Sappho of Lesbos (l. c. 620-570 BCE) was a lyric poet whose work was so popular in ancient Greece that she was honored in statuary, coinage, and pottery centuries after her death. Chanted its wild prayer to thee, Aphrodite, Daughter of Cyprus; Now to their homes are they gone in the city, Pensive to dream limb-relaxed while the languid Slaves come and lift from the tresses they loosen, Flowers that have faded. Lyrical Performance in Sappho's Ancient Greece, Read the Study Guide for Sappho: Poems and Fragments, The Adaptation of Sapphic Aesthetics and Themes in Verlaine's "Sappho Ballad", Women as drivers of violence in If Not, Winter by Sappho, The Bacchae by Euripides V, and Symposium by Plato, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder - A Commentary on Sappho's Fragments, Sappho and Emily Dickinson: A Literary Analysis. . 3. "Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho". In the flashback from stanza two to stanza six, it was clear that Aphrodite was willing to intervene and help Sappho find love. . We may question the degree of historicity in such accounts. While Sappho praises Aphrodite, she also acknowledges the power imbalance between speaker and goddess, begging for aid and requesting she not "crush down my spirit" with "pains and torments.". She is the personification of the female principle in nature. You will wildly roam, [ back ] 2. She doesn't directly describe the pains her love causes her: she suggests them, and allows Aphrodite to elaborate. With these black-and-white claims, Aphrodite hints that she is willing to help Sappho, and she tells the poet that before long, the person Sappho loves will return her affections. The seriousness with which Sappho intended the poem is disputed, though at least parts of the work appear to be intentionally humorous. Himerius (4th cent. 29 Sappho uses the word , or mainolas thumos in the poem, which translates to panicked smoke or frenzied breath. Still, thumos is also associated with thought and emotion because ones breath pattern shows how they are feeling. Her poetry is vivid, to the point where the reader or listener can feel the sentiments rising from the core of his or her own being. In stanza five of Hymn to Aphrodite,, it seems that Aphrodite cares about Sappho and is concerned that the poet is wildered in brain. However, in Greek, this phrase has a lot more meaning than just a worried mind. Prayer to my lady of Paphos Dapple-throned Aphrodite . Describing the goddesss last visit, Sappho uses especially lush imagery. Lady, not longer! They say that Leda once found Otherwise, she wouldnt need to ask Aphrodite for help so much. In the final stanza, Sappho leaves this memory and returns to the present, where she again asks Aphrodite to come to her and bring her her hearts desires. If she is not taking gifts, soon she will be giving them. .] Sappho was an archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. In this poem, Sappho expresses her desperation and heartbrokenness, begging Aphrodite to be the poet's ally. It has been established that Sappho was born around 615 BCE to an aristocratic family on the Greek island of Lesbos during a period of a great artistic rebirth on the island. [12], The second problem in the poem's preservation is at line 19, where the manuscripts of the poem are "garbled",[13] and the papyrus is broken at the beginning of the line. . So, basically, its a prayer. From this silence we may infer that the source of this myth about Aphrodite and Adonis is independent of Sapphos own poetry or of later distortions based on it. turning red resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Sappho's Prayer to Aphrodite A. Cameron Published 1 January 1939 Art, Education Harvard Theological Review The importance of Sappho's first poem as a religious document has long been recognized, but there is still room for disagreement as to the position that should be assigned to it in a history of Greek religious experience. O hear and listen ! One day not long after . These titles emphasize Aphrodites honor, lineage, and power. Aphrodites tone here is loving but also belittling and a bit annoyed. Even Aphrodites doves swiftly vanished as the goddess addresses the poet, just as love has vanished from Sapphos life. In Sapphic stanzas, each stanza contains four lines. And you, sacred one, Smiling with deathless face, asking. The first two lines of the poem preface this plea for help with praise for the goddess, emphasizing her immorality and lineage. . These tricks cause the poet weariness and anguish, highlighting the contrast between Aphrodites divine, ethereal beauty and her role as a goddess who forces people to fall in love with each other sometimes against their own will. the clear-sounding song-loving lyre. By placing Aphrodite in a chariot, Sappho is connecting the goddess of love with Hera and Athena. 13 [. to make any sound at all wont work any more. Blessed bridegroom, 30 Hear anew the voice! "Aphrodite, I need your help. Summary "Fragment 2" is an appeal to Kypris, or the goddess Aphrodite, to come from far off Krete to a beautiful temple where the speaker resides. The poetry truly depicts a realistic picture of the bonds of love. Hymenaon, Sing the wedding song! So, with just this phrase, Sappho describes her breath as frantic, her mind as confused, and her emotions as frenzied. Just as smiling Aphrodite comes down from heaven to meet lowly, wretched Sappho, even a person who rejects your gifts and runs away from you can come to love you one day. 18 It is spoken by Queen Gertrude. The poet is practically hyperventilating and having a panic attack from the pain of her heartbreak. In the same way that the goddess left her/ fathers golden house, the poem leaves behind the image of Aphrodite as a distant, powerful figure to focus on her mind and personality. Prayer to Aphrodite Sappho, translated by Alfred Corn Issue 88, Summer 1983 Eternal Aphrodite, Zeus's daughter, throne Of inlay, deviser of nets, I entreat you: Do not let a yoke of grief and anguish weigh Down my soul, Lady, But come to me now, as you did before When, hearing my cries even at that distance This frantic breath also mimics the swift wings of the doves from stanza three. The kletic hymn uses this same structure. Blessed Aphrodite Glorious, Radiant Goddess I give my thanks to you For guiding me this past year Your love has been a light Shining brightly in even the darkest of times And this past year There were many, many dark times This year has been a long one Full of pain . For instance, when Sappho visited Syracuse the residents were so honored they erected a statue to commemorate the occasion! Related sources (summaries and commentary by G.N.) "Invocation to Aphrodite" Throned in splendor, deathless, O Aphrodite, child of Zeus, charm-fashioner, I entreat you not with griefs and bitternesses to break my spirit, O goddess; standing by me rather, if once before now . in the mountains [3] It is also partially preserved on Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 2288, a second-century papyrus discovered at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. The poem ends with an appeal to Aphrodite to once again come to the speaker's aid. In cases where two or more answers are displayed, the last one is the most recent. The Ode to Aphrodite (or Sappho fragment 1[a]) is a lyric poem by the archaic Greek poet Sappho, who wrote in the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE, in which the speaker calls on the help of Aphrodite in the pursuit of a beloved. and said thou, Who has harmed thee? For example, Queen Artemisia I is reputed to have leapt off the white rock out of love for one Dardanos, succeeding only in getting herself killed. You see, that woman who was by far supreme 7 in beauty among all humans, Helen, 8 she [] her best of all husbands, 9 him she left behind and sailed to Troy, [10] caring not about her daughter and her dear parents, 11 not caring at all. and passionate love [ers] for the Sun has won for me its radiance and beauty.2. a shade amidst the shadowy dead. [5] And however many mistakes he made in the past, undo them all. Instead, he offers a version of those more versed in the ancient lore, according to which Kephalos son of Deioneus was the very first to have leapt, impelled by love for Pterelas (Strabo 10.2.9 C452). .] The earth is often a symbol of fertility and growth (both the Greeks and the Romans has a goddess of Earth, Ceres and Demeter) since when seeds are planted then there is a "conception" as the earth sprouts that which lives. The poem is a prayer for a renewal of confidence that the person whom Sappho loves will requite that love. Even with multiple interventions from the goddess of love, Aphrodite, Sappho still ends up heartbroken time and time again. . Last time, she recalls, the goddess descended in a chariot drawn by birds, and, smiling, asked Sappho what happened to make her so distressed, why she was calling out for help, what she wanted Aphrodite to do, and who Sappho desired. this, 16 and passionate love [ers] for the Sun has won for me its radiance [t lampron] and beauty [t kalon]. 1 Drikha, your bones have turned into dust a long time agoand so too the ribbons 2 of your hair, and so too the shawl, exhaling that perfumed scent of yours, 3 in which you enveloped once upon a time the charming Kharaxos, 4 skin next to skin, complexion making contact with complexion, as you reached for cups of wine at the coming of the dawn. 9 Instead, send [pempein] me off and instruct [kelesthai] me [10] to implore [lissesthai] Queen Hera over and over again [polla] 11 that he should come back here [tuide] bringing back [agein] safely 12 his ship, I mean Kharaxos, 13 and that he should find us unharmed. The poet paraphrases the words that Aphrodite spoke to her as the goddess explained that love is fickle and changing. 9 Why, even Tithonos once upon a time, they said, was taken by the dawn-goddess [Eos], with her rosy arms [10] she felt [. This reading, now standard, was first proposed in 1835 by Theodor Bergk,[22] but not fully accepted until the 1960s. [ back ] 1. 24 Like a hyacinth All things, all life, all men and women incomplete. The focal emphasis defines the substance of the prayer: Aphrodite, queen of deception, make my beloved blind to any attraction but me. SAPPHO'S PRAYER TO APHRODITE. Come beside me! For instance, at the beginning of the third stanza of the poem, Sappho calls upon Aphrodite in a chariot "yoked with lovely sparrows",[35] a phrase which Harold Zellner argues is most easily explicable as a form of humorous wordplay. With universal themes such as love, religion, rejection, and mercy, Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite is one of the most famous and best-loved poems from ancient Greece. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Sappho: Poems and Fragments. And the least words of Sappholet them fall, Manchester Art Gallery, UK / Bridgeman. Because you are dear to me 1 Everything about Nikomakhe, all her pretty things and, come dawn, 2 as the sound of the weaving shuttle is heard, all of Sapphos love songs [oaroi], songs [oaroi] sung one after the next, 3 are all gone, carried away by fate, all too soon [pro-hria], and the poor 4 girl [parthenos] is lamented by the city of the Argives. " release me from my agony, fulfill all that my heart desires " Sappho here is begging Aphrodite to come to her aid, and not for the first time. They came. Sappho is depressed because a woman that she loved has left in order to be married and, in turn, she is heartbroken. 17 Honestly, I wish I were dead. You have the maiden you prayed for. In stanza six, we find a translation issue. More unusual is the way Fragment 1 portrays an intimate relationship between a god and a mortal. Sappho is the intimate and servant of the goddess and her intermediary with the girls. [All] you [powers] must bring [agein] Gorgonia, whose mother is Nilogeneia, [to me]. Other historians posit that she died of old age around 550 BC. [24], Sappho asks the goddess to ease the pains of her unrequited love for this woman;[25] after being thus invoked, Aphrodite appears to Sappho, telling her that the woman who has rejected her advances will in time pursue her in turn. A bridegroom taller than Ars! This repetition gives Aphrodite a similar tone to a nagging, annoyed mother who asks their child, What did you do now, little one? or What have you gotten into?, Though now he flies, ere long he shall pursue thee;Fearing thy gifts, he too in turn shall bring them;Loveless to-day, to-morrow he shall woo thee,Though thou shouldst spurn him.. She explains that one day, the object of your affection may be running away from you, and the next, that same lover might be trying to win your heart, even if you push them away. someone will remember us One of her common epithets is "foam-born," commemorating the goddess' birth from the seafoam/sperm of her heavenly father, Kronos. on the tip Time [hr] passes. There is, however, a more important concern. But then, ah, there came the time when all her would-be husbands, 6 pursuing her, got left behind, with cold beds for them to sleep in. [] Many of the conclusions we draw about Sappho's poetry come from this one six-strophe poem. Heres an example from line one of the Hymn to Aphrodite: Meter: | | Original Greek: , Transliteration: Poikilothron athanat Aphrodita My translation: Colorful-throned, undying Aphrodite. In her personal life, Sappho was an outspoken devotee of Aphrodite who often wrote the goddess into her poetry. But I sleep alone. calling on Apollo Pn, the far-shooter, master of playing beautifully on the lyre. The tone of Hymn to Aphrodite is despairing, ironic, and hopeful. A whirring of wings through mid-air. Drinking all night and getting very inebriated, he [= Philip] then dismissed all the others [= his own boon companions] and, come [= pros] daylight, he went on partying with the ambassadors of the Athenians. He quoted Sappho's poem in full in one of his own works, which accounts for the poem's survival. all of a sudden fire rushes under my skin. The poem begins with Sappho praising the goddess before begging her not to break her heart by letting her beloved continue to evade her. She was born probably about 620 BCE to an aristocratic family on the island of Lesbos during a great cultural flowering in the area. On the other hand, the goddess is lofty, energetic, and cunning, despite her role as the manager of all mortal and divine love affairs. Sappho is asking Aphrodite for help in a lyrical poem that has three separate parts, each different in length and meaning. The next stanza seems, at first, like an answer from Aphrodite, a guarantee that she will change the heart of whoever is wronging the speaker. The poem is written as somewhat of a prayer to the goddess Aphrodite. The Sapphic stanza consists of 3 identical lines and a fourth, shorter line, in the . These themes are closely linked together through analysis of Martin Litchfield West's translation. Sappho implores Aphrodite to come to her aid as her heart is in anguish as she experiences unrequited love. And the Pleiades. However, the pronoun in stanza six, following all ancient greek copies of this poem, is not he. Instead, it is she. Early translators, such as T. W. Higginson believed that this was a mistake and auto-corrected the she to he.. The repetition of soft sounds like w and o add to the lyrical, flowing quality of these stanzas and complement the image of Aphrodites chariot moving swiftly through the sky. Daughter of Zeus, beguiler, I implore thee, Weigh me not down with weariness and anguish, Hearkenedst my words and often hast thou, Heeding, and coming from the mansions golden, Yoking thy chariot, borne by the most lovely. But in pity hasten, come now if ever From afar of old when my voice implored thee, Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho is a classical Greek hymn in which the poet invokes and addresses Aphrodite, the Greek goddess who governs love. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. The conspicuous lack of differentiation between the two of them speaks to the deep intimacy they share, and suggests that the emotional center of the poem is not "Sappho"s immediate desire for love and Aphrodites ability to grant it, but rather the lasting affection, on surprisingly equal footing, that the two of them share. She causes desire to make herself known in dreams by night or visions during the day. assaults an oak, for a tender youth. But what can I do? 4. The most commonly mentioned topic in the fragments is marriage, while the longest poem is a prayer to Aphrodite. As such, any translation from Sapphos original words is challenging to fit into the Sapphic meter. 17 Those mortals, whoever they are, 18 whom the king of Olympus wishes 18 to rescue from their pains [ponoi] by sending as a long-awaited helper a superhuman force [daimn] 19 to steer them away from such painsthose mortals are blessed [makares] [20] and have great bliss [olbos]. and straightaway they arrived. Wile-weaving daughter of Zeus, enchantress, and beguiler! It is sometimes refered to as Fragment 1, Title, Author, Book and Lines of your passage (this poem is Sappho's "Hymn to Aphrodite"). To a tender seedling, I liken you to that most of all. But now, in accordance with your sacred utterance, Hymenaon! 16 Here, she explains how the goddess asked why the poet was sad enough to invoke a deity for help. This translates to something like poor Sappho, or dear little Sappho.. She was swept along [] [15] [All this] reminds me right now of Anaktoria. Jim Powell writes goddess, my ally, while Josephine Balmers translation ends you, yes you, will be my ally. Powells suggests that Sappho recognizes and calls on the goddesss preexisting alliance, while in Balmer, she seems more oriented towards the future, to a new alliance. Seizure Sappho wrote poems about lust, longing, suffering, and their connections to love. Sappho 115 (via Hephaestion, Handbook on Meters): To what shall I liken you, dear bridegroom, to make the likeness beautiful? [21] The sex of Sappho's beloved is established from only a single word, the feminine in line 24. She asks Aphrodite to instead aid her as she has in the past. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. Apparently her birthplace was. Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite opens with an invocation from the poet, who addresses Aphrodite. Euphemism for female genitalia. Her name inspired the terms 'sapphic' and 'lesbian', both referencing female same-sex relationships. Aphrodite, glory of Olympos, golden one, incomparable goddess, born of seafoam, borne on the ocean's waves. Greek meter is quantitative; that is, it consists of alternating long and short syllables in a regular pattern. to grab the breast and touch with both hands you heeded me, and leaving the palace of your father, having harnessed the chariot; and you were carried along by beautiful, swirling with their dense plumage from the sky through the. Come to me now, if ever thou . Yoking thy chariot, borne by the most lovelyConsecrated birds, with dusky-tinted pinions,Waving swift wings from utmost heights of heavenThrough the mid-ether; In stanza three, Sappho describes how Aphrodite has come to the poet in the past. For day is near. This is a reference to Sappho's prayer to Aphrodite at the end of Sappho 1, ("free me from harsh anxieties," 25-26, trans. Finally, following this prayer formula, the person praying would ask the god for a favor. During Sappho's lifetime, coins of ***** were minted with her image. 11. . I dont dare live with a young man [18], The ode is written in the form of a prayer to Aphrodite, goddess of love, from a speaker who longs for the attentions of an unnamed woman. Swiftly they vanished, leaving thee, O goddess,Smiling, with face immortal in its beauty,Asking why I grieved, and why in utter longingI had dared call thee; In stanza four, Aphrodite comes down to earth to meet and talk with Sappho privately. 1 How can someone not be hurt [= assthai, verb of the noun as hurt] over and over again, 2 O Queen Kypris [Aphrodite], whenever one loves [philen] whatever person 3 and wishes very much not to let go of the passion? Sappho also reminds Aphrodite of a time when the goddess came swooping down from the heavens in her chariot, driven by doves, to speak with Sappho. until you found fair Cyprus' sandy shore-. 17 Oh, how I would far rather wish to see her taking a dancing step that arouses passionate love [= eraton], 18 and to see the luminous radiance from the look of her face 19 than to see those chariots of the Lydians and the footsoldiers in their armor [20] as they fight in battle []. Enable JavaScript and refresh the page to view the Center for Hellenic Studies website. The Ode to Aphrodite survived from antiquity. a crawling beast. In this article, the numbering used throughout is from, The only fragment of Sappho to explicitly refer to female homosexual activity is, Stanley translates Aphrodite's speech as "What ails you, "Sappho: New Poem No. The "Hymn to Aphrodite" is written in the meter Sappho most commonly used, which is called "Sapphics" or "the Sapphic stanza" after her. Like a sweet-apple [4][5], Though the poem is conventionally considered to be completely preserved, there are two places where the reading is uncertain. 21 We too, if he ever gets to lift his head up high, 22 I mean, Larikhos, and finally mans up, 23 will get past the many cares that weigh heavily on our heart, 24 breaking free from them just as quickly. I really leave you against my will.. (Sappho, in Ven. Meanwhile all the men sang out a lovely high-pitched song. As a wind in the mountains Though there are several different systems for numbering the surviving fragments of Sappho's poetry, the Ode to Aphrodite is fragment 1 in all major editions. Sappho's Prayer to Aphrodite (Fragment 1 V. [] ) holds a special place in Greek Literature.The poem is the only one of Sappho's which survives complete. I hope you find it inspiring. And the news reached his dear ones throughout the broad city. [14], The poem is written in Aeolic Greek and set in Sapphic stanzas, a meter named after Sappho, in which three longer lines of the same length are followed by a fourth, shorter one. The audience is left wondering if Aphrodite will again come down from the heavens to help Sappho or ignore her prayer. After the invocation and argument, the Greeks believed that the god would have heard their call and come to their aid. By stanza two of Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite, the poet moves on to the argument potion of her prayer, using her poetics to convince Aphrodite to hear her. Where it is allowed to make this thing stand up erect, This idea stresses that Sappho and Aphrodite have a close relationship, which is unusual in Ancient Greek poetry. 11 And Iaware of my own self 12 I know this. With my eyes I see not a thing, and there is a roar, The herald Idaios camea swift messenger, and the rest of Asia imperishable glory [, from holy Thebe and Plakia, they led her, the lovely Andromache. It introduces a third character into the poem, a she who flees from "Sappho"s affections. Sappho addresses the goddess, stating that Aphrodite has come to her aid often in the past. By calling Aphrodite these things, it is clear that Sappho sees love as a trick or a ruse. Beyond the meter of Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite, this poem uses a specific form that would have been very familiar to ancient Greek and Roman people. 15 Like wings that flutter back and forth, love is fickle and changes quickly. Her arrival is announced by But you in the first line of the fourth stanza. 1.16. Superior as the singer of Lesbos The imagery Sappho: Poems and Fragments study guide contains a biography of Sappho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. 6. Virginity, virginity She asks Aphrodite to instead aid her as she has in the past. The last stanza begins by reiterating two of the pleas from the rest of the poem: come to me now and all my heart longs for, accomplish. In the present again, the stanza emphasizes the irony of the rest of the poem by embodying Aphrodites exasperated now again. Lines 26 and 27, all my heart longs to accomplish, accomplish also continue the pattern of repetition that carries through the last four stanzas. in return for drinking one cup [of that wine] Aphrodite is known as the goddess of love, beauty, and sexual desire. [] In the poem we find grounds for our views about her worship of Aphrodite, [] her involvement in the thasos, [] and her poetic . Gifts at thy hand; and thine shall be the glory, https://poemanalysis.com/sappho/hymn-to-aphrodite/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. [23] As late as 1955 Edgar Lobel and Denys Page's edition of Sappho noted that the authors accepted this reading "without the least confidence in it". 3 Do not dominate with hurts [asai] and pains [oniai], 4 O Queen [potnia], my heart [thmos]. [26] The poem concludes with another call for the goddess to assist the speaker in all her amorous struggles. Rather comeif ever some moment, years past, hearing from afar my despairing voice, you listened, left your father's great golden halls, and came to my succor, Coming from heaven And myrrh and cassia and frankincense were mingled. A big part of that shift is tonal; in contrast to the lilting phrases and beautiful natural imagery of Sapphos stanzas, Aphrodites questions use a humorous, mocking tone towards the poet and her numerous affairs of the heart. [] In the poem we find grounds for our views about her worship of Aphrodite, [] her involvement in the thasos, [] and her poetic . Despite gender dynamics in this poem, Aphrodite explains that love changes quickly. . Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Sappho 31 (via Longinus, On sublimity): Sappho 44 (The Wedding of Hector and Andromache). Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus, Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines. The myth of Kephalos and his dive may be as old as the concept of the White Rock. Like a golden flower .] In the poems final line, Sappho asks Aphrodite to be her sacred protector, but thats not what the Greek has to say about it. no holy place . Smiling, with face immortal in its beauty, Asking why I grieved, and why in utter longing. Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you, Don't--I beg you, Lady--with pains and torments Crush down my spirit, But before if ever you've heard my. . He is dying, Aphrodite; 19 Sparrows that brought you over black earth. Translations of Sappho Miller 1 (Fr 1), 4 (Fr 4), 6 (Fr 31) . Aphrodite has crushed me with desire has a share in brilliance and beauty. [10] While apparently a less common understanding, it has been employed in translations dating back to the 19th century;[11] more recently, for example, a translation by Gregory Nagy adopted this reading and rendered the vocative phrase as "you with pattern-woven flowers". So, the image of the doves is a very animated illustration of Sapphos experiences with both love and rejection. Posidippus 122 ed. Come to me even now, and free me from harsh, is seated and, up close, that sweet voice of yours, and how you laugh a laugh that brings desire. We do know that Sappho was held in very high regard. hair that was once black has turned (gray). She names Aphrodite in connection with the golden mansions of Olympos and Aphrodites father, Zeus. [6] Hutchinson argues that it is more likely that "" was corrupted to "" than vice versa. Come, as in that island dawn thou camest, Billowing in thy yoked car to Sappho. It has eluded the notice of the apple pickers. The poem begins with Sappho praising the goddess before begging her not to break her heart by letting her beloved continue to evade her. Yet they also offer a glimpse into the more complicated aspects of Aphrodites personality, characterizing her as a cunning woman who twists lures. The first line of Carsons translation reinforces that characterization by describing the goddess as of the spangled mind, suggesting a mazelike, ornamented way of thinking easily steered towards cunning, while still pointing to Aphrodites beauty and wealth. [c][28] The poem contains few clues to the performance context, though Stefano Caciagli suggests that it may have been written for an audience of Sappho's female friends. Nevertheless, she reassured Sappho that her prayer would be answered, and that the object of her affection would love her in return. In closing, Sappho commands Aphrodite to become her , or comrade in battle. I love the sensual. [31] Sappho's Homeric influence is especially clear in the third stanza of the poem, where Aphrodite's descent to the mortal world is marked by what Keith Stanley describes as "a virtual invasion of Homeric words and phrases". Indeed, it is not clear how serious Sappho is being, given the joking tone of the last few stanzas. 1 O Queen Nereids, unharmed [ablabs] 2 may my brother, please grant it, arrive to me here [tuide], 3 and whatever thing he wants in his heart [thmos] to happen, 4 let that thing be fulfilled [telesthn]. This puts Aphrodite, rightly, in a position of power as an onlooker and intervener. 11 The catastrophic [lugr] pain [oni] in the past, he was feeling sorrow [akheun] . Carm. [5] But you are always saying, in a chattering way [thrulen], that Kharaxos will come 6 in a ship full of goods.

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