Ode To Anactoria By Sappho

Sappho, a lyric poet who lived during the Archaic Age of Greece, was so gifted at her craft that she was regarded by the Greeks as the tenth muse. (EH 45) Out of all the solo lyrics composed by Sappho around the time of 600 BCE, only one poem and fragments of others are still available today. (EH 45) Fragment 16 of Sappho’s remaining poetry has since been referred by the title “Ode to Anactoria” (poems of sappho james myers o'hara) This fragment is an example of monody, also known as the solo lyric. Solo lyrics are simplistic and style; either using one line of verse or repetition of a short stanza pattern. (EH 45)

The poem utilizes both masculine and feminine imagery which provides a look at the different perspectives that men and women

hold on beauty. The first lines of the poem, “Some say thronging cavalry, some say foot soldiers, others call a fleet the most beautiful of sights…” (Sappho 16) allude to a man’s opinion on what things are beautiful. Sappho then expresses the concept of love playing an important role in what an individual finds the most beautiful. The poem then uses Helen of Greek mythology as an example of the power of love to alter a person’s priorities and perception by explaining how she left her husband and children for Troy after being seduced by the goddess Aphrodite. (Sappho 16) The final lines of the poem provide a feminine contrast to the male standards of beauty conveyed at the beginning. It is apparent that Sappho is in love with a woman named Anactoria and believes her to be the most beautiful. Anactoria’s qualities are described as “lovely” and “sparkling” which provide a soft feminine imagery.
The main theme of this fragment of poetry centers on the power of love and beauty, and the ways in which they are intertwined. Love and beauty were often important elements of other expressions of Archaic Greek culture. In the painting Achilles Killing the Amazon Queen Penthesilea by Exekias, Achilles is painted on a clay vase about to murder Penthesilea. (EH 48) The artist’s intent was to depict the moment in which he fell in love with her on account of her beauty before murdering her regardless. (EH 48) Like Sappho’s poem this painting suggests a strong correlation between love and beauty; although Fragment 16 is an example of love fostering a person’s perception of beauty whereas Exekias’ painting depicts beauty facilitating love. The emphasis on beauty that Sappho expresses is also conveyed in aspects of Greek sculpture. Statues of men and women, respectively named the Kouros and Kore, celebrated the beauty of the human form. (EH 51) The style of these sculptures changed slightly through the generations along with the artist's’ conception of beauty. (EH 52) For example, the male body depicted in the Anavyssos Kouros, created between 540-520 BCE is more defined in both body type and facial features than the New York Kouros of 615-590 BCE.
I enjoyed reading and thinking about this poem. I like the contrast it provided between a masculine and feminine point of view on the topic of beauty. I particularly enjoyed the end of the poem where I found the use of the words “sparkling” and “glittering” as well as the name “Anactoria” to provide an ethereal sort of tone. I also liked the use of Helen as an example of the bewitching power that love can hold over a person, as it prompted me to learn about the events that began the Trojan War in other Greek works of literature.