present in Sappho’s world on Lesbos, where young
women gathered to study poetry and songs and to
worship Aphrodite. As a result, the goddess played
an important role in the poet’s compositions, where
she was a religious and mythical force. Being the
object of celebrations and festivals, the goddess was
the central subject in many of Sappho’s composi-
tions, whether as muse, friend, or religious icon.
Because so much of what we might know about
Sappho’s life is conjecture, it becomes even
more important to discuss what is known. Con-
sequently, understandingthe full importance of
Aphrodite in Sappho’s world is essential to appre-
ciating the complexities of her poetry. In Sappho’s
‘‘Fragment 2,’’ Aphroditeismorethanapoetic
muse; she represents friendship, strength and
power for women, and the poet’s own alter ego.
Sappho’s world on Lesbos was an exciting
society in which women engaged in ritual practi-
ces, celebrations, and songs. Aphrodite was a part
of this world. Paul Friedrich creates a picture of
the goddess as Sappho would have known her in
his bookThe Meaning of Aphrodite. According to
Friedrich, the goddess was deceitful, mocking, and
fun loving. She was fond of children, sunlight,
flowers, and beautiful things. She was, of course,
also beautiful, as would be expected of a god
associated with beauty. In fact it was often claimed
that Aphrodite was the most beautiful of all the
Greek gods. She was also associated with water, as
well as roses, spring flowers, and apple trees—all
of which are present in Sappho’s ‘‘Fragment 2.’’
The cult of Aphrodite offered women worshippers
the opportunity to focus on a god who was the
patroness of marital love. The cult of Aphrodite
thus provided a mythic world rich with emotional
connections, as is clear in considering Sappho’s
associations with the goddess. Although Aphro-
dite was the most floral and the most aquatic of all
the gods, most importantly, she was also the most
intimate with humans. As a result, her presence inIN SAPPHO’S ‘FRAGMENT 2,’ APHRODITE IS
MORE THAN A POETIC MUSE; SHE REPRESENTS
FRIENDSHIP, STRENGTH AND POWER FOR WOMEN,
AND THE POET’S OWN ALTER EGO.’’WHAT
DO I READ
NEXT? The Love Songs of Sappho(1998) is what
author Paul Roche labels a ‘‘restored’’ trans-
lation of Sappho’s poems. The texts are accom-
panied by drawings that complement the
poems.
Sappho, a 1958 translation by Mary Barnard,
is often quoted by scholars. Barnard made no
attempt to replace lost words with words of
her own choosing.
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho, pub-
lishedin2002andwithanintroductionby
the translator Anne Carson, contains Greek
renditions of the poems with the English trans-
lations on the facing page. Carson makes no
attempt to restore the missing lines or to
rewrite the feminineinto masculine form.
Classical Women Poets(1996), translated by
Josephine Balmer, is a collection of poetry
by early Greek and Roman women poets.
Balmer provides biographical information
and a brief introduction for each of the poets
included in this text.
Peggy Ullman Bell’sPsappha: A Novel of
Sappho(2000) is an imaginary historical
novel about Sappho’s life, which, while it
cannot purport to know what no scholar
knows about the poet’s life, still manages
to capture interesting images of classical
Greek life. Diane Rayor’s collection of early Greek poetry
titledSappho’s Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women
Poets of Ancient Greece(1991) contains the
work of sixteen of Sappho’s contemporaries,
including both male and women poets such as
Archilochos, Alkman, and Ibykos.
H. D.’sNotes on Thought and Vision and the
Wise Sappho(1982) is a meditation on the
sources of imagination and the creative
process. Sappho was an important influ-
ence on the poet H. D.’searly-twentieth-
century poetry, which is the subject of this
work.
Fragment 2