Sappho

To Andromeda

That country girl has witched your wishes,
all dressed up in her country clothes
and she hasn't got the sense
to hitch her rags above her ankles.
- Sappho
__________________________________________________
Her life has always interested me. Born around 630 BC, an aristocrat, married and had a daughter, Cleis. Due to the obvious advantages of wealth, she was able to dedicate her life to the study of arts on the island of Lesbos - a cultural epicenter at the time. Yes, we associate Lesbos with lesbians, and yes, Sappho did write most of her poetry to women and the love therin; however, she also wrote these same women their wedding songs when they went off and married men. In fact, her poetry was not condemned at the time for homo-erotic sentiments; it is only in these days now that we seem to call her out on this. Perhaps a woman's love for another woman was thought of differently back then - perhaps it was better accepted. Most of Sappho's relationships with women to whom she wrote her poems for, were teacher student relationships. I immediately think of Simone de Beauvoir and her apparent affairs with young women that seeked knowledge (She Came to Stay comes to mind).

Sappho was a lyricist because her poetry, like most poetry back then, was meant to be performed, to be sung and to be heard. However, what's interesting about her poetry is that is written from the perspective of an individual, not a god or muse; the personal vantage point.

I love this line most: "That country girl has witched your wishes." Maybe it's the alliteration of witched and wishes, or maybe it's just the image of a simple girl in checks, driving another mad - creating those dancing figures in the head.

*Note: The information above is from one source, others, might lead you to a different view of her life. We never do know...