Night, moon and stars as poetic motifs in Sappho
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/emerita.2024.1344Keywords:
nocturnal literary motifs, nature in literature, Sappho frs. 34, 96, 168B NeriAbstract
This paper studies the motifs of night, moon and stars in Sappho’s poetry. On the basis of the presence of nature in her poetry to express personal feelings, and after setting aside and briefly considering the fragments that were probably part of poems about night rituals, the relevant fragments are examined, especially frs. 96 and 168B. In order to determine the originality of Sappho’s motifs, the study situates them in the tradition stemming from Homeric, and specifically in archaic lyric poetry, by comparing them with similar motifs in Alcman and Bacchylides. It is concluded that Sappho uses these motifs to express love feelings, and also that the moon has connotations that make it a perfect symbol of the feminine. All of which explains Sappho’s predilection for night motifs.
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