Sappho
Sappho |
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| Sappho, the woman associated the most with the word lesbian was born in Erressos in 612 B.C. She was regarded as a great lyric poetess. Plato calls her ‘the tenth muse’. She founded a school in Mytilene, devoted to the education of girls, where she taught music, poetry and etiqette. Progressive ideas were prevalent in the Lesvos of that period and women were regarded as individual beings with their own independent existence. Sappho's concern with the good conduct of the girls fulfilled a social need felt by the aristocracy of Lesvos, who laid great emphasis on poetry and music as element in the proper role of a woman. The poetry of Sappho is marked by warmth of feeling and spontaneity, together with the passion which is the distinguishing feature of the Aeolian school. It is true that her verses vibrate with erotic feeling which often reaches a high pitch, but should not be nterpreted as a moral deviation as much as genuine lyrical outbursts. |
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