He is one with the gods

and yet he is entranced by you,

taking in your words and laughter.

As I watch,

a fiery jealously rises in my chest.

When I see you,

I cannot speak.

My veins are filled with anger,

I cannot see clearly,

my ears roar with rage.

I begin to sweat and shake nervously

from this mix of powerful emotions.

I become faint

and feel as though I could die.

• From the readings found in the Artist Tab we learn a lot about Sappho, yet much of it is uncertain. It is said that she lived in the Sixth Century B.C. on the island of Lesbos, was born to a family of wealthy merchants and lived a life of luxury, and that her actual occupation was unknown although she did write much poetry. J.B. Hare tells us that what is believed to be known about Sappho comes mostly from a psychoanalysis of the fragments of her poetry that have been uncovered. She was an innovative poet whose poetry was outside of the traditional ceremonial context of that time and instead discussed “deep human emotions, particularly the erotic,” using first person. Hare tells us that Sappho’s poetry has a “distinctive literary style,” and that she wrote “hymns in praise of the Pagan Goddesses” and sophisticated love poetry about “passion and deep understanding of the human heart.” When her poetry first emerged in the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries, her sexuality was not an issue, but it has become an issue over the years. During the Victorian Era it became a topic of interest when a French novelist named Pierre Louys said he found poems of Bilitis, a contemporary of Sappho, and after translating them claimed that Sappho was a lesbian. Today Sappho and ancient Greece stand to represent homosexuality, even though there is no historical record of her having a homosexual relationship, yet there is evidence of her heterosexuality. It is believed that in today’s world she would probably be considered bisexual. What is known though is that she had a “passionate romantic and erotic life” and that “her concept of love transcended gender.”
• Judy Chicago is an American artist who made a place setting as a homage to Sappho in her feminist piece of art called The Dinner Party. This piece is composed of 39 place settings honoring women who have made important contributions to society in a variety of fields but have been left out of history. Sappho’s place setting is a mixed media work of art consisting of ceramic, porcelain, and textile. Due to Sappho’s cultural influence, her place setting includes “motifs from Greek art and architecture.” Contemporary writers have given her the name ‘flower of the graces,’ so this is also referenced in the place setting through abstract floral patterns. The purple, blue, and green color scheme of the plate and runner represents the Aegean Sea that surrounds Lesbos. The runner is also bordered by wavy lines that “[mimic] the long curly hair often found in Greek statues of the Classical period.” Sappho’s name is colorfully embroidered on the front of the runner to “[identify] her poetry as a ‘burst of female creativity.’” Because her poetry is commonly read along with a lyre, the ‘S’ in her name is one.

• I chose to translate the version of Jealousy that was translated by William Carlos Williams in 1958. It was difficult for me to choose a poem to translate, but I ultimately selected this one as I feel that it successfully captures Sappho’s feelings of jealousy. The opening line of Williams’ translation says “The man is peer of the gods…” To me this exemplifies Sappho’s deep adoration for this man that she loves. Knowing how much she loves and adores him makes her jealousy of the other woman that he is in love with understandable. Her emotions falter between intense jealousy and love. Such jealousy is very apparent through the “tumult in [her] breast…” When she sees him again, her “voice falters…” Her jealously then seems to turn to anger and hatred for this other woman as a “fire runs in [her] limbs…” This mix of powerful emotions clouds her senses and completely takes over her body. It is so intense that she becomes weak and feels as though she could die. In my opinion, Williams’ translation appears to be an accurate depiction of what love can be like, and when jealousy is involved, an intense mix of love, anger, and hatred can be so strong as to entirely take over one’s body. The fact that this translation seemed so realistic to me made it very relatable, and because it spoke to me, I chose to translate it.

• In Ancient Greece it was believed that women had “strong emotions and weak minds,” and therefore were placed under a system of guardianship to protect and prevent them from harming themselves and others. Everything in their lives was controlled. Citizens were allowed to marry and then enter into religious female cults, but they still lacked political and economic power. Marriages were arranged with wealth in mind and therefore lacked love. A wife was expected to have legitimate children and manage the household, and was not permitted to leave the house except under a few specified circumstances. Evidence suggests that some women read, write, and were kept informed, and they also socialized with one another. Women in Ancient Greece generally seemed to be viewed as property whose role in society was to support the men while staying out of their way.
• In Ancient Rome, women lived under the power and control of the men in their lives and lacked status. As the empire grew physically and financially, society’s view of women gradually improved. The lowest class women had to work, but those of the upper classes did not. Women strived for more freedom, and while some men objected, they did see some progress. Roman men “placed a very high value on marriage, home, and the family,” and by the beginning of the Empire men began seeking and following the advice of their wives in private. Women managed to have lives of their own outside of the home. Women in Ancient Rome did seem to have more rights than those in Ancient Greece, but men were still far superior to them.
• Women in Ancient Greece and Rome had few rights, and this world affected Sappho’s life. Women living in these societies were considered inferior to men, serving as their property. They were expected to complete household and motherly care taking activities and generally stay out of the way of men. This allowed them to pursue their own activities out of sight of the public eye. This likely affected Sappho’s life as she belonged to a wealthy family, allowing her to write poetry. Despite being allowed to write poetry though, her female gender caused society to consider her to be inferior to men, and therefore she was not taken seriously and did not gain the recognition that she deserved for her poetry at that time.