Plato dubbed her "the Tenth Muse."
Her poetry was so revered that she had coins minted in her likeness.
Let's check out the forgotten story of one of the greatest female poets you probably have never heard of: 🧵 (thread)
Sappho was an enigmatic poet of ancient Greece.
She was born around 620 BC on the island of Lesbos and is known as one of the greatest lyric poets in history.
She was even immortalized by Raphael in his masterpiece The Parnassus...
Sappho's poetry was groundbreaking.
She was one of the first to use the "lyric 'I'"
– writing from a personal perspective rather than as a conduit for divine inspiration.
This innovation would pave the way for more intimate, emotional poetry...
Her verses had various themes:
• love
• desire
• jealousy
She wrote with a raw intensity that still resonates today.
Consider this fragment:
"Again love, the limb-loosener, rattles me bittersweet, irresistible, a crawling beast."
Sappho's life is shrouded in mystery, which only adds to her allure.
She ran an academy for unmarried young women on the island of Lesbos.
This "thiasos" was devoted to the cult of Aphrodite and Eros, where she taught and composed poetry.
Her poetry often focused on the lives and experiences of women.
-providing a rare glimpse into the female perspective in ancient Greece.
This has made her an important figure and a valuable resource for learning about life back then.
Sappho's work was so influential that she refined a poetic meter now known as the "Sapphic meter."
This form would later influence Roman poets like Ovid and Catullus.
Despite her fame, most of Sappho's work has been unfortunately lost to time.
Of the estimated 10,000 lines she wrote, only one complete poem survives:
Let's check it out...
"Ode to Aphrodite"
She writes:
"You with pattern-woven flowers, immortal Aphrodite, child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I implore you, do not devastate with aches and sorrows, Mistress, my heart!"
Her vivid imagery is exemplified in fragments like:
"Like a sweet-apple turning red high on the tip of the topmost branch.
Forgotten by pickers.
Not forgotten.
— they couldn't reach it."
Sappho's personal life remains a subject of fascination.
She likely had at least two brothers and possibly a daughter named Kleis.
-whom she mentions in her poetry...
In one fragment, she writes tenderly about her daughter:
"I have a beautiful daughter like a golden flower my beloved Kleis.
I would not trade her for all Lydia nor lovely..."
Sappho's poetry wasn't just about love.
She also wrote about aging, as seen in this fragment:
"Because you are dear to me marry a younger woman.
I don't dare live with a young man— I'm older."
But her life was far from perfect.
Some legends claim she threw herself off a cliff due to unrequited love for a young sailor named Phaon...
Her poetry's clarity, vivid imagery, and immediacy continue to inspire readers.
Sappho's ability to convey complex emotions in simple, powerful language is a symbol of her enduring genius.
As we continue to uncover fragments of her work and piece together her story-
Sappho remains an enigmatic figure.
A brilliant poet whose words still have the power to move us across the vast expanse of time.
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