El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-08
Women Who Succeeded
SapphO. "Divine Muse Of PIatO.y
Gave Inspiration For First OF
WOmen's Clubsj Verses
Thrilled Ancient
World.
BY MADIsOE c. PETERS.

NAFRhO, the divine muse OF plato"
who shared the lyric throne with
Pindar. whom Horace and CatuIus
initiated and Aristotle quoted, though
she was woman" whose poems so af-
fected Solon that he expressed the de-
termination to learn them before he died,
whom Ovid paraprased 500 years or so
after she was dead, whom Plutarcb
nkened to the heart OF a volcano" yet
meme of whom ever caught the essence
of her fiery spirit, flourished about
SO years before the Christian era and
today still stands supreme in her own
field.
She was born and lived at Mytilene.
whose citizens stamped their coin with
her image in honor Of her birth and
in testimony of respect for her memory
honored her with affairs and temples
after her death
She was married young to Cerolas
and not many years after lost her hus-
band and determined against a second
marriage. The tradition that she fol-
lowed Phaon across the sea, died Of
love and took the leap from the pro-
montory of Leucas, is now fairly set
tied as a dream.
That she was exiled is reasonably
settled. There were political con-
spiracies for which men were banished
and she may have written revolution
airy songs. She probably held too
radical opinions on the privileges of
her sex. but her exile TO Sicily WIS
brief. She returned to Mytilene where
she was adorned as the glory Of her
native city.
Fame RivaIed Homer.
Her fame as poetess anciently
rivalled that of Homer, she was called
the poetess' and he THE poet" Her
poems were sung to the Mixo-Lydian
mode Of which she was herself the in
ventress. Astounding in a variety Of
novel and happy expressions with
which she enriched her native language
of all Grecian women who cultivated
poetry none equaned Sappho, Of men
very few, If, any, surpassed her. Her
verses thrilled the world in a period
when lyric poetry reached its zenith
and she was its finest representative,
the perfection of every line the cores
pondence Of sense and sound and the
requisite symmetry of the complete
odes raised her to the first rank of
technical poetry, while her direct and
fervid painting Of passion has never
been surpassed Many critics have
estimated her as the greatest poetess
the world has ever seen.
HOnOred by Romans.
The Romans erected a statue to her
honor and both ancient and moderns
have We'd each other in enthusiastic
p
nine volumes Of her works i'm existence
in the days of Horace scarcely 200
words survive today, but has descended
10 posterity justifies the panegyrics
which has been bestowed
The attic comedians said unpleasant
things about her a century after she
died. Her supposed love affairs were
inventions Under the leadership Of
Sappho women formed a center Of In
teuectual light and it was no unusual
n
FESTIVALS with men. The socaIled we'll
born Athenian women. the conserva-
tives, were decOrOusly ignorant. STAYED
at home and it was a fOregone con-
ciusion that a woman who was ed
ucated and poet could not be res
pected and If the facts were aRainss
this conclusion so much the worse for
the facts.
Is Called sSIIracIe.-
Aiceus. her fellow poet and rival ad-
crossed her as pure, sweetly smiling
Sappho.' "a miracle" "the beautiful . !
the latter referring to her writing. not |
her person, which was small and dark
She was the leader Of an intellectual /
movement without parallel in classic |
mans club.
The women who came 70 Sappho from
the isles Of the Aegean and the far hills |
OF Greece were as intent about writ
ius poems as they were enthusiastic /
in talking about them.
Sappho.s most gifted friend. Erinna.
who died at 10, left a poem Of 9Oo |
verses thought to sUrpass her teacher |
IN heXameters and deserving a piace /
beside Homer. The women who sat nj /
Sappho's feet carried back to fbefr |
distant homes, the spirit of poesv and /
song which inspired so many Hellenic I
women to heroic words and brave 4
deeds.
saappho comes down as the peer OF
great men even $500 years ago vomen's /
genus did not lack recognition.