Sappho 1 Commentary

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Sappho, Fragment 1

ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθανάτ’ Ἀφρόδιτα,


παῖ Δίος δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σε,
μή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα,
4 πότνια, θῦμον,

ἀλλὰ τυίδ’ ἔλθ’, αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτα


τὰς ἔμας αὔδας ἀίοισα πήλοι
ἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισα
8 χρύσιον ἦλθες

ἄρμ’ ὐπασδεύξαισα· κάλοι δέ σ' ἆγον


ὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας
πύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνωἴθε-
12 ρος διὰ μέσσω·

αἶψα δ' ἐξίκοντο· σὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα,


μειδιαίσαισ’ ἀθανάτῳ προσώπῳ
ἤρε’ ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττι
16 δηὖτε κάλημμι

κὤττι μοι μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι


μαινόλᾳ θύμῳ· τίνα δηὖτε πείθω
ἄψ σ’ ἄγην ἐς ϝὰν φιλότατα; τίς σ’, ὦ
20 Ψάπφ’, ἀδικήει;

καὶ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει,


αἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει,
αἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσει
24 κωὐκ ἐθέλοισα.

ἔλθε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσον


ἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δέ μοι τέλεσσαι
θῦμος ἰμέρρει, τέλεσον, σὺ δ’ αὔτα
28 σύμμαχος ἔσσο.
Commentary
The Digital Sappho: http://digitalsappho.org/fragments/fr1/

1 ποικιλόθρονος, ον on a many-colored throne (voc.). A variant in the manuscripts reads


ποικιλόφρον’ many-minded, though ποικιλόθρον' appears to be the commoner of the two
readings. Winkler 1990, 166-76 discusses at length the merits of each reading.

ἀθάνατος, η, ον immortal (voc.)


Ἀφροδίτη Aphrodite (voc.)

2 παῖς, παιδός (ἡ) daughter (voc.)


Ζεύς, Διός (ὁ) Zeus
δολοπλόκος, ον wile weaving (voc.)
λίσσομαι to beg, pray

3 μή "Don't" (with δάμνα, negative imperative)


μ’ = με acc. of ἐγώ
ἄση (ἡ) loathing, nausea, distress, vexation (dat. of means)
ὀνία = ἀνία (ἡ) grief, sorrow, distress, trouble (dat. of means)
δαμνάω = δαμάζω overpower, subdue, lay low (2nd sg. imper.)

4 πότνια (ἡ) mistress (voc.)


θυμός (ὁ) soul, spirit, heart

5 τυίδε (to) here, hither


ἔλθ’ (2nd sg. aor. imper. of ἔρχομαι) come
αἴ = εἰ if
ποτα at any time, ever
κἀτέρωτα = καὶ ἀτέρωτα and at some other time. Per Page 1955, "ἀτέρωτα is not, as LSJ and
others have it, the Aeolic form of ἐτέρωθι, but a temporal adverb with the suffix [-τε]."

6 ἐμός, ή, όν my
αὐδή (ἡ) voice, speech
ἀίω to hear, listen to + gen. or acc. (nom. sg. fem. pres. act. partic.)
πήλοι = τηλοῦ from afar, long ago

7 κλύω to hear, give ear to, attend to (2nd sg. aor.)


πατήρ, πάτρος (ὁ) father
δόμος (ὁ) house
λείπω leave (nom. sg. fem. aor. act. partic.)

8 χρύσιος = χρύσεος, η, ον golden


ἦλθες (2nd sg. aor. indic. of ἔρχομαι) come
9 ἅρμα, ἅρματος (ὁ) chariot, esp. a war-chariot
ὑποζεύγνυμι to yoke under (nom. sg. fem. aor. act. partic.)
καλός, ή, όν beautiful
ἄγω to lead, carry, bring (3rd pl. imperf.)

10 ὠκύς, ὠκεῖα, ὠκύ swift


στρουθός (ὁ) sparrow
περί over, above
γή (ἡ) earth (γᾶς = γῆς, gen. sg.)
μέλας, μέλαινα, μέλαν black, dark

11 πυκνός, ή, όν close, compact, fast (with πτέρ’, fast-beating)


δίννημι to whirl, spin round (nom. pl. masc. pres. act. partic.)
πτερόν (τό) wing
ὠράνωἴθερος = ὠράνω αἴθερος, which elide and scan as one long syllable (-ωἴ-); ὠράνω =
οὐρανοῦ, gen. sg. of οὐρανός heaven; αἴθερος is gen. sg. of αἰθήρ, ether, heaven, air.

12 διὰ through
μέσ(σ)ος, η, ον the middle

13 αἶψα quickly, suddenly


ἐξικνέομαι to arrive (3rd pl. aor.)
μάκαρ, μάκαιρα (f.) blessed, happy, fortunuate

14 μειδ(ι)άω to smile (nom. sg. fem. aor. partic.)


πρόσωπον (τό) face

15 ἔρομαι to ask (2nd sg. aor.)


ὄττι = ὅ τι what, why (introduces an indirect question)
δηὖτε = δὴ αὖτε yet again, this time
πάσχω to suffer (1st sg. perf. act. indic.)
κὤττι = καὶ ὅ τι and why?

16 κάλημι = καλέω to call (1st sg. pres.)

17 μοι take with γένεσθαι, "to happen for myself."


μάλιστα (superl. of μάλα) most of all
(ἐ)θέλω to wish, want, be willing
γένεσθαι (aor. inf. of γίγνομαι) to happen

18 μαινόλης, ου mad, raving (related to μαίνομαι to be in a Bacchic frenzy)


θύμῳ dat. of place where
πείθω to persuade
19 ἄψ back again
ἄγην = ἄγειν, pres. infin. of ἄγω
ἐς = είς to

ϝὰν = ἁν her. The manuscript here is unclear; see Page 1955, 9 and Annis 2005. Campbell follows
Edmonds' ϝὰν; Lobel-Page and Voigt prefer σάν (= σήν your). Raynor 2014, 98 helpfully suggests
there may have been two different versions of the song, one that went "Whom do I persuade to
lead back to your affection," and another that went "... to lead you back to her affection."

φιλότης, -ητος (ἡ) friendship, love, affection

20 Ψάπφω Sappho (voc.)


ἀδικέω (ἀδικήει= ἀδικεῖ) to wrong, do wrong, injure

21 αἰ = εἰ if, here and at lines 22-23


φεύγω to flee, run away from [you]
ταχέως soon (per Page 1955)
διώκω to pursue, chase, run after [you] (fut. act. indic.)

22 δῶρον (τό) gift


δέκετ’ = δέχεται to accept, receive
δίδωμι to give (fut. act. indic.)

23 φιλέω to love

24 κωὐκ = καὶ οὐκ


ἐθέλοισα (nom. sg. fem. pres. act. partic. of ἐθέλω). Take with κωὐκ: "even unwilling."

25 ἔλθε μοι καὶ νῦν come to me even now


χαλεπός, ή, όν difficult, painful (gen. pl. with μερίμναν)
λύω to free, loosen [sc. me] (2nd sg. aor. imper.)

26 μέριμνα (ἡ) care, thought (gen. pl.)


ὄσσα (adv. of ὅσος) how much, as much as
τελέω to fulfill, accomplish (aor. inf.)

27 ἰμέρρει = ἱμείρει, from ἱμείρω to desire


τέλεσον (2nd sg. aor. imper. of τελέω)
αὔτα = αὐτή "and you yourself"

28 σύμμαχος, ον ally, commrade-in-arms


ἔσσο = 2nd sg. imper. from εἰμί, to be

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