Ode to Aphrodite - The Poems and Fragments of Sappho

by Sappho, John Myres O' Hara (Translation), Henry de Vere Stacpoole (Translation)

Sappho (c. 630–c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos famous for her lyric poetry. Also known by such names as the "Tenth Muse" and "The Poetess", Sappho was a prolific poet widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets of ancient times. As well as an extraordinary poet, she also represents a symbol of romantic love between women, the word lesbian and sapphic originating from her name and home island. The majority of Sappho's work is lost and what remains only does so as fragments. Despite this, her work has and continues to influence that of others significantly. This pocket-sized volume contains 45 of Sappho's existing poems and fragments, translated and interpreted by John Myres O'Hara and Henry de Vere Stacpoole. Contents "An Introduction by H. De Vere Stacpoole", "Sapphics by Algernon Charles Swinburne", "Poems Translated by John Myres O'hara", and "Fragments Translated by Henry De Vere Stacpoole". Wine Dark Press is proudly publishing this brand new collection of classic poems, now complete with an introductory essay by Charles Swinburne.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Mythology

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 551

About the author

Work of Greek lyric poet Sappho, noted for its passionate and erotic celebration of the beauty of young women and men, after flourit circa 600 BC and survives only in fragments.

Ancient history poetry texts associate Sappho (Σαπφώ or Ψάπφω) sometimes with the city of Mytilene or suppose her birth in Eresos, another city, sometime between 630 BC and 612 BC. She died around 570 BC. People throughout antiquity well knew and greatly admired the bulk, now lost, but her immense reputation endured.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho

Reviews

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐

Overcome with kisses her faintest protest, Melt her mood to mine with amorous touches, Till her low assent and her sigh's abandon Lure me to rapture

[Salem ☥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now Love has bound me, trembling, hands and feet, O Love so fatal, Love so bitter-sweet"

it's criminal that as a lesbian i've yet to read sappho, but oh my goodness. this was a great piece to start with. her yearning is so prominent even through the fragments of her poems, it's gut-wrenching. i'm excited to dive into the rest of her works, and while i was hesitant to read translations of her works by men, they didn't erase her love for women, nor hide it. not only were the translations lovely, but the intro essay was as well.

[Harry Palacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah divine goddess no beauty comparable strewn from the fumes of sea and coral oh these poems prove the worth of poetry and the significance of weight of impeccable muse

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When the moon at full on the sill of heaven
Lights her beacon, flooding the earth with silver,
All the shining stars that about her cluster
Hide their fair faces;"

[maciollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Będąc chorym i zmęczonym a jednocześnie nie mogąc spać zdecydowałem się coś przeczytać. Będąc zbyt zmęczonym na cokolwiek długiego i jakoś wyczerpującego postanowiłem, że chcę przeczytać coś krótkiego… padło na Safonę

Nie jestem w stanie nachwalić się jej wierszy, Safona była prawdziwą geniuszką poezji i chyba jako pierwsza poprzez swoje dzieła stworzyła prawdziwe relacje między mną i jej twórczością, jej intencją, jej geniuszem. Nie mogę zapomnieć jak poprzez te wiersze przyciągała mnie to pradawne piękno poezji przesycone prawdziwym kunsztem i urokiem.

Nie mogę nie wspomnieć o tym, że kocham jakąkolwiek sztukę związaną z Afrodytą i jej kultem, a większość wierszy Safony właśnie do niej była skierowana, bądź Afrodyta była w nich wspominana. Dodatkowo na plus były dla mnie wątki homoerotyczne, które wskazują na to, ze już tysiące lat temu istniał homoseksualizm i nie jest in zjawiskiem XXI wieku.

Nie jestem w stanie wyrazić podziwu dla Safony i kunsztu jej pracy, ponieważ tworząc dzieła ponad 2,5 tysiąca lat temu tworzyła utwory uniwersalne nawet dziś i poruszające serca człowieka XXI wieku.

Żadna poezja nie wprawiła mnie w tak głęboki stan zachwytu, jak jej wiersze oraz (niestety tylko) fragmenty jej dzieł.

Szczerze sądzę, że Safona nie jest wystarczająco doceniana przez społeczeństwo, ponieważ jej poezja jest tak piękna, że aż trudno nie chcieć czytać jej więcej.

„Ode to Aphrodite, the poems And fragments of Sappho” to najpiękniejszy zbiór wierszy jaki przeczytałem

Safono, dziękuję!

[lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

summertime means either blasting ska or bed rotting and reading, i think we know which one i chose. i can’t praise sappho and her work enough, she was a true genius when it comes to poetry and she was one of the first poets who’s work truly impacted me and echoed through me, truly a genius. i’ll never forget how my initial interest in antiquities was due to her charm, her work, her brilliance. i also WILL mention the fact that i love any form of art that’s related to aphrodite and her devotees and the majority of sappho’s poems were addressed to her or at the very least mentioned her!!!! also the homoerotism sprinkled throughout this work was a plus for me, it just goes to show that homosexuality existed thousands of years ago and isn’t a 21st century phenomenon. i cannot express the genuine admiration i have for sappho and her writing, it was written thousands of years ago but it still EXTREMELY relevant even today that moves the hearts of thousands of people.

nothing has moved me into such a profound state of delight and changed my view of the world as her poems and sadly, fragments of her writing. i fully believe that she’s not appreciated nor mentioned lots in today’s society because her work is genuinely so beautiful that it’s hard not to want to read more of it.

”if she runs away, soon she shall pursue; if she does not accept gifts, why, she shall give them instead; and if she does not lover, soon she shall live even against her will.” 🤍

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find the very idea of these poems fascinating. Only one has remained complete to the current day; the rest have been passed down the ages in bits and pieces, quoted admiringly by historians or sophists, but never rediscovered in their entirety. For a writer to have had such a major impact on culture that their work is remembered over 25 centuries later, but for the work itself to be almost completely lost — boggling!

Full review at Lone Star on a Lark

[Mal Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“As the wind upon the mountain oaks in storm, so Eros shakes my soul, my life, my form.”

I know this sounds crazy but I never got a chance to read Sappho until now. It’s was beautiful and I can see why she is a favorite among poets and art lovers. I loved all of her work and I need more. To find out that most of it was lost is a tragedy. Ode to Aphrodite is beautiful and one of the best collections of poetry I have ever read in my life. Thank you Sappho. If only I could thank you in person.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sappho shines by her own light in the minutest fragments of her that remain—Fragments whose deathless energy, like the energy of radium, has vivified literature in all ages and times."

Beautiful poetry, along with an introduction that comments on Sappho's impact upon the world as well as modern day poetry.

[George Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me want to brush up on my Greek from high-school, so I could read the original. Love sick poems and beautiful musings, as relevant today as they were twenty six centuries ago.

[Luka Erausquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This poetry blew me out of the water which I didn’t really expect for a translation. It’s beautiful!

[Lilli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful writing. didn't understand what I was reading sometimes.

[Reese Viridis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry in this book is so beautiful, I loved it! Especially The Garden of the Nymphs. I need to get my hands on more of her work, ASAP.

[Kara Whicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Sappho and I love a ton of her work. Even when it’s been straight-washed and interpreted beyond belief.

This book doesn’t do that much.

[ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

“i spoke with Aphrodite in a dream”.

[Darian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed.

[Tony Guy Dowdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With eyes of darkness
The sleep of night

[Viktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love women

[Morgan Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

IN LOVE!!!

Since I first learned about Sappho I’ve been wanting to read the poems she wrote. I wanted to feel the love and power of her words and thankfully due to this book I have family been able to! As a sapphic I felt I needed to read her poetry and I’m so glad I did. There’s so many beautiful quotes I feel so light and emotional!

[Paula ϟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

These fragments will transport you back hundreds, no thousands of years, and you will realize that the human spirit, our very humanity, emotion, lust, love, and searching have always been a core part of our being.

[B J Moyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection, including all of Sappho's major poems. The brilliant language used, oozes with passion, life, and creativity.

This book is a doorway into the mind of one of history's greatest writers. With poems that will amaze, sadden, and shock, usually just in one page.

[Sammi]

Beautiful...I am inspired to get my hands on the rest of Sappho's work