It is possible that she is not gay, and Sappho (pronounced SA-fow), who calls an unknown lover in her works, is a character. However, this seems unlikely, because ancient writers got more works than today. They praised her poems, but criticized her for acting like a "masculine woman". Little is known about her life. Of the nine books widely read in ancient times, only 650 lines remain. Understanding of her comes from three aspects:
Suda (A.D. 10 century)
Reference materials of ancient writers
Her poems
Later legend said that her works were deliberately destroyed by the medieval church to suppress lesbian love poems, although there was evidence that Pope Gregory VII ordered her works to be burned. AD 1073, many people were lost before that because they were not translated and copied. Sappho writes in Greek dialect, which is difficult for Latin writers who are proficient in Attica and Homer Greek to translate. They know that there was once a poetess who was highly praised by other people's works. They kept the poems of Sappho copied by others, but they didn't translate the new ones just because they didn't understand her dialect.
Her reputation as one of the greatest poets of her time was maintained by others quoting her life from her works.
Nevertheless, her reputation as one of the greatest poets in Greek literature is still quoted by others to describe her life. Some biographies must have been written before or shortly after her death, because the outline of her life was known to later writers, but they knew what these works were except the inscriptions such as Marble in Paris (the history of some events in Greece between 65438-0582-299 BC).
She was highly praised by Plato (L.428/427–348/347 BC), and Plato also talked about same-sex relations in his works. Some scholars believe that he borrowed Sappho's view on romantic love. Today, she is regarded as a great gay poet and an inspiration for many people inside and outside the sexual minority community.
Sappho's life
Sappho was born in a noble family in Lesbos, Greece. Although scholars often claim that her wealth enables her to live a life of her own choice, this cannot be supported. Most women in ancient Greece were married according to the traditions and customs of the city-state, and Sappho's wealth would not leave her unaffected by family and social expectations. Most likely, she can live as she pleases, because women respect Lesbos and Sappho's own unique personalities. Historian Wendy Slater King wrote:
Considering that women's life is severely restricted, they can't move freely in society, do business or receive any kind of non-family training, so it is not surprising to find that there are no important [female] artists' names handed down. Classical times. Only the poet Sappho was highly praised by the Greeks; Plato called her the twelfth muse. It is worth noting that she is not from Athens or Sparta, but from Lesbos, where the culture attaches great importance to women. (42)
Slatkin mentioned that Plato called Sappho "the twelfth muse" (scholars usually call her "the tenth muse"), implying that he praised her as one of the nine muses who inspired art, music, dance and poetry. There is no evidence to prove that Plato really said this sentence, which is considered to be the creation of later writers and belongs to Plato. Even so, the existence of this sentence highlights Sappho's enduring reputation as a poet.
It is said that she opened a girls' school in Lesbos, but it seems to be an invention after19th century, which confuses her with her disciple Damophila, who runs a girls' school in Bangfilia. Nevertheless, she may have run a girls' school and passed on this legacy to her students. It is said that wealthy parents send their daughters to Sappho to learn eloquence to improve their marriage prospects.
Most of the details of her life have been lost, but as we all know, she learned to play the piano at an early age and began to write songs. She may have married a dead man at some point. There may be a daughter named Chris (Isaf's mother), and she has three brothers, Erigius, Zarathustra and Larikus. The latter two are mentioned in her poems. She comes from a wealthy family. She may be a wine merchant or engaged in wine export in Lesbos. It is said that she was exiled to Sicily twice because of her different political views. Her fame is enough to make statues and ceramics appear in her name. Later, her name and image were engraved on coins. Historian Vicky Leon commented:
Mitrini, the capital of Lesbos, proudly issued Sappho coins; Some discoveries date back to the third century A.D.-900 years after the poet's death. Sappho (or rather, her reputation) also made this ancient T-shirt concession desperate: her portrait and name appeared in vases, bronzes and many later Roman works of art.
Romantic interest in women can be seen from her poems, but most scholars advise against reading her biography.
In ancient literature, she was described as short and black. Romantic interest in women can be seen from her poems, but most scholars advise against reading her biography. Just as the works of poets of past dynasties express a character who does not belong to them, Sappho can also write her poems.
The depth of intimacy and affection seems to indicate that Sappho is a lesbian, but that doesn't mean she is. Homer's description of the dust and blood before the Greek War and the Trojan War does not mean that he participated in this battle. Only he is a great poet. Since there is no difference between homosexuality and heterosexuality in ancient Greece (or elsewhere, because these terms are modern inventions), Sappho is likely to cover a wide range of topics, and there is no reason to exclude the sexual orientation of her character as she does in any aspect of her life. Scholar Sir Richard Livingstone commented:
The simplicity of Greece reminds us of the core interests of the human mind. The authenticity of the Greeks is a challenge. We should look at the world truly and avoid the emptiness of pure music, the falsehood of rhetoric or emotion, and the incompleteness of writers. They don't regard life as a whole, but ignore or emphasize a part of life as their own life. Your own compassion decides. (286)
Then, although Sappho may be a lesbian, it is also possible that she has written many subjects, but her works expressing lesbian love are the most complete works in existence. These are probably her most popular, because they involve romantic love, and they are as popular with the audience in ancient Greece as they are today.
Sappho's * * *
It is generally believed that Sappho is a gay poet, and his works are so popular that by the late 6th century BC, the meaning of the word "lesbian" had changed from "a person from Lesbos" to "a woman who likes her own gender". The Greek lyric poet Anacreon (about 582-485 BC) wrote after Sappho, implying that lesbians are lesbians in the modern sense. In the following poem, the speaker warns suitors to stay away from girls who are not interested in men:
Not that girl.-She's a different person,
One is from Lesbos Island. Disdain,
My silver-haired nose,
She stared at the ladies. (Salisbury, 3 16)
In the dialogue between Plato and Fidelus, Socrates praised Sappho and Anacker Lyon as love authorities, calling them "lovely Sappho and wise Anacker Lyon" (235c). Scholar EE Pender pointed out that "Plato pays tribute to Sappho and Anacreon because they capture and express the shock of love so vividly" (1). Sappho himself, rather than a character, is expressing romantic feelings for women, which is supported by later writers who quoted Le *** os after Sappho became famous, just like Anacreon.
Even so, although she is often called a gay poet in modern times, there is no clear text to prove that she is like this. Claiming that she is gay according to her lyrics is just like someone claiming that Bruce Springsteen is a blue-collar worker according to his songs today. At best, she is probably gay and famous for expressing her love experience to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation.
Scholars Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant noted that "many [Sappho's] poems describe a world that men have never seen before: in a gender-separated society, women can feel their deep love for each other" (2). Along these clues, Sappho can express the love of lesbians so perfectly in her works, which proves the sexual orientation of lesbians, but again, it is not certain.
Sappho's poems
Her existing works are profound personal reflections on desire, love and loss. Livingstone wrote:
In life, human beings return from complex interests to a few simple things; Or, if they don't come back, they are in danger of losing their souls. In literature, this is the shadow of life, and they need to do the same. (259)
Sappho seems to understand this clearly and focus her work on the most basic and lasting emotions of human beings. Scholar Susanna mcallister commented:
Sappho was the first Greek poet to write clearly about love. The best example is the most famous fragment of Sappho, Phai Netaimoi, which is also different from the love poems written by living people because it talks about the physical expression of emotions. In Sappho's lyrics, the physical expression of love is not expressed through sex. In any of her clips, there is almost no mention of sexual behavior between women. (aldridge and Wasserpin, 392)
On the contrary, Sappho focuses on the speaker's feelings and the excitement when he falls in love. Except for her Ode to Aphrodite, the original title of her work has been lost. Now, these fragments are called numbers (depending on the translation) or the first line, such as Phainetai Moi ("He seems to me"). The speaker expressed her feelings when watching a couple, perhaps at a banquet, and expressed these feelings about women:
In my opinion, he is equal to God-
Who is sitting opposite you?
Listen to you.
Speak sweet words
Smile from ear to ear, which makes
My heart is flying in my chest.
Because every time I look at you,
I can't find another word,
But my tongue is broken,
A subtle flame burns under my skin in an instant,
My eyes can't see anything, mine.
Rapid heartbeat
Jumping straight, cold sweat covering me, trembling
Trying to catch everything, I'm paler than grass,
I think I ... ...
I'm dying.
But everything is risky.
(Plants, 14- 15)
The last line also gives "everything is tolerable", which changes the meaning of this poem from the speaker's pursuit of a relationship (adventure) to that she has to endure her feelings and cannot express them to her beloved.
Her works are simple in structure, focusing the reader's attention on the emotional moment itself, just like all great poems, creating an easy-to-identify experience. Another famous example is her poem, "I didn't get a word from her", sometimes called parting. This poem is believed to be written by Sappho to her lover. She is a * * *. When she is hired by a client and has to move, she may be forced to break up with her because of her career:
She didn't give me a word.
Frankly speaking, I wish I were dead.
She cried when she left.
Duo: She said to me, "This separation is necessary."
Be patient, Sappho. I reluctantly left. "
I said, "Go ahead, have fun,
But remember (you are very
Who are you leaving? Bound by love.
If you forget me, think about it.
Our gift to Aphrodite.
All the loveliness shared with us.
All purple headdresses,
Weave rose buds, dill and
Crocus is wrapped around your young neck
Myrrh fell on your head
And soft cushions, girl.
What children want most is around them.
Without our songs, there would be no songs, no songs,
There are no Woods in spring. "
(Translated by Barnard, Sappho, 1)
The intimacy of this poem is the characteristic of all the existing works of Sappho. However, she is not only a very honest poet, but also a skilled master. She invented a brand-new poetic rhythm, which is now called Sappho Metre or Sappho Poetry Festival. It consists of three lines, eleven beats and a five-line ending. The following poem, which is famous for its first line, but also called "Please", is an example (although the current translation does not retain the stable eleven beats of three lines before each festival):
Come back to me tonight, Gongjila,
You, my rose, bring your Lydia strings.
Happiness that lingers around you forever:
The beauty of longing.
Even your clothes stole my eyes.
I am fascinated: I used to
Complaining to the Cypriot-born goddess,
Now I beg her
Never let this lose my elegance.
But in order to get you back to me:
Of all mortal women,
The person I want to see most.
(Translated by Sappho Roche, 1)
However, not all her poems praise the beloved, as shown in paragraph 32: "I have never found any woman more annoying than you, Ilana …" (Plant, 18). But most of them are intimate love confessions, including her Ode to Aphrodite, which is the only complete poem in existence, in which she implores God to help her win the love of young women.
Her poems will be sung with the accompaniment of the lyre (the name of lyric poetry) and will be publicly performed at events and private dinners. Stobaeus (about 5th century AD) collected these ancient anecdotes, and a famous story about them wrote:
Solon of Athens heard his nephew sing a song by Sappho in the wine. Because he likes it, let the boy teach him. Someone asked him why, and he said,' So I can learn to die'. "(Roster 3.29.58)
It doesn't matter whether the story is true or not, what matters is what it says to Sappho's poems. Solon is considered as one of the smartest people in history and listed as one of the seven sages of Greece. He is famous for teaching the precept of "moderation in everything", so it is very important for him to make such an emotional response to Sappho's songs in this anecdote, because a person who is famous for his wisdom may be so deeply moved that he is learning songs.
conclusion
Sappho's death is unknown. The Greek comedy playwright Minand (34 BC1-329 BC) started with the legend that she committed suicide by jumping off the cliff of Lecadia, because she fell in love with a beautiful ferryman named Fine:
... they said that Sappho was the first,
Chasing the proud god of agriculture and animal husbandry,
Jumped off the rock in her strong desire.
Shining from a distance (258 K fragment of Leukadia)
This seems highly improbable and has been rejected by today's historians and as early as the Greek writer strabo (64 BC-24 AD). Leucadian Cliff (the corner of Leukas on Lefkada Island) is a famous "lover's jump", which tells the story of Aphrodite jumping into the sea while mourning the death of adonis. Minard could have made fun of romantic love by making a woman famous for her lesbian love poems commit suicide for a man.
Interestingly, another famous strong woman, Artemia I of Caria (about 480 BC), is said to have committed suicide by jumping into the sea from the same place. The suicide story of mugwort has also been questioned. Sappho seems to have lived to old age and died of natural causes, but like most events in her life, this is far from certain.
Obviously, she is a talented poet and her works make her famous. According to Lyon, her poems are very popular.
Not only have her works been sung, taught and quoted, but the phrases she created, from "love relaxes limbs" to "gold is more than gold", entered Greek and were widely used, eventually becoming cliches. ( 150)
She was a very popular performer, and her works were still sung and appreciated long after her death. Sappho interprets her poems as her legacy, as implied in one of her most frequently quoted passages: "I tell you, even in another era, people will remember us" (fragment 77, Plants, 24). She called her poems "immortal daughters", so after 2000 years of creation, they continued to respond to these poems as readers with the enthusiasm inspired by their initial creation.