I have written about Sappho before who I encountered in earlier reading last year. There are many things I appreciate about Sappho. The fact that she is the first western female writer (poet) is very compelling regardless of the quality of her writing. Writing originally in Greek and not having enough skill to translate directly myself I must rely on and hope for good translations. I most appreciate Sappho’s use of metaphor and imagery. Her themes and heart come very close to my own and in some ways it is deeply saddening that what we have of her poetry are mere fragments with only two complete. Ancient reports tell us that Sappho’s complete collection of poetry extended to 9 volumes of some 1,320 lines each for more than 12,000 lines or more in total. Of all that she has written we have only 2,000 lines today and most are fragments as I said earlier.

 

I will leave you with three very simple poem fragments that I deeply appreciate by Sappho:

 

You burn us

 

Now in my heart

I see clearly

a beautiful

face

shining back on me

stained

with love

 

Someone, I tell you, in another time,

will remember us.