by Shaheen Darr

Created on: June 17, 2008   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

Sappho 630 BC - A Greek lyrist born on the island of Lesbos and famous for writing songs of love and yearning. The word 'lesbian' originates from her island of birth and she was also the first lyrist to write in the first person about her own feelings about love and longing and the effects these feelings had on her.

In her poem 'He is more than a Hero' Sappho describes her feelings of love towards a woman who is sitting with a man who could be her lover or her husband. For Sappho, this man is privileged to have earned the honour of sharing the woman's company and to be sitting beside her. As she puts it in the poem, "is a god in my eyes the man who is allowed to sit beside you...' It reveals the strength and intensity of the love Sappho feels for this woman who might have been oblivious to Sappho's desire for her.

She goes on to relate the effect of the woman's voice on her which she describes as a 'sweet murmur' and her laughter which makes 'her own heart beat fast' . If she was to actually be with her in person, she would not be able to speak, her tongue would be 'broken' and it would be as if 'a thin flame runs under her skin' expressing the strong feelings this woman inspires in her. The strength of these feelings makes her 'drip with sweat' and her body 'shakes with trembling'. Again the intensity of Sappho's feelings for this woman is obvious in her choice of words.

She is almost awestruck by the woman's presence and the thought of being with her is almost too much for her to bear. It is as if all life is taken from her and she turns 'paler than dry grass' with the intensity of her feelings until it seems to her that 'death isn't far from me'

The poem summarises the strong feelings of loving someone from afar when the intensity of these feelings can make a person feel weak and lifeless. The unattainable aspect of the relationship makes the object of desire even more attractive than they would in normal conditions. And the man lucky enough to get this love is 'more than a hero' even a god in Sappho's eyes.

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