asked for the input of the class on the meaning of certain poems before giving her analysis. I feel that this made for an interactive environment that kept the class interested.
This lecture dealt with early love poetry, focusing most on the ancient lyric poets, Sappho and Catullus. As well, the concept of Eros or love energy and the paradoxes of love that can be found within the poetry of these early love poets were presented and discussed.
I will focus on the work of Sappho in this post, because she is of most interest to me. This is probably because she is a woman and appears to be more sexually liberated than even the women of that TV program, Sex and The City. Anyhow, what is known of Sappho has been attained from fragments of her poetry. Sappho dates are not exactly known, but she was alive during 610-580 BCE (the term BC was used in lecture, but BCE or Before the Common Era is more politically correct). It is also known that Sappho was a married woman with one daughter, but she lived on the Isle of Lesbo in Greece and spent her time in pursuit of beauty and art with her students, beautiful young women. We also know that she was a celebrated poet in her time, despite her use of homoerotic imagery, which in this day some may consider an obscene expression. Sappho, then, initiated a movement in lyric poetry from the grand style to something more personal and erotic. Sappho's poems were not just about love, but Eros or love energy. Eros is the Greek god of love. Often Eros is combined with Thanatos, the god of death. The term Eros s Thamatos, thus means life and death. These juxtaposing images are present in Sappho's poetry when she uses the term she coined, "bittersweet". This oxymoron is representative of the paradoxical nature of love. Whereby, love and hate interact and co-exist. The concept of Eros can be found in much of Sappho's poetry, an example of such is, "I have not had one word from her."
I have not had one word from her
Frankly I wish I were dead
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to me, "This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly."
I said, "Go, and be happy
but remember (you know
well) whom you leave shackled by love
"If you forget me, think
of our gifts to Aphrodite
and all the loveliness that we shared
"all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck
"myrrh poured on your head
and on soft mats girls with
all that they most wished for beside them
"while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..."
--Translated by Mary Barnard
(http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html)
Within this poem, Sappho expresses her love for a student who is leaving the island, presumably to be married. In her expression, Sappho utilizes the concept of Eros, using such terms as "shackled by love." Perhaps insinuating that she is tormented by love, being that she cannot have her love. Thus, love is portrayed as more than a word, instead it is as Eros, a force that keeps Sappho locked down. Another and perhaps even better example of this sort of imagery can be found in this poem:
On the throne of many hues, Immortal Aphrodite,
child of Zeus, weaving wiles--I beg you
not to subdue my spirit, Queen,
with pain or sorrow
but come--if ever before
having heard my voice from far away
you listened, and leaving your father's
golden home you came
in your chariot yoked with swift, lovely
sparrows bringing you over the dark earth
thick-feathered wings swirling down
from the sky through mid-air
arriving quickly--you, Blessed One,
with a smile on your unaging face
asking again what have I suffered
and why am I calling again
and in my wild heart what did I most wish
to happen to me: "Again whom must I persuade
back into the harness of your love?
Sappho, who wrongs you?
For if she flees, soon she'll pursue,
she doesn't accept gifts, but she'll give,
if not now loving, soon she'll love
even against her will."
Come to me now again, release me from
this pain, everything my spirit longs
to have fulfilled, fulfill, and you
be my ally
--Translated by Diane Rayor
(http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html)
In this poem the Eros related imagery is produced by these phrases, "Again whom must I persuade back into the harness of your love?", "...soon she'll love even against her will" and "Come to me now again, release me from
this pain." Each of these lines represents love as a force capable of capturing and persuading. I believe these images are much more beautiful and powerful than anything I have ever encountered before. They evoke feelings of both the elation of feeling in-love, as well as deep sorrow in not being able to have your love. Regardless of who Sappho's love is directed to, everyone can relate to these feelings.
Much like Rosita did in lecture, I would like to emphasize that there is no evidence that Sappho was a lesbian, nor should her work be considered entirely homoerotic. She did in fact dedicate poems to men, as well as women. Also, there is so much more to her work than simply a desire expressed towards women, there is an expression of the universal feeling of love's bitter-sweetness.
Janice
This lecture dealt with early love poetry, focusing most on the ancient lyric poets, Sappho and Catullus. As well, the concept of Eros or love energy and the paradoxes of love that can be found within the poetry of these early love poets were presented and discussed.
I will focus on the work of Sappho in this post, because she is of most interest to me. This is probably because she is a woman and appears to be more sexually liberated than even the women of that TV program, Sex and The City. Anyhow, what is known of Sappho has been attained from fragments of her poetry. Sappho dates are not exactly known, but she was alive during 610-580 BCE (the term BC was used in lecture, but BCE or Before the Common Era is more politically correct). It is also known that Sappho was a married woman with one daughter, but she lived on the Isle of Lesbo in Greece and spent her time in pursuit of beauty and art with her students, beautiful young women. We also know that she was a celebrated poet in her time, despite her use of homoerotic imagery, which in this day some may consider an obscene expression. Sappho, then, initiated a movement in lyric poetry from the grand style to something more personal and erotic. Sappho's poems were not just about love, but Eros or love energy. Eros is the Greek god of love. Often Eros is combined with Thanatos, the god of death. The term Eros s Thamatos, thus means life and death. These juxtaposing images are present in Sappho's poetry when she uses the term she coined, "bittersweet". This oxymoron is representative of the paradoxical nature of love. Whereby, love and hate interact and co-exist. The concept of Eros can be found in much of Sappho's poetry, an example of such is, "I have not had one word from her."
I have not had one word from her
Frankly I wish I were dead
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to me, "This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly."
I said, "Go, and be happy
but remember (you know
well) whom you leave shackled by love
"If you forget me, think
of our gifts to Aphrodite
and all the loveliness that we shared
"all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck
"myrrh poured on your head
and on soft mats girls with
all that they most wished for beside them
"while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..."
--Translated by Mary Barnard
(http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html)
Within this poem, Sappho expresses her love for a student who is leaving the island, presumably to be married. In her expression, Sappho utilizes the concept of Eros, using such terms as "shackled by love." Perhaps insinuating that she is tormented by love, being that she cannot have her love. Thus, love is portrayed as more than a word, instead it is as Eros, a force that keeps Sappho locked down. Another and perhaps even better example of this sort of imagery can be found in this poem:
On the throne of many hues, Immortal Aphrodite,
child of Zeus, weaving wiles--I beg you
not to subdue my spirit, Queen,
with pain or sorrow
but come--if ever before
having heard my voice from far away
you listened, and leaving your father's
golden home you came
in your chariot yoked with swift, lovely
sparrows bringing you over the dark earth
thick-feathered wings swirling down
from the sky through mid-air
arriving quickly--you, Blessed One,
with a smile on your unaging face
asking again what have I suffered
and why am I calling again
and in my wild heart what did I most wish
to happen to me: "Again whom must I persuade
back into the harness of your love?
Sappho, who wrongs you?
For if she flees, soon she'll pursue,
she doesn't accept gifts, but she'll give,
if not now loving, soon she'll love
even against her will."
Come to me now again, release me from
this pain, everything my spirit longs
to have fulfilled, fulfill, and you
be my ally
--Translated by Diane Rayor
(http://www.sappho.com/poetry/sappho.html)
In this poem the Eros related imagery is produced by these phrases, "Again whom must I persuade back into the harness of your love?", "...soon she'll love even against her will" and "Come to me now again, release me from
this pain." Each of these lines represents love as a force capable of capturing and persuading. I believe these images are much more beautiful and powerful than anything I have ever encountered before. They evoke feelings of both the elation of feeling in-love, as well as deep sorrow in not being able to have your love. Regardless of who Sappho's love is directed to, everyone can relate to these feelings.
Much like Rosita did in lecture, I would like to emphasize that there is no evidence that Sappho was a lesbian, nor should her work be considered entirely homoerotic. She did in fact dedicate poems to men, as well as women. Also, there is so much more to her work than simply a desire expressed towards women, there is an expression of the universal feeling of love's bitter-sweetness.
Janice