I regard Sappho's Hymn to Aphrodite as a poem that contains emotions of loneliness, love, and hope when Sappho begged Aphrodite to return and relieve her suffering, as, contrary to certain interpretations of feminism and lesbianism, even to the point of Pope Gregory VII ordering her works to be burned (Poetry Foundation, 2017, para. 9).
I characterize humanities as a complex phrase with unmanageable boundaries. "No one now knows what the humanities are," Proctor wrote in his book. (1998, p. 23). For me, the humanities are a composition of any academic subject that tackles the human culture development and the society we live in.
The humanities play a vital role in our lives. From my point of view, this is a broad term that incorporates all other subjects concerning the human race in works that we consult to in order to help us in solving today’s issues. They are written by early human to guide us and give us clues in modern time.
Framework
It is common for a humanities student to expect topics that go side by side with mythology, philosophy, religion, and literature. As Aphrodite is known to be the Greek goddess of love and passion, Sappho’s Hymn to Aphrodite is often considered a myth: “Sappho’s Hymn to Aphrodite is the only poem from Sappho’s many books of poetry to survive in its entirety” (Gale, 2010). I see the hymn as a literature, rather than a myth.
I opted to apply biological criticism wherein I studied Sappho’s biography as knowing the author helps to understand the piece of art. I believe that authorship is an essential part in the humanities that would not be compelling relying on anonymous works.
As one of the critical theories in the humanities, I found biological criticism to be the most relatable approach. The hymn has been controversial to touch sensitive issues in gender, social, religious, historical, and psychological context (Kennedy & Gioia, 1995). However, I wanted to arrive at a conclusion by seeing Sappho, rather than seeing the society and the world she lived in as the hymn reflects personal appeal. DuBois (1995) states: “Sappho was one of the first poets to inhabit fully the first person singular, to use the word “I” to anchor their poetic speech for individual subjectivity”.
Using gender criticism is a safe recourse, but checking literature about Sappho’s sexuality and not finding a resource to pinpoint her true gender preference made me to finish using the biological approach.
Interpretation of the Poem Using Biological Criticism
Sappho’s Biography
“Known as the Poetess, Plato hailed Sappho as the tenth muse” (Poetry Foundation, 2017). Later Sappho became the subject of furious controversies about her work, her family life, and, above all, her sexuality (The New Yorker, 2016, para. 5).
Johnson (2007) writes: “Sappho was a teacher at a school for girls that presumably has been modeled on something akin to the system in which she had been educated.”
Sheehan (2005, para. 6) states:“Sappho was a singer. She was married to Cercylas and had a daughter named Cleis. According to legend, she died throwing herself off a cliff due to unrequited love for a male sailor”.
Scholars nowadays are looking for the remains of her “burned writings” not only to support their claims on her sexual preference issue but also to get hold of the sublime authorship of this genius mind.
First Four Stanzas
Keeping her biography in mind, I read and interpreted the poem. The first stanza sounded like a prayer to me. If this poem was presented to me without any information about the poet, I would not tell the gender of the person in despair until the fifth stanza. But knowing Sappho, the meaning of the stanzas was clear. It was more of a personal plea to me, like a lady who is asking a female saint to help her find a lover. After Aphrodite said “This time, and now” and Sappho said “Come to me once more,” it was clear to me that Aphrodite had helped her once with a similar situation.
Fifth and Sixth Stanzas
To my side: “And whom should Persuasion summon
Here, to soothe the sting of your passion this time?
Who is now abusing you, Sappho? Who is
Treating you cruelly?
Now she runs away, but she'll soon pursue you;
Gifts she now rejects -- soon enough she'll give them;
Now she doesn't love you, but soon her heart will
Burn, though unwilling.” (lines 18-24).
It seems to me that Aphrodite thinks of love as something inevitable. The poem speaks of love; the feelings of cruelty and anguish were expected to pass as long as someone is waiting for love. If the legend was true, then Sappho, by ending her life, did not actually find the true love she was longing and begging for.
Seventh Stanza
Come to me once more, and abate my torment;
Take the bitter care from my mind, and give me
All I long for; Lady, in all my battles
Fight as my comrade (lines 25-28).
This sounds like Our Father to me:
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. (1928 Episcopal BCP)
I may cause raising eyebrows in comparing the last stanza to the most popular prayer of times, but I could not find any other mirrored interpretation of this part. As for me, the hymn is a pray to Aphrodite when Sappho’s heart was broken; a mere personal prayer asking for deliverance from pain.
Relevance of the Text to Humanities & Modern Society
Was Buchmann right when she said “love is bargaining for specific costs and rewards”? Is it really a far definition from Sappho’s meaning? Are we really blinded by the material benefits of relationships? Could feelings in the ancient and medieval times be different from what we feel today?
In modern world, “love is no longer defined primarily as a commitment to a choice made once and for all, but rather bargaining for specific costs and rewards” (Buchmann, 1989). Looking back at Sappho’s hymn, we may get a glimpse of how people viewed love that time. Sappho used the word “torment” to describe her agony; she did not want to be neglected, that is the main reason why she was begging for Aphrodite’s intervention. Sappho’s biography, as well as other writings, explain how she longed for love.
Conclusion
Sappho may be several centuries older than we are but it is undeniable that her life, writings, and controversies brought meanings to our modern society. Some people equate Sappho with her hometown, Lesbos, a place where the term “lesbianism” was coined after. Feminism, sexuality, poetic power, love, eroticism, genius, aristocracy, and gender inequality are just some of the most important words reflected by Sappho’s name. These terms form a special part of the humanities. Emotions and intellect are well captured in the hymn, bringing us back to immemorial and yet similar to what we have at present.
Human beings need love, as well as hope, in order to build a healthy and well-balanced society. Relationships, no matter how odd or unimaginable, tend to last longer when these two are present.
Sappho’s Hymn to Aphrodite is a very important piece of art worthy of attention in modern society. We will come back to Sappho’s talent in putting into words the expanse of human emotions. Some may say that her feelings no longer exist today, but for many people Sappho’s works has been always celebrated for its timeless depiction of the human emotions.
The humanities keep on evolving. Somewhere along in the future, scholars and academicians will continue on studying its inclusions and boundaries in order to make it distinct from any other forms of sciences. It may take forever to finalize, as what we have all around us - every subject, every hue, every action – form a part of the humanities.
Reference
Buchmann, M. (1989). The script of life in modern society: Entry into adulthood in a changing world. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
DuBois, P. (1995). Sappho is burning. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Gale (2010). A study guide to Sappho’s hymn to Aphrodite. Farmington Hills: Cengage Learning.
Kennedy, X.J. and Gioia, D. (1995). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama, sixth ed. New York: Harper Collins.
Biography of Sappho. Poetry Foundation (2017). Retrieved on January 14, 2017 from: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/sappho
Robert, E.P. (1998). Defining the humanities: How rediscovering a tradition can improve our schools. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Sheehan C. (2005). Sappho. Retrieved from http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/sapph.html
Girl Interrupted: who was Sappho? The New Yorker Magazine. Retrieved on January 14, 2017 from:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/16/girl-interrupted
Vandimer, E. (1997). Sappho’s Hymn to Aphrodite. Retrieved on January 14, 2017 from: http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/vandiver.shtml
