These things I think Zeus 7 knows, and so also do all the gods. Like a golden flower She makes clear her personal connection to the goddess who has come to her aid many times in the past. For you have no share in the Muses roses. Yet the stanza says nothing specific about this particular woman. to throw herself, in her goading desire, from the rock Its the middle of the night. [5] And however many mistakes he made in the past, undo them all. Some sources claim that Aphrodite was born of the sea foam from Kronos' dismembered penis, whereas others say that Aphrodite was the daughter of Zeus and Dione. "Hymn to Aphrodite" begins with the unidentified speaker calling on the immortal goddess Aphrodite, daughter of the mighty Zeus, the use her unique skills to ensnare a reluctant lover. 'Hymn to Aphrodite' by Sappho is a classical Greek hymn in which the poet invokes and addresses Aphrodite, the Greek goddess who governs love. Although Sapphos bitterness against love is apparent, she still positively addresses Aphrodite, remembering that she is praying to a powerful goddess. 1) Immortal Aphrodite of the splendid throne . Yet they also offer a glimpse into the more complicated aspects of Aphrodites personality, characterizing her as a cunning woman who twists lures. The first line of Carsons translation reinforces that characterization by describing the goddess as of the spangled mind, suggesting a mazelike, ornamented way of thinking easily steered towards cunning, while still pointing to Aphrodites beauty and wealth. Hymn to Aphrodite By Sappho Beautiful-throned, immortal Aphrodite, Daughter of Zeus, beguiler, I implore thee, Weigh me not down with weariness and anguish O thou most holy! The tone of Hymn to Aphrodite is despairing, ironic, and hopeful. For instance, when Sappho visited Syracuse the residents were so honored they erected a statue to commemorate the occasion! I say this to you the passerbyshe was left behind by him for as long a time as 4 is possible to hope [. Mia Pollini Comparative Literature 30 Sappho's Ode to Aphrodite: An Analysis Ancient Greek poetess Sappho's "Ode to Aphrodite" and both her and its existence are cannot be overstated; consider that during Sappho's era, women weren't allowed to be writers and yet Plato still deemed Sappho the "10th muse". and throwing myself from the white rock into the brine, The repetition of soft sounds like w and o add to the lyrical, flowing quality of these stanzas and complement the image of Aphrodites chariot moving swiftly through the sky. 30 and garlands of flowers Rather comeif ever some moment, years past, hearing from afar my despairing voice, you listened, left your father's great golden halls, and came to my succor, "Sappho: Poems and Fragments Fragment 1 Summary and Analysis". Meanwhile all the men sang out a lovely high-pitched song. Sappho opens her prayer to Aphrodite with a three-word line: [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. [ back ] 1. Immortal Aphrodite, on your intricately brocaded throne, 1 child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, this I pray: Dear Lady, don't crush my heart with pains and sorrows. 32 Swiftly they vanished, leaving thee, O goddess. Come now, luxuriant Graces, and beautiful-haired Muses. [15] In Hellenistic editions of Sappho's works, it was the first poem of Book I of her poetry. Come beside me! Jim Powell writes goddess, my ally, while Josephine Balmers translation ends you, yes you, will be my ally. Powells suggests that Sappho recognizes and calls on the goddesss preexisting alliance, while in Balmer, she seems more oriented towards the future, to a new alliance. .] I would be crazy not to give all the herds of the Cyclopes Consecrated birds, with dusky-tinted pinions, Waving swift wings from utmost heights of heaven. [15] But I love delicacy [(h)abrosun] [. You will wildly roam, This translation follows the reading ers (vs. eros) aeli. Like a hyacinth In Sapphos case, the poet asks Aphrodite for help in convincing another unnamed person to love her. Your chariot yoked to love's consecrated doves, their multitudinous . A.D.), Or. It has been established that Sappho was born around 615 BCE to an aristocratic family on the Greek island of Lesbos during a period of a great artistic rebirth on the island. In closing, Sappho commands Aphrodite to become her , or comrade in battle. [] With universal themes such as love, religion, rejection, and mercy, Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite is one of the most famous and best-loved poems from ancient Greece. . The swift wings, with dusky-tinted pinions of these birds, create quite a bit of symbolism. 15 Despite gender dynamics in this poem, Aphrodite explains that love changes quickly. Specifically, the repetition of the same verb twice in a line echoes the incantation-structure used in the sixth stanza, giving a charm-like quality to this final plea. The poem is a prayer for a renewal of confidence that the person whom Sappho loves will requite that love. And you, sacred one, Smiling with deathless face, asking. With my eyes I see not a thing, and there is a roar, The herald Idaios camea swift messenger, and the rest of Asia imperishable glory [, from holy Thebe and Plakia, they led her, the lovely Andromache. The irony of again and again giving "Sappho" what she wants most of all, only for her to move on to another affection, is not lost on Aphroditeand the irony of the situation for Sapphos listeners is only heightened by the fact that even these questions are part of a recollection of a love that she has since moved on from! Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho is a classical Greek hymn in which the poet invokes and addresses Aphrodite, the Greek goddess who governs love. It introduces a third character into the poem, a she who flees from "Sappho"s affections. You have the maiden you prayed for. This is a reference to Sappho's prayer to Aphrodite at the end of Sappho 1, ("free me from harsh anxieties," 25-26, trans. Compared to Aphrodite, Sappho is earthly, lowly, and weighed down from experiencing unrequited love. and said thou, Who has harmed thee?O my poor Sappho! Sappho identifies herself in this poem; the name Sappho (Psappho) appears in only three other fragments. .] We respond to all comments too, giving you the answers you need. Nagy). Sappho was an archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. In closing the poem, Sappho begs Aphrodite to come to her again and force the person who Sappho yearns for to love her back. The references to Zeus in both the first and second stanza tacitly acknowledge that fact; each time, the role of Aphrodite as child of Zeus is juxtaposed against her position in the poem as an ally with whom "Sappho" shares a personal history. Sappho is asking Aphrodite for help in a lyrical poem that has three separate parts, each different in length and meaning. Sappho realizes that her appeal to her beloved can be sustained only by the persuasiveness of Aphro-ditean cosmetic mystery. I have a beautiful daughter 2 8. 1 LaFon, Aimee. While the wings of Aphrodites doves beat back and forth, ever-changing, the birds find a way to hover mid-air. We do know that Sappho was held in very high regard. 5 But come here [tuide], if ever at any [] In Sappho 1, Aphrodite at the moment of her epiphany is described as ' ("smiling with . Among those who regard the occasion for the poem (Sappho's rejeaion) as real but appear to agree that the epiphany is a projection, using (Homeric) literary fantasy in externalizing the . throwing off In the final stanza, Sappho leaves this memory and returns to the present, where she again asks Aphrodite to come to her and bring her her hearts desires. The actual text of the poem was quoted by Dionysus, an orator who lived in Rome about 30 B.C. irresistible, "Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho". . And the news reached his dear ones throughout the broad city. And then Aphrodite shows, and Sappho's like, "I've done my part. A Prayer to Aphrodite On your dappled throne, Aphroditedeathless, ruse-devising daughter of Zeus: O Lady, never crush my spirit with pain and needless sorrow, I beg you. She was born probably about 620 BCE to an aristocratic family on the island of Lesbos during a great cultural flowering in the area. 13 [. hunting down the proud Phaon, Aphrodites tone here is loving but also belittling and a bit annoyed. Even with multiple interventions from the goddess of love, Aphrodite, Sappho still ends up heartbroken time and time again. Little is known with certainty about the life of Sappho, or Psappha in her native Aeolic dialect. Little remains of her work, and these fragments suggest she was gay. Posidippus 122 ed. Aphrodite has the power to help her, and Sappho's supplication is motivated by the stark difference between their positions. Manchester Art Gallery, UK / Bridgeman. Even Aphrodites doves swiftly vanished as the goddess addresses the poet, just as love has vanished from Sapphos life. Poetry of Sappho Translated by Gregory Nagy Sappho 1 ("Prayer to Aphrodite") 1 You with pattern-woven flowers, immortal Aphrodite, 2 child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I implore you, 3 do not devastate with aches and sorrows, 4 Mistress, my heart! In the flashback from stanza two to stanza six, it was clear that Aphrodite was willing to intervene and help Sappho find love. [10] While apparently a less common understanding, it has been employed in translations dating back to the 19th century;[11] more recently, for example, a translation by Gregory Nagy adopted this reading and rendered the vocative phrase as "you with pattern-woven flowers". Eros In line three of stanza five, Sappho stops paraphrasing Aphrodite, as the goddess gets her own quotations. That sonic quality indicates that rather than a moment of dialogue, these lines are an incantation, a love charm. throughout the sacred precinct of the headland of the White Rock. Sparrows that brought you over black earth. I say concept because the ritual practice of casting victims from a white rock may be an inheritance parallel to the epic tradition about a mythical White Rock on the shores of the Okeanos (as in Odyssey 24.11) and the related literary theme of diving from an imaginary White Rock (as in the poetry of Anacreon and Euripides). And the least words of Sappholet them fall, But come, dear companions, this, 16 and passionate love [ers] for the Sun has won for me its radiance [t lampron] and beauty [t kalon]. But come to me once again in kindness, heeding my prayers as you did before; O, come Divine One, descend once again from heaven's golden dominions! Sappho had several brothers, married a wealthy man named Cercylas and had a daughter, Cleis. 1 How can someone not be hurt [= assthai, verb of the noun as hurt] over and over again, 2 O Queen Kypris [Aphrodite], whenever one loves [philen] whatever person 3 and wishes very much not to let go of the passion? Little is known with certainty about the life of Sappho, or Psappha in her native Aeolic dialect. O hear and listen ! Sappho's A Prayer To Aphrodite and Seizure. all of a sudden fire rushes under my skin. The importance of Sappho's first poem as a religious document has long been recognized, but there is still room for disagreement as to the position that should be assigned to it in a history of Greek religious experience. passionate love [eros] for him, and off she went, carrying him to the ends of the earth, 11 so beautiful [kalos] he was and young [neos], but, all the same, he was seized 12 in the fullness of time by gray old age [gras], even though he shared the bed of an immortal female. Accessed 4 March 2023. But I sleep alone. [31] Sappho's Homeric influence is especially clear in the third stanza of the poem, where Aphrodite's descent to the mortal world is marked by what Keith Stanley describes as "a virtual invasion of Homeric words and phrases". The contrast between the white and dark feathers mimics the poets black-and-white perception of love. [1] It was preserved in Dionysius of Halicarnassus' On Composition, quoted in its entirety as an example of "smooth" or "polished" writing,[2] a style which Dionysius also identifies in the work of Hesiod, Anacreon, and Euripides. 6 Ode to Aphrodite (Edm. But you shouldnt have 8 these things on your mind. and passionate love [ers] for the Sun has won for me its radiance and beauty.2. The poem survives in almost complete form, with only two places of uncertainty in the text, preserved through a quotation from Dionysius of Halicarnassus' treatise On Composition and in fragmentary form in a scrap of papyrus discovered at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt. On the one hand, the history the poem recounts seems to prove that the goddess has already been the poets ally for a long time, and the last line serves to reiterate the irony of its premise. 16 You know how we cared for you. This suggests that love is war. 1 Drikha, your bones have turned into dust a long time agoand so too the ribbons 2 of your hair, and so too the shawl, exhaling that perfumed scent of yours, 3 in which you enveloped once upon a time the charming Kharaxos, 4 skin next to skin, complexion making contact with complexion, as you reached for cups of wine at the coming of the dawn. In one manuscript, the poem begins with the Greek adjective for on a dazzling throne, while another uses a similarly-spelled word that means wily-minded. Carson chose to invoke a little bit of both possibilities, and speculates that Sappho herself might have intentionally selected an adjective for cunning that still suggested glamour and ornamentation. The Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho was initially composed in Sapphic stanzas, a poetic structure named after Sappho. 3 The girl [pais] Ast [. Gifts at thy hand; and thine shall be the glory, https://poemanalysis.com/sappho/hymn-to-aphrodite/, Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. By shifting to the past tense and describing a previous time when Aphrodite rescued "Sappho" from heartbreak, the next stanza makes explicit this personal connection between the goddess and the poet. While the poems "Sappho" is concerned with immediate gratification, the story that the poet Sappho tells is deeply aware of the passage of time, and invested in finding emotion that transcends personal history. 17 Sappho's Prayer to Aphrodite (Fragment 1 V. [] ) holds a special place in Greek Literature.The poem is the only one of Sappho's which survives complete. She entreats the goddess not to ignore her pleadings and so break a heart which is already stricken with grief. While Sappho praises Aphrodite, she also acknowledges the power imbalance between speaker and goddess, begging for aid and requesting she not "crush down my spirit" with "pains and torments.". Introduction: A Simple Prayer The Complexity of Sappho 1 , ' Pindar, Olympian I Sappho's Prayer to Aphrodite (Fragment 1 V. [1] ) holds a special place in Greek Literature. 4 [What kind of purpose] do you have [5] [in mind], uncaringly rending me apart 6 in my [desire] as my knees buckle? In the final two lines of the first stanza, Sappho moves from orienting to the motive of her ode. Blessed bridegroom, Yet the syntax and content of Aphrodites question still parallel the questions "Sappho" asked in the previous stanza, like what (now again) I have suffered. While the arrival of the goddess is a vivid departure from the status quo, and the introduction of her questions a shift in tone and aesthetics, the shift from the voice of the poet to the goddess goes unannounced. He specifically disclaims Menanders version about Sapphos being the first to take the plunge at Leukas. [9] However, Anne Carson's edition of Sappho argues for ,[8] and more recently Rayor and Lardinois, while following Voigt's text, note that "it is hard to decide between these two readings". 10; Athen. Aphrodite is known as the goddess of love, beauty, and sexual desire. They came. Her poetry is vivid, to the point where the reader or listener can feel the sentiments rising from the core of his or her own being. setting out to bring her to your love? The poem begins with Sappho praising the goddess before begging her not to break her heart by letting her beloved continue to evade her. However, Sappho only needs Aphrodites help because she is heartbroken and often experiences, unrequited love. Taller than a tall man! You see, that woman who was by far supreme 7 in beauty among all humans, Helen, 8 she [] her best of all husbands, 9 him she left behind and sailed to Troy, [10] caring not about her daughter and her dear parents, 11 not caring at all. Many literary devices within the Hymn to Aphrodite have gotten lost in translation. The conjunction but, as opposed to and, foreshadows that the goddesss arrival will mark a shift in the poem. Aphrodite, glory of Olympos, golden one, incomparable goddess, born of seafoam, borne on the ocean's waves. Sappho uses the word , or mainolas thumos in the poem, which translates to panicked smoke or frenzied breath. Still, thumos is also associated with thought and emotion because ones breath pattern shows how they are feeling. Thus, Sappho, here, is asking Aphrodite to be her comrade, ally, and companion on the battlefield, which is love. Adler, Claire. 14 Related sources (summaries and commentary by G.N.) document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. In the poems final line, Sappho asks Aphrodite to be her sacred protector, but thats not what the Greek has to say about it. the meadow1 that is made all ready. 13. once I am intoxicated, with eyebrows relaxed. [5] But you are always saying, in a chattering way [thrulen], that Kharaxos will come 6 in a ship full of goods. The poet certainly realized that this familiar attitude towards the goddess was a departure from conventional religious practice and its depiction in Greek literature. Sappho's school devoted itself to the cult of Aphrodite and Eros, and Sappho earned great prominence as a dedicated teacher and poet. We may question the degree of historicity in such accounts. Sappho's A Prayer To Aphrodite and Seizure Sappho wrote poems about lust, longing, suffering, and their connections to love. You with pattern-woven flowers, immortal Aphrodite. And now let me say it even more colloquially: the goddess should go out and get her. The poet paraphrases the words that Aphrodite spoke to her as the goddess explained that love is fickle and changing. Poseidon Petraios [of the rocks] has a cult among the Thessalians because he, having fallen asleep at some rock, had an emission of semen; and the earth, receiving the semen, produced the first horse, whom they called Skuphios.And they say that there was a festival established in worship of Poseidon Petraios at the spot where the first horse leapt forth. Greek and Roman prayer began with an invocation, moved on to the argument, then arrived at the petition. At the same time, as an incantation, a command directed towards Aphrodite presents her as a kind of beloved. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Sappho is depressed because a woman that she loved has left in order to be married and, in turn, she is heartbroken. And there is dancing Even with the help of the Goddess in the past, Sappho could not keep the affection of her lover, and she is left constantly having to fight for love with everything she has. This translates to something like poor Sappho, or dear little Sappho.. The imagery Sappho: Poems and Fragments study guide contains a biography of Sappho, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. to grab the breast and touch with both hands For instance, at the beginning of the third stanza of the poem, Sappho calls upon Aphrodite in a chariot "yoked with lovely sparrows",[35] a phrase which Harold Zellner argues is most easily explicable as a form of humorous wordplay. and said thou, Who has harmed thee? And his dear father quickly leapt up. So, with just this phrase, Sappho describes her breath as frantic, her mind as confused, and her emotions as frenzied. Lady, not longer! Asking what I sought, thus hopeless in desiring,Wildered in brain, and spreading nets of passion Alas, for whom? In Greek, Sappho asks Aphrodite to be her , or symmachos which is a term used for the group of people that soldiers fought beside in battle. 11 And Iaware of my own self 12 I know this. Her main function is to arouse love, though not in an earthly manner; her methods are those of immortal enchantment. Likewise, love can find a middle ground. If she is not taking gifts, soon she will be giving them. March 9, 2015. In the lengthy and detailed account of Ptolemaios, Sappho is not mentioned at all, let alone Phaon. The Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho is an ancient lyric in which Sappho begs for Aphrodites help in managing her turbulent love life. and forgetting [root lth-] of bad things. With the love of the stars, Kristin. 5 But come here, if ever before, when you heard my far-off cry, you And you came, leaving your father's house, yoking Sappho's fragments are about marriage, mourning, family, myth, friendship, love, Aphrodite. Love shook my breast. that the girl [parthenos] will continue to read the passing hours [hrai]. Several others are mentioned who died from the leap, including a certain iambographer Charinos who expired only after being fished out of the water with a broken leg, but not before blurting out his four last iambic trimeters, painfully preserved for us with the compliments of Ptolemaios (and Photius as well). Iridescent-throned Aphrodite, deathless Child of Zeus, wile-weaver, I now implore you, Don't--I beg you, Lady--with pains and torments Crush down my spirit, But before if ever you've heard my. nigga you should've just asked ms jovic for help, who does the quote involving "quick sparrows over the black earth whipping their wings down the sky through mid air" have to do with imagery and fertility/sexuality. If so, "Hymn to Aphrodite" may have been composed for performance within the cult. The last stanza begins by reiterating two of the pleas from the rest of the poem: come to me now and all my heart longs for, accomplish. In the present again, the stanza emphasizes the irony of the rest of the poem by embodying Aphrodites exasperated now again. Lines 26 and 27, all my heart longs to accomplish, accomplish also continue the pattern of repetition that carries through the last four stanzas. The first three lines of each stanza are much longer than the fourth. Though there are several different systems for numbering the surviving fragments of Sappho's poetry, the Ode to Aphrodite is fragment 1 in all major editions. [] In the poem we find grounds for our views about her worship of Aphrodite, [] her involvement in the thasos, [] and her poetic . On the other hand, the goddess is lofty, energetic, and cunning, despite her role as the manager of all mortal and divine love affairs. Sappho: Poems and Fragments literature essays are academic essays for citation. In her personal life, Sappho was an outspoken devotee of Aphrodite who often wrote the goddess into her poetry. THE HYMN TO APHRODITE AND FIFTY-TWO FRAGMENTS, TOGETHER WITH SAPPHO TO PHAON, OVID'S HEROIC EPISTLE XV FOREWORD Tear the red rose to pieces if you will, The soul that is the rose you may not kill; Destroy the page, you may, but not the words That share eternal life with flowers and birds. Sweet mother, I cant do my weaving 15. Hymenaon, Sing the wedding song! [14], The poem is written in Aeolic Greek and set in Sapphic stanzas, a meter named after Sappho, in which three longer lines of the same length are followed by a fourth, shorter one. Others say that, in the vicinity of the rocks at Athenian Kolonos, he [Poseidon], falling asleep, had an emission of semen, and a horse Skuphios came out, who is also called Skirnits [the one of the White Rock]. Ill never come back to you.. iv . Another reason for doubting that Sapphos poetry had been the inspiration for the lovers leaps at Cape Leukas is the attitude of Strabo himself. These titles emphasize Aphrodites honor, lineage, and power. The idea that Sappho held a thaisos comes from the multiple young women she wrote poetry to as her students.Legend holds that her thiasos started out as a type of finishing school, where nobles would send their young daughters to be taught the womanly accomplishments they would need for marriage.However, over time Sappho's school evolved into a cult of Aphrodite and Eros, with Sappho as high . A legend from Ovid suggests that she threw herself from a cliff when her heart was broken by Phaon, a young sailor, and died at an early age. [26] The poem concludes with another call for the goddess to assist the speaker in all her amorous struggles. 17. work of literature, but our analysis of its religious aspects has been in a sense also literary; it is the contrast between the vivid and intimate picture of the epiphany and the more formal style of the framework in which it is set that gives the poem much of its charm. One of her poems is a prayer to Aphrodite, asking the goddess to come and help her in her love life. Prayer to Aphrodite Sappho, translated by Alfred Corn Issue 88, Summer 1983 Eternal Aphrodite, Zeus's daughter, throne Of inlay, deviser of nets, I entreat you: Do not let a yoke of grief and anguish weigh Down my soul, Lady, But come to me now, as you did before When, hearing my cries even at that distance By stanza two of Sapphos Hymn to Aphrodite, the poet moves on to the argument potion of her prayer, using her poetics to convince Aphrodite to hear her. Thus seek me now, O holy Aphrodite!Save me from anguish; give me all I ask for,Gifts at thy hand; and thine shall be the glory,Sacred protector! But come here, if ever before, when you heard my far-off cry, you listened. New papyrus finds are refining our idea of Sappho. Hear anew the voice! high [32], Classicists disagree about whether the poem was intended as a serious piece. However, this close relationship means that Sappho has a lot of issues in the romance department. of the topmost branch. She is known for her lyric poetry, much of which alludes to her sexuality. And they sang the song of Hector and Andromache, both looking just like the gods [, way she walks and the radiant glance of her face. .] Yet, in the fourth stanza, Aphrodites questions are asked in the speaker's voice, using the first person. [] Many of the conclusions we draw about Sappho's poetry come from this one six-strophe poem. I really leave you against my will.. In Sapphic stanzas, each stanza contains four lines. The themes in Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho are love, devotion, desire, religion, heartbreak, and mercy. Sappho 105a (via Syrianus on Hermogenes, On Kinds of Style): Just like the sweet apple that blushes on top of a branch, Accordingly, it is a significant poem for the study of the Ancient greek language, early poetry, and gender. 27 .] Additionally, while the doves may be white, they have dark pinions or feathers on their wings. 3 [. Keith Stanley argues that these lines portray Aphrodite "humorous[ly] chiding" Sappho,[37] with the threefold repetition of followed by the hyperbolic and lightly mocking ', ', ; [d][37]. However, when using any meter, some of the poems meaning can get lost in translation. [All] you [powers] must bring [agein] Gorgonia, whose mother is Nilogeneia, [to me]. Virginity, virginity they say that Sappho was the first, Describing the goddesss last visit, Sappho uses especially lush imagery. [19] Its structure follows the three-part structure of ancient Greek hymns, beginning with an invocation, followed by a narrative section, and culminating in a request to the god. The speaker begins by describing a beautiful orchard of apple trees studded with altars which burn incense in devotion to the goddess. The poetry truly depicts a realistic picture of the bonds of love. Z A. Cameron, "Sappho's Prayer to Aphrodite," HThR 32 (1939) 1-17, esp. Summary "Fragment 2" is an appeal to Kypris, or the goddess Aphrodite, to come from far off Krete to a beautiful temple where the speaker resides. A big part of that shift is tonal; in contrast to the lilting phrases and beautiful natural imagery of Sapphos stanzas, Aphrodites questions use a humorous, mocking tone towards the poet and her numerous affairs of the heart. Forth from thy father 's. POEMS OF SAPPHO POEMS OF SAPPHO TRANSLATED BY JULIA DUBNOFF 1 Immortal Aphrodite, on your intricately brocaded throne,[1] child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, this I pray: Dear Lady, don't crush my heart with pains and sorrows.