“Although they are

Only breath, words
which I command
are immortal”

Classical Greek texts are one of the areas of literature I most enjoy, but it wasn’t until last year that I discovered this female poet. Plato and Aristotle argued that all humans are equal by nature, which presumably had some effect on the collective view of women’s equality in ancient Greece, but this was after Sappho’s time. So, the success she found as a poet, a category in which greats the likes of Homer were already revered, is pretty cool and speaks to her mastery. Though much of her poetry is lost, ancient accounts laud her compositions as remarkable, and those pieces we do have left certainly warrant such praise. The subject of much debate, in regard to both her work and her personal life, Sappho makes for a fascinating study. I’m featuring her today because, as is true of much classical literature, her poems exude a timeless wisdom and provoke deep thought. A few of them seem to include a humorous attitude as well, though it’s hard to know if she intended it. The one below made me laugh! I suppose it’s quite true! read more