Hymn To Aphrodite

Hymn to Aphrodite by Sappho loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch Immortal Aphrodite, throned in splendor! Wile-weaving daughter of Zeus, enchantress and beguiler! I implore you, dread mistress, discipline me no longer with such vigor! But come to me once again in kindness, heeding my prayers, as you did so graciously before; O, come Divine One, descend once more from heaven's golden dominions! Then with your chariot yoked to love's white consecrated doves, their multitudinous pinions aflutter, you came gliding from heaven's shining heights, to this dark gutter. Swiftly they came and vanished, leaving you, O my Goddess, smiling, your face eternally beautiful, asking me what unfathomable longing compelled me to cry out. Asking me what I sought in my bewildered desire. Asking, 'Who has harmed you, why are you so alarmed, my poor Sappho? Whom should Persuasion summon here? ' 'Although today she flees love, soon she will pursue you; spurning love's gifts, soon she shall give them; tomorrow she will woo you, however unwillingly! ' Come to me now, O most Holy Aphrodite! Free me now from my heavy heartache and anguish! Graciously grant me all I request! Be once again my ally and protector! "Hymn to Aphrodite" is the only poem by Sappho of Lesbos to survive in its entirety. The poem survived intact because it was quoted in full by Dionysus, a Roman orator, in his "On Literary Composition," published around 30 B.C. A number of Sappho's poems mention or are addressed to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. It is believed that Sappho may have belonged to a cult that worshiped Aphrodite with songs and poetry. If so, "Hymn to Aphrodite" may have been composed for performance within the cult. We do know that Sappho was held in very high regard. For instance, when Sappho visited Syracuse the residents were so honored they erected a statue to commemorate the occasion! During Sappho's lifetime, coins of Lesbos were minted with her image. Furthermore, Sappho was called "the Tenth Muse" and the other nine were goddesses. Keywords/Tags: Sapphic, Sappho, Lesbos, translation, ancient Greek, hymn, Aphrodite, Zeus, daughter, immortal, goddess, holy, lady, heaven, enchantress, enchantment, love potion, charm, spell, persuasion, beguiler, beguilement, mistress, discipline, dominatrix, prayer, prayers, chariot, heaven, descent, ally, protector, lust, desire, passion, longing, sex, crush, girlfriend, women, sad love, grief, Greece