1- Aphrodite, goddess of the embroidered throne
What has made me call you this time
Who, Sappho, is hurting you now?
Yoking your chariot: swift, beautiful sparrows
1 analysis
Aphrodite’s words have a slightly mocking, humorous feel to them, suggesting that the speaker’s situation has happened many times before
- Sappho often employs…
Sappho often employs surprising turns of phrase to bring about an effect, sometimes humorous
- H. Zellner
49- you came, just what I was looking for
I thought you were like
A clumsy little girl
- Satirical attack….
Satirical attack on another woman
- P Holt
1 scholarship:
Sappho often employs surprising turns of phrase to bring about an effect, sometimes humorous
- H. Zellner
49 scholarship
Satirical attack on another woman
- P Holt
50- A handsome man is only good to look at
A handsome man is only good to look at,
A good man will become handsome
50 analysis
Possibly said at a wedding as a comedic dig at the groom
Chiasmus
57- What farm girl
Does she even know how to pull up her ragged dress over her ankles?
57 analysis
Sappho pokes fun at a poorer girl for not having slim ankles to show off, as was fashionable.
Attempt at humour but could also indicate some anger and insecurity on Sappho’s behalf.
110- The doorkeeper
The door-keeper has size twenty-seven feet
His sandals are made from five hides
110 analysis
The man is the doorkeeper to the wedding, where he ‘jokingly’ ensures the bride doesn’t run away on her wedding night.
It’s not actually his feet they’re talking about!
- The line is…
The line is a phallic humour
- G. S Kirk
110 scholarship
The line is a phallic humour
- G. S Kirk
111- Raise the roof
Raise the roof,
Hymenaeus!
The bridegroom is coming…
Bigger by far than the biggest man!
111 analysis
Hymeneus is the god of sex and marriage
Suggests the bridegroom has a very large erection…
Bridegroom the object of humour, Sappho makes fun of his sexual over confidence.
111 The last line of this fragment…
The last line of this fragment represents the birdegroom as being fantastically ithyphallic (erect)
- G. S Kirk
111 scholarship
The last line of this fragment represents the birdegroom as being fantastically ithyphallic (erect)
- G. S Kirk
114- Virginity
Virginity, virginity, where have you gone?
114 analysis
Could potentially have taken on a more humorous tone
Sappho songs performed at symposiums, or between women- could have been mocking younger women’s fears either between men or married, experienced women.
