#Ode to Aphrodite

[beautyofaphrodite]

ODE TO APHRODITE

Aphrodite, subtle of soul and deathless,

Daughter of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I pray thee

Neither with care, dread Mistress, nor with anguish,

Slay thou my spirit!

But in pity hasten, come now if ever

From afar of old when my voice implored thee,

Thou hast deigned to listen, leaving the golden

House of thy father

With thy chariot yoked; and with doves that drew thee,

Fair and fleet around the dark earth from heaven,

Dipping vibrant wings down the azure distance,

Through the mid-ether;

Very swift they came; and thou, gracious Vision,

Leaned with face that smiled in immortal beauty,

Leaned to me and asked, "What misfortune threatened?

Why I had called thee?"

"What my frenzied heart craved in utter yearning,

Whom its wild desire would persuade to passion?

What disdainful charms, madly worshipped, slight thee?

Who wrongs thee, Sappho?"

"She that fain would fly, she shall quickly follow,

She that now rejects, yet with gifts shall woo thee,

She that heeds thee not, soon shall love to madness,

Love thee, the loth one!"

Come to me now thus, Goddess, and release me

From distress and pain; and all my distracted

Heart would seek, do thou, once again fulfilling,

Still be my ally!

-Sappho

[theartofperishingslowly]

Ode to Aphrodite unlocked a whole other world to me. Thank you, slayvior Sappho, for exposing Aphrodite's thirst for drama and turbulent love.

[women-throughout-history]

Sappho: Lady of Lesbos

Sappho, the renowned 7th century Greek poetess whose name birthed the term "sapphic," is a divisive figure among historians and critics. She was revered as a lyrical genius from Lesbos, yet the details of her life remain uncertain. Plato dubbed her "the tenth Muse," highlighting her profound impact on poetry despite only 3% of her work being discovered.

Debate swirls around Sappho's personal life, particularly her romantic interests and sexuality. According to legends, she was married to Cercylas and may have had a daughter, Cleïs. Her relationships with women like Atthis and Megara have sparked speculation about her sexuality. Fragment 132's mention of Cleïs as "pais" adds to the ambiguity, for pais means both “child” and “youthful beloved in a male homosexual liaison"”

While the modern world often portrays Sappho as a lesbian icon, ancient sources present conflicting images. Athenian comedies caricatured her as a heterosexual figure, with explicit discussions on her homoeroticism arising in later periods.

Sappho's surviving poems and ‘fragments’ reveal themes of love and longing. Her lasting influence shows her elusive persona that is still interpreted to this day but also how admirable a lyricist and poetess she is. 

direct quotes and links:

According to the translation of the Suda: “[Daughter] of Simon, though others [say] of Eumenos; others, of Eerigyos; others, of Ekrytos; others, of Semos; others, of Kamon; others, of Etarkhos; others, of Skamandronymos. Her mother was Kleis; [she was] a woman of Lesbos, from Eressos, a lyric poet, who was born in the 42nd Olympiad, when Alkaios also lived, and Stesikhoros, and Pittakos. She also had three brothers: Larikhos, Kharaxos, Eurygios. She was married to a most wealthy man, Kerkylas, who operated from Andros, and she had a daughter by him, who was named Kleis. There were three companions and friends of hers -- Atthis, Telesippa, Megara -- in respect of whom she incurred accusations of a shameful friendship/love. Her pupils were Anagora of Miletus, Gongyla of Kolophon and Euneika of Salamis. She wrote 9 books of lyric poems. And she first discovered the plectrum. She also wrote epigrams and elegiacs and iambics and monodies.”

https://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/sappho.html

http://digitalsappho.org/

http://www.aoidoi.org/poets/sappho/

Translated poem about Cleis: https://allpoetry.com/poem/8449313-Cleis-by-Sappho

Sappho in the Phaedrus: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/51248.pdf

[athena-rocks]

Do not fucking speak to me I am experiencing Sappho.

[slips-of-sappho]

"Deathless Aphrodite of the spangled mind...

Come to me now: loose me from hard

care and all my heart longs

to accomplish. You

be my ally."

~ Sappho, fragment 1

[neembu]

Ornate-throned immortal Aphrodite, wile-weaving daughter of Zeus, I entreat you: do not overpower my heart, mistress, with ache and anguish, but come here, if ever in the past you heard my voice from afar and acquiesced and came, leaving your father’s golden house, with chariot yoked: beautiful swift sparrows whirring fast-beating wings brought you above the dark earth down from heaven through the mid-air, and soon they arrived; and you, blessed one, with a smile on your immortal face asked what was the matter with me this time and why I was calling this time and what in my maddened heart I most wished to happen for myself: “Whom am I to persuade this time to lead you back to her love? Who wrongs you, Sappho? 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 love, soon she shall love even against her will.” Come to me now again and deliver me from oppressive anxieties; fulfil all that my heart longs to fulfil, and you yourself be my fellow-fighter. — Sappho (6th century BCE)

[i-have-41-protons]

Ode to Aphrodite

I scream as I open the closet,

I scream as I get the broom,

I scream as I hit the ceiling,

The very sky of the room,

My screams get to Mount Olympus,

They reach Aphrodite’s ears,

She starts as the sound wave hits her,

And sags at the sight of my tears,

She doesn’t think that she’s failed me,

But that is still all I see,

I scream as I hit the ceiling,

“ThEre’S mAnY mEn iN ThE sEA!”

I mock what my elders have told me,

I mock what they thought I’d buy,

I scream as I hit the ceiling,

“So gO oUt anD FiNd tHE riGht GuY!

“Well, where has that brought me, tell me?

And how is it that none are right?

And why do I look at them, thinking,

That not one of them is the light

OF MY

FUCKING

LIFE?!”

The goddess of love and beauty

Responds with a curl of her lips;

I croak, “It is not my duty,

To please a man’s eye with my hips.”

She nods, and she gives me a moment

To get my breath back in control

And then she says, “Yes, you are right,

For you are not some doll.

You may be and graceful, and pretty,

But it is still not your task

To be someone’s playful kitty,

To wear your looks like a mask.

You are not a toy to play with;

I’m glad you know that, at least.

But you’ve been so silent… you’ve tried,

But this isn’t the fate you seek:

Perhaps, to solve this problem,

See Mother Sappho, not me.”

LOOK WHAT I MADE!! :)

[athenaabroad]

Hello all,

It is a generous and bright morning on the island of Lesbos. While visiting my dear friend, he provided me with works from the poetess, Sappho. I took out a manuscript of Sappho's poems and began to read. One that caught my eye was "Ode to Aphrodite." I had heard much about this particular poem, and I was eager to experience it for myself.

As I read, I was immediately struck by the beauty and power of Sappho's words. The poem was an ode to the goddess Aphrodite, and it spoke of the longing and desire that she could inspire in the hearts of mortals. I found myself fascinated by the goddess and her many facets. She was a complex and powerful figure, one who could inspire both love and fear in those who worshipped her. In a way, Aphrodite empowers us Greek women.

As I finished reading the poem, I knew that I had experienced something truly special. Sappho's "Ode to Aphrodite" was a masterpiece of ancient Greek poetry, and I felt honored to have been able to read it in the place where it had been written.

Source: The Lexicon in Sappho’s “Ode to Aphrodite” (Writing Center)

[random-wiki-articles]

Only one of her poems that survived is completed, which is the Ode to Aphrodite. A translated copy is linked below.

[slips-of-sappho]

From:

The Poems of Sappho

An Interpretative Rendition into English

BY JOHN MYERS O'HARA

ODE TO APHRODITE

Aphrodite, subtle of soul and deathless,

Daughter of God, weaver of wiles, I pray thee

Neither with care, dread Mistress, nor with anguish,

Slay thou my spirit!

But in pity hasten, come now if ever

From afar of old when my voice implored thee,

Thou hast deigned to listen, leaving the golden

House of thy father

With thy chariot yoked; and with doves that drew thee,

Fair and fleet around the dark earth from heaven,

Dipping vibrant wings down he azure distance,

Through the mid-ether;

Very swift they came; and thou, gracious Vision,

Leaned with face that smiled in immortal beauty,

Leaned to me and asked, "What misfortune threatened?

Why I had called thee?"

"What my frenzied heart craved in utter yearning,

Whom its wild desire would persuade to passion?

What disdainful charms, madly worshipped, slight thee?

Who wrongs thee, Sappho?"

"She that fain would fly, she shall quickly follow,

She that now rejects, yet with gifts shall woo thee,

She that heeds thee not, soon shall love to madness,

Love thee, the loth one!"

Come to me now thus, Goddess, and release me

From distress and pain; and all my distracted

Heart would seek, do thou, once again fulfilling,

Still be my ally!

[diaday333]

Hello everyone, I’m back >:)

Anyway, this is a post documenting my experiences (again). And todays is that your deities care about you a lot, and that they are there with you, even when you don’t know!

Yesterday, I was on break and I was sitting in my car, and I was really upset (ngl I have terrible coworkers lol), so I was just being sad or whatever. (And for a little context, me and my deities, we have certain signs that they will show me, and I know it’s 100% from them, and it basically just means that they are there) and in that moment, I got that sign from none other than our good Lord Ares. Ofc, I was already emotional, but that made me break down in tears (in a good way this time lol). And actually, the same thing happened that night too after I started getting upset about work again.

So this is just to show you that your deities do watch over you and care for you! I’m pretty sure they don’t watch over us 24/7, but Idk I think they get like… little alerts when something is going on ���

Anyway, the Gods are the best :)

[odetothee]

Love is gone

The love is gone,

it was benign,

until dawn,

I was thine.

My thoughts, my actions, and my love —

All were yours; till I transformed.

In the Moon’s light I bathed

washed by the Ocean’s wave,

I remembered that I am unscathed,

what it is like to be brave.

So I went and ran away from thee,

thy confines so tight; still could not contain me.

Now, for I am finally free,

I cherish life again.

Broken free from thy chain,

I finally love me.

Written in honor of Lady Αφροδίτη on this day of worship. May your day be filled with love and laughter.

Poetry

[theartofperishingslowly]

Yes yes yes I love the internet, but goddd, I would sell my soul to be a part of Sappho's thiasos.

THIS is my doomed narrative.

[sunflxwerwitch]

Summer 2024

The sun, the birds, the cicadas screaming. Summer is my dearest friend this year. In past years, I have not been a fan of summer. The heat, the humidity, the triple digit temperatures. Summer in the South is a force to be reckoned with, and I spent my days laying in bed, fan on, naked, bowl of ice cream at the ready, anything to beat the heat. This year, however, I spend my days at the pool, the lake, the mountain. Whether it be because I’m in therapy or because I’m on medication, I’m happier this summer. I embrace the sun, and the birds, and the cicadas. The heat is comforting to me. Beads of sweat forming on my arms and legs, drenching my bathing suit, fogging my sunglasses, and making my sunscreen run. Children in the pool splash me but I don’t mind. I remember the magic of summer, what it felt like to play mermaids and eat snowcones after a long day of swimming. I crave that nostalgic feeling and this summer… I’ve found the magic again.

[softshuji]

We very much need to talk about Greek myth au where shuji is Ares because he is.

[majestativa]

She’s death—and the realm thereof, [...] She’s madness raving loose.

— Sophocles, Selected Poems: Odes and Fragments, on Aphrodite, transl by Reginald Gibbons, (2008)