The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-06
4. BURNING sATFIlO.
Blest IA the immortal 90 In Ia he.
The youth who fondlv ant by thee,
Aud hears and aeas thoe Ill the while
Softly speak and Rwaetly smile.

Softly speak and Rwaetly smile.
Thus sung, twenty-five centuries ago, abe
whom the Greeks honor with the title az
The Tenth Muse Sappho, Burning" Sap
pho. Hers WAS a soul made up Of poetry
and Of love alone: hut love in its scmi-tropic
Grecian ar,ior. for the muse Of Mitylene like
CAcus, breathed only fire She lived but to
love--sanH of nauRht but love.
Well could she picture disappointed love.
Tor the fair Lesbian herself suffered from this
desperately-of young hunter OF tho name
OF Phaon, who did not fully reciprocato
lis a summer day, and the fond pair leave
6Appho,s grotto wherein they dwell. to seek
some shady nook amid the hills Of Lesbos
where, unmatched by all save the imprisnned
Dryads. Of the overhangng oaks, or per-
chance by some laughing Ncreid IN 4 neigh
boring ripping brook, they can talk, alone
together. Ut love and poetry. Tho cave thcy
leave Is decked with wreaths of flowers tied
over Its gaping mouth by the Ieshian maid
herself. and serambling hyacinths aud clam.
bertnH roses have stormed Its summit 20
hang around Ia gay festoons. The pnetess
sits In her dragon headed chariot drawn by
two white horses. She IL clad In a long blue
chiffon, and a laurel wreath half hides her
wreath Of curls. In one hand she holds roll
OF papyrus- a prayer perchancc to Jealous
xenus-the other G asps Tyre wherowth to
CNAunt the praises OF the goddess whose favor
ehe 60 humhiy SIZES for. Beside her is Pnaou.
and = long hunting spear In hand. A guide
or chariot-drtver walks close by to calm the
Impatient spirit Of her fiery steeis
But alas her odes to Venus are In vain, the
Fates have airea ~ woven an unhappy future
for her. Young Phaou failed to reeiproeate
her passion In all Its intensity and deserted
her, heeing to Italy to escape her fierce I'M
portunitics. The poetcss soon followed him.
but failing to find him, returned, broken
hearted and disconsolate. to Greece. 1t was
then that she resolved on trying the Leucatp
cure for leve--the only remedy ever discovered
Tor this terrible complaint. At the promon-
tory OF Lancate, In Acaruania, stood u temple
OF the Pythian Apollo, where all cases of I'M
reciprocated affection were treated The
treatment consisted In leaping from the cliff
into the sea beneath. Many were killed BY the
TALL, and Of these Il was said that only death
could end their affection. Some, however,
were picked up. bruised and maneled. but
still with little life left They we're
Always found thoroughly cured OF all ro-
nance, ali fond infatua ion: though whether I
Lhe leap killed 1t or the cold waves OF the uu- I
plying sea washed 1t away the poets fail to
ell.
Htther came Sappho. attired as bride Ia
shlte with garland OF myrtle on her brow,
D make the trial leap. After short prayer
o Venus she sprarg from the cliff. Her body
ms never found on the shore beneath, and
ONE witnesses accounted for this by swear
= that they saw her changed into white
van By some plying god before she reached
3 eea. The doubling Thomases, however,
nv this mstamorphosis and swan, and j
lcIibe the bird TO her petticoats rejected IN
= sunlight.