Sappho summary

Fragment 1. Sappho prays to the goddess Aphrodite , asking for relief from heartbreak. The poem focuses on the intimate relationship between the poet and the goddess, and the history they share together.

How old was sappho when she died

Fragment 2. The speaker prays to Aphrodite, pleading with her to come to a beautiful grove dedicated to worshipping the goddess. Eventually, Aphrodite does arrive, surrounded by festivities and pouring out nectar for the women who fill the grove to worship her. Fragment The speaker draws on the examples of Helen of Troy and her own departed lover to argue that what one loves is more beautiful than any display of military strength, regardless of the dominant male perspective on the matter.

It borrows from epic style and imagery while rejecting its dismissal of romantic love, describing the celebration which fills Troy to commemorate their wedding. She describes her changing body and contrasts it with the joys and bounty of youth. Yet she also acknowledges that its impossible to remain young forever.