Blog Entry Four

 

 A Conversation with the Goddess

            Sappho, one of the world’s greatest poets, lived in Mytilene on the Island of Lesbos in Greece, around 600 BCE. Little is known of her life, but her work has been acclaimed from her own time to the present day (Vanita 1300). She was one of the great Greek lyrists and one of the few female poets of the ancient Greek world.  Sappho is among the first poets to represent interiority. Her poems powerfully evoke sensations of erotic longing, with woman as not only the object but also the agent of desire (1300). Only fragments of her valuable work survive and these fragments are a valuable treasure of poetry. The first-person speaker in her poems, named “Sappho,” celebrates friendship, love, song, motherhood, and the pleasures of sunlight, bathing, dancing, wine, beautiful clothes, flowers, and sexual intimacy (1300). Sappho desires deep feeling and real friendship. She has a close relationship with Aphrodite, goddess of love (1300).

            “Fragment One,” addressed to the goddess Aphrodite, is Sappho’s only complete poem. It is filled with Sappho’s longing and desire for love. It expresses how strong and beautiful real love can be. For Sappho even the most beautiful things on earth (like sunshine, flowers, etc.) are worthless without having someone to love. She has a very close relationship with Aphrodite. She calls upon the goddess of love to come and help her. Sappho explains that the love she has for one person is unrequited, and that it is killing her.  She needs Aphrodite’s help to resolve the pain of love, and she almost begs the goddesses to lend her aid and force the person to fall in love with her.

            The poem begins with an unknown speaker calling on the immortal goddess Aphrodite, “child of Zeus, who twists lures” (line 2), to use her amazing, unique skills to entrap a reluctant lover. It is not easy, but Sappho believes that with Aphrodite’s help she will be able get what she wants – the real love. The author reminds the goddess of her past trip from her father’s golden palace, to the mortal’s usual, more humble home. “But come here if ever before / you caught my voice far off / and listening left your father’s / golden house” (5-8). The goddess’s chariot is drawn by sparrows. Sappho interprets the presence of birds as a divine sign indicating a favorable response to her request. It also represents fertility and love, the love she longs for. When Sappho says: “and fine birds brought you / quick sparrows over the black earth / whipping their wings down the sky” (9-10), we find out that the goddess and Sappho have a close relationship. Later Aphrodite arrives. Sappho begins the conversation with the one, who can help her. Aphrodite asks the poet what she needs this time. She asks, “Whom should I persuade (now again) / to lead you back into her love? Who, O / Sappho, is wronging you?”(18-20). We know now that Sappho has had the same problem in the past and the goddess has helped her to solve it. That means she deserves the goddess’s help. Aphrodite promises that the lover will never again be able to escape, and the one who for a long time has been pursued will soon become pursuer, “even unwilling” (24). The poem ends with Sappho’s now calmer voice. The need for help is still present, but the author feels now more secure, relieved. Aphrodite will free Sappho of the pain of lost love and bring her everything she needs to feel happiness. The pain is still there, but the author is no longer alone in her grief. Her beloved Aphrodite will come and help her.

            Sappho’s poetry is remarkable for its grace and beauty, and it was these qualities that made her reputation in the ancient world. According to Strabo, “Sappho is an amazing thing. For we know in all of recorded history not one woman who can even come close to rivaling her in the grace of her poetry” (Carson, x). The message of “Fragment One” is clear to both ancient and modern readers: there will always be love, happy or unhappy, and no one, not even a goddess can do anything to stop people from falling in love and breaking each other’s hearts.

                                                  Works Cited

Carson, Anne.  If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho. New York: Vintage,

            2002. Print.

Vanita, Ruth. “Sappho.” Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender, ed. Fedwa Malti-

            Douglas. Vol. 4, pp. 1300-1302. Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2007.

            Print.

Blog Entry Three

                      Sappho  

        Sappho was a musician. Her poetry is lyric, that is, composed to be sung to the lyre. She was also a poet - a marvelous poet. She lived in the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos from about 630 B.C. It is not known when she died. Her exile to Sicily sometime between 604 and 595 B.C. is mentioned in an ancient inscription, but no reason for it is given. Biographical sources mention a mother, a father, a daughter, a husband, and three brothers of Sappho. Of the nine books of lyrics Sappho is said to have composed, none of the music is extant and only one poem has survived complete. All the rest are fragments. The complete poem is "Hymn to Aphrodite." It expresses a very human plea for help with a broken heart. It focuses on love and marriage,  on hope and trust. The enigma of Sappho's poetry is one of the most fascinating aspects. Her poetic voice is friendly and gracefully accessible. She frequently writes of unrequited love, feminine beauty, and relationships, using as her objects gods and goddesses of Olympus, most notably Aphrodite.


       "Hymn to Aphrodite" has many symbols with really deep meaning. The first symbol in the poem is "deathless." Next—very important—is "spangled mind." Line two contains "twists lures," and in the following stanza we find the phrase "golden house," which has symbolic meaning. "Birds brought you" and "quick sparrows" are two additional symbols. Stanza four contains "deathless face" and "the following stanza has "crazy heart" and "persuade." Later in the poem we find a few more symbols. In stanza six important meaning has "refuses gifts" and word "even unwilling." In the last stanza "heart longs" and "accomplish" are important. 


         The denotative meaning of symbols refers to the standard, common definition which can be found in the dictionary. Deathless means simply immortal, that can not die, spangled is decorated as with spangles. In line two twists lures would be to wind, rotate or twist anything that tempts or entices.   In denotative meaning of the golden house is the place to live in, which has color of gold. Quick sparrows means rapid, fast small, perching songbirds. Phrase crazy heart is simply enthusiastic, foolish center of emotions, love, sympathy or spirit of courage. Persuade means to cause to do or believe something by reasoning, urging. In last two stanzas denotative meaning of refuses gifts is to decline to accept, to decline the request of something given and unwilling means not willing, reluctant. Finally heart longs is to feel a strong yearning to love, sympathy, and accomplish means to succeed in doing something, to complete. 


       The poem very "richly" describes feelings, love and devotion. In the first stanza Sappho admits Aphrodite's strength and power, also mentions her skills and deception, using word like: "one who twists lures," whet is speaking about specific skills that the goddess employs to ensnare a reluctant lover.  It makes an allusion to the sparrow as a bird of love. Aphrodite arrives in a "car" drawn by a flock of sparrows, which represents fertility. The image of the sparrows is one of wings beating furiously as they bring the goddess down from heaven to the darkened earth. Reading the third stanza we find out that the author and the goddess have a close relationship. Finally, Aphrodite arrives. She is described as immortal, blessed, sacred. Also her power is mentioned again. The dialogue begins between Sappho and the object of her prayer. She takes a risk and starts speaking for Aphrodite with surprising, shockingly accessible and casual voice. She is shown this time to be very friendly and devoted. The poem repeats a refrain ("now again"), demonstrating almost mystification and constant asking for help. Later Aphrodite asks the poet what she needs this time. Because Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, she has the power to force a lover's return, usually through trickery and deception. The phrasing of the goddess's question, "Who shall I persuade to take you back, yet once again?" establishes that the speaker has had this problem in the past and that the goddess has come to help again. The problem is again love, as it has been in the past. The question "Who, O Sappho, is wronging you?" explains that the speaker is deserving of Aphrodite's love and help. The final word, "Sappho" links the speaker and poet, and the speaker ceases to be an abstract entity and becomes the poet persona, Sappho.
        In the last two verses, the reader hears Aphrodite's wise advice and is perhaps not surprised to find her acknowledging that the situation is temporary. The word "pursue" suggests that not only will Sappho's desires come to pass, but the roles of her unrequited love affair will in fact be reversed. Instead the love interest will be unwilling because now she is the one pursuing an unrequited love, as Sappho will have invariably turned her own attentions elsewhere. It will be Sappho’s turn to run away and refuse gifts, while the lover chases after her, perhaps formulating her own lamentations and appeals to the goddess. The poetess’ perspective takes over once again for the last lines, reiterating her prayer in the same classic style as its invocation.  She asks for an ally in the goddess in a manner that might allow her to take on Aphrodite’s divine powers for herself and use them again. 
       Sappho’s poem significantly does not depict Aphrodite as a trifling patron of flowers and love.  The goddess demonstrates a willingness to use all of her godly powers to fulfill Sappho’s wants and has returned again to rescue her from her romantic misadventures.  Although an occasional exasperated tone and light-heartedness may be detected, the dramatic aspect remains serious and intense.  Sappho is wholly in appeal, giving herself over entirely to the divine request.  The image of Aphrodite in all of her glory descending upon Sappho to resolve a momentary fluster of emotion is quite profound. Symbolically, the image of Aphrodite serves as a catalyst for Sappho, allowing her to reach her full, independent, feminine potential.








Sources: Anne Carson, If not, winter: Fragments of Sappho;
              Webster's New World Compact Office Dictionary


http://go.galegroup.com.rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cuny_laguardia&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3225500221&&docId=GALE|CX3225500221&docType=GAL
        

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                    

Blog Entry Two

      Hymn to Aphrodite
     Sappho

Fragment No. 1

Deathless Aphrodite of the spangled mind,

child of Zeus, who twists lures, I beg you

do not break with hard pains,

O lady, my heart

but come here if ever before

you caught my voice far off

and listening left your father’s

golden house and came,

yoking your car. And fine birds brought you,

quick sparrows over the black earth

whipping their wings down the sky

through midair—

they arrived. But you, O blessed one,

smiled in your deathless face

and asked what (now again) what I have suffered and why

(now again ) I am calling out

and what I want to happen most of all

in my crazy heart. Whom should I persuade (now again)

to lead you back into her love? Who, O

Sappho, is wronging you?

For if she flees, soon she will pursue.

If she refuses gifts, rather will she give them.

If she does not love, soon she will love

even unwilling.

Come to me now: loose me from hard

care and all my heart longs

to accomplish, accomplish. You

be my ally.

Translation by Anne Carson

Blog Entry One

DREAMS can be baffling and mysterious. They can be strange or realistic, sad or happy.
They are amazing... In spite of modern science, dreams still remain mysterious. The study of dreams opens the door to a fascinating sphere of a complete and separate dimension of experience.
DREAMS are fascinating.....

Dark Pines Under Water

Gwendolyn MacEwen
From:   The Shadow-Maker. Toronto: Macmillan, 1972

This land like a mirror turns you inward
And you become a forest in a furtive lake;
The dark pines of your mind reach downward,
You dream in the green of your time,
Your memory is a row of sinking pines.

Explorer, you tell yourself, this is not what you came for
Although it is good here, and green;
You had meant to move with a kind of largeness,
You had planned a heavy grace, an anguished dream.

But the dark pines of your mind dip deeper
And you are sinking, sinking, sleeper
In an elementary world;
There is something down there and you want it told.

GREEK GODS AND GODDESSES is another very interesting for me topic. The ancient Greeks believed there were a great number of gods and goddesses. These gods had control over many different aspects of life on earth. In many ways they were human. They could be kind or mean, angry or pleasant, cruel or loving. They fell in love with each other, argued with each other and even stole from each other.

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?_gods-list
http://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/greek-gods.html