My Favorite Fragments of Sappho
If Not, Winter, Fragments of Sappho, Anne Carson, 2003 C.E., Penguin Random House
Translated by Anne Carson
In the introduction of Carson’s translation of Sappho’s Fragments, “If Not, Winter”, I read a compelling quote from a writer and translator named Walter Benjamin. He said:
“The task of the translator consists in finding that intended effect upon the language into which he is translating which produces in it the echo of the original…Unlike a work of literature, translation does not find itself in the center of the language forest but on the outside; it calls into it without entering, aiming at that single spot where the echo is able to give, in its own language, the reverberation of the work in the alien one.” —-W. Benjamin, originally a preface to Benjamin’s translation of Baudelaire (Heidelberg, 1923).
While there are great obstacles in the way of appreciating the full impact of Sappho’s artistic genius, I am amazed that her voice still manages to be heard through the ages. Sadly, only bits of this gifted lyrical songwriter’s works survived on shreds of papyrus. What is known of Sappho has been painstakingly pieced together, studied and translated or has been directly quoted by ancient authors. Much of her work has been lost or destroyed and none of the original music remains.
Reverie aka In the Days of Sappho, John William Godward, 190 CE
I selected my favorite fragments from “If Not, Winter” to analyze and to ponder their possible meanings.
Fragment 147:
Someone will remember us
I say
Even in another time
This fragment shows Sappho’s brilliance — as we read and contemplate the meaning of her remaining lines in the year 2022, we see that she was correct. We are, in fact, the ones from ‘another time’—from a distant future time, who remember her. Moreover, we remember her with great fondness, interest and appreciation.
Fragment 94:
I simply want to be dead
Weeping she left me
With many tears and said this:
Oh how badly things have turned out for us.
Sappho, I swear, against my will I leave you.
And I answered her:
Rejoice, go and
Remember me. For you know how we cherished you.
But if not, I want
To remind you
And beautiful times we had
For the many crowns of violets
And roses
At my side you put on
And many woven garlands
Made of flowers
Around your soft throat.
And with sweet oil
Costly
You anointed yourself
And on a soft bed
Delicate
You would let loose your longing
And neither any nor any
Holy place nor
Was there from which we were absent
No grove
No dance
No sound
This is one of the longer and more complete of Sappho’s surviving fragments. I chose to look more closely at these lines and to try to understand their meaning. What was Sappho trying to convey? This fragment highlights her deep affection for and possible romantic relationship with a young woman. It seems that this affair had a tragic end with the lovers being forced apart against their will. Still, in their sadness, Sappho writes that she will remember and celebrate the good times and think about how beautiful their love was—“for the many crowns of violets and roses at my side you put on”.
There is speculation that while Sappho was married and had one daughter, she may have been a homosexual. This is why her home—the island of Lesbos—is credited with the derivation of the word ‘lesbian’. Some historians believe that her sexual orientation may have been a factor in the destruction of her work. In Constantinople in the 4th century, Gregory of Nazianzus burnt the works of comedians and lyrical poets including Sappho.
Fragments of the Cologne papyri, dating to the third century BCE, preserve twelve lines of the Tithonus poem.
Fragment 148:
Wealth without virtue is no harmless neighbor
But a mixture of both attains the height of happiness
These lines suggest that Sappho was a wise and disciplined person. Fragment 148 explains that no amount of money replaces the need to be a moral, decent person. One should be wary of an unscrupulous, rich person because he can cause harm. That is, Sappho cautions us to not be blinded by another’s riches so as to excuse his or her bad behavior. Sappho writes that joy can be found when prosperity is balanced with righteousness.
Fragment 125:
Having encountered
Wants
Accomplish the plan
I call out
To the heart at once
All that you wish to win
To fight for me
By the wanton one persuaded
But yes you will know well
This fragment spoke to me after seeing Hadestown on Broadway this summer. These incomplete lines reminded me of the tortured love story between Orpheus and Eurydice. My favorite song from the show was “Wait for Me” because it evoked strong emotions and really touched the audience. For me, this ancient fragment, devoid of its original musical accompaniment, still struck an emotional chord with me. I find it fascinating and proof of Sappho’s genius that mere pieces of her work from thousands of years ago can still grip us today.
Fragment 179:
Make-up Bag
Fragment 189:
Soda
Fragments 179 and 189 jumped out at me because we tend to think of classical literature as exploring huge and ambitious themes, like love and death and purpose; stories involving gods, monsters and heroes. The fact that Sappho even mentions here a vanity bag and washing powder is modernly mundane. The thought of someone living on the Island of Lesbos in the 6th century BC seems so distant in every way, but details like this make these ancient poems seem familiar and contemporary. It also highlights the importance of Sappho’s voice as a woman within classical literature. Male writers (the majority of writers from that period) tend not to focus on or mention these types of details, especially objects associated with domestic work or women’s daily lives). In this way, through these literal fragments, Sappho gives us a rare insight into the life of women in the ancient world.
Sappho’s fragments are powerful because it is as if you can reach out and touch the humanity that existed thousands of years ago. Whether it be flowers for the ones we love, heartbreak, or wondering whether we’ll be remembered, Sappo’s voice is both aged and ageless. So much has changed and evolved, but maybe it is important to acknowledge that perhaps so much has remained the same too.