Sappho as Aphrodite's Singer, Poet, and Hero(ine)

14 Pages·2016·0.14 MB·English

chapter 15
Sappho as Aphrodite’s Singer, Poet, and Hero(ine):
The Reconstruction of the Context and Sense of the
Kypris Song
AntonBierl
In my contribution on the Brothers Song (chapter 14) I have already dealt
with its relation to the second entirely newly discovered text, i.e. the Kypris
Song.1ThenewpapyrusreproducesthestructureoftheAlexandrianeditionof
Sappho’poetryarrangedaccordingtotheprincipleofmeterandinternallyin
thealphabeticalorder.Despitetheirdirectvicinity,bothsongs,setinSapphic
stanzas, beginning with words featuring the letter π, and assembled in the
famousBookOneoftheAlexandrianscholarlyedition,willhardlyeverhave
beenperformedinsequence.However,itistheoreticallypossiblethatatsome
pointintimetheyweresungtogether,especiallyifbothsongswereoriginally
performedchorallyatMesson.ParticularlyinlaterreperformancesatthePan-
Lesbian sanctuary, mythopoetic songs about the family could be alternated
withsongexpressingthesufferingsofloveandtheprayertofindreliefthrough
Aphrodite or other deities. Even later reperformances could have put both
songs together for a monodic delivery by a female singer in the symposium
as well, both songs assuming a new meaning. The Brothers Song will have
been read now as a biographical statement and the Kypris Song as a lyric,
almost romantic outcry about the abyss of passion and love experienced by
anindividual,normallyunderstoodasthesinglepoetessSapphoembeddedin
thespecifichistoricalcontextofMytilene,withfamilyandpersonalfriends.
AHellenisticpapyruscanevenmirroradirectperformancecontextandits
newpracticeofputtingtogethersongsonthebasisofthematicassociations.
The recent discovery of the Cologne papyrus P. Cologne xi.429 (3rd century
bc)yieldingthreeparts—aself-referentialpieceaboutpoetryandafterlife,the
TithonusPoem(formerlyfr.58.12–22),andanon-genuineHellenistic,pseudo-
Sapphic piece on Orpheus and love—follows this principle.2 But, as said, in
1 SeealsoSchlesieraswellasBoehringerandCalameinthisvolume.
2 SeeBierl(2008),(2010),and(2016).OnthelinkbetweentheBrothersSongandtheKypris
SongaswellasontheideaofanAlexandriancollectiononathematicbasis,seenowalso
Neri(2015)71–73.
© antonbierl,2016 | doi:10.1163/9789004314832_017
ThisisanopenaccesschapterdistributedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution-
Noncommercial3.0Unported(cc-by-nc3.0)License.
340 bierl
our P. Sapph. Obbink of the 3rd century ad this is rather unlikely, although
the alternation between family and love songs in the first parts of Sappho’s
Book One might still have held a special meaning in the Hellenistic editor’s
eye,beyondthecriterionofthesameincipit.
Structure,Texture,andMeaningoftheKyprisSong
InthispaperIwillprovideabriefanalysisofthestructure,texture,andmean-
ing of the Kypris Song. After an initial interpretation, I will present some
recent reconstructions, discuss their problematic hermeneutical presupposi-
tions,developsomehypothesesregardingtheoriginalaswellsecondaryper-
formance context, and finally elaborate upon some thoughts regarding the
metapoeticrelevanceofthissong.
First of all, I reproduce Obbink’s (chapter 1) text with the main thematic
unitsontherightsideandmytranslationbeneath:
πῶϲκεδήτιϲοὐθαμέω̣ϲ̣ἄϲαιτο̣ , a:generalized,rhetoricalquestion
introducedwithtis:hownotbenauseated
abouttheperson(potentialoptativewith
κε),
Κύπρι,δέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν̣̣’,ὄττινα[δ]ὴ̣φιλ̣́ ̣[ηϲι,] addresstoKypris/whomeveryoulove,
[κωὐ]θέλοιμάλιϲταπάθα̣ν̣χ̣άλ̣[αϲϲαι;] hownotdesireforreleasefrompassion?
[ποῖ]ονἔχηϲθα b:question:whatpurpose?
[νῶν]ϲά̣ λοιϲίμ’ἀλεμά̣τω̣ ̣ϲ̣δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ην 5 physicalviolenceandbodilyexperience:
shakes
[ἰμέ]ρω⟨ι⟩λύ{ι}̣ϲαντιγ̣όν’ωμε-̣[x desire,lossofbodycontrol
[ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣α ̣α ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣]α̣ιμ̣ ’ο̣ὐ̣π̣ρο̣ [0–3] ̣ερηϲ[
[–⏑]νεε̣ ρ ̣[ ̣]αι̣
[ c.8 ] ̣ ̣ ̣[ ̣ ̣]ϲέ,θέλω[⏑ –x c:personalconsequences:wish…
[–⏑ –xτοῦ]τοπάθη[ν⏑ –x 10 toexperience/suffering
[–⏑ –x–] ̣αν,ἔγωδ’ἐμ’αὔται butI:awareness
τοῦτοϲύνοιδα knowledge:cognitiveconclusion:
consequenceformyself
] ̣[ ̣] ̣τοιϲ[ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣] ̣ mankind(?)
]εναμ[
] ̣[ ̣] ̣[ 15
sappho as aphrodite’s singer, poet, and hero(ine) 341
Howcouldonenotbehurt/nauseatedoverandoveragain,
MistressKypris,byanybody,whomeveronereallyloves,
andnot,aboveall,wantreleasefromthepassions?
Whatdoyouhave
inmind,inpointlessly[brutally]tearingmeapartwithshakes
throughdesirethatloosensmyknees?…
…not…
…
you,Iwish…
tosufferthis
butIamconsciousofthis
formyownself.
Thissongcharacterizesthequintessentialsituationofunrequitedloveinthe
typicalthree-stepstructure:universalinsight(a)giveswaytothelover’ssymp-
toms (b), which reaches a cognitive conclusion (c). In lines 1–3 of the first
strophe we encounter a generalized statement in two parts with the indefi-
nitepronounτις,almostformulatingeitherahumanlawoflove,comparable
toSappho’sfragments16.3b-4and58.25–26,orthebasisoferoticanthropol-
ogy:the‘discourseoflove’is‘absence’,3whichimpliesviolentsuffering.Agen-
eralizedrelativeclauseintroducedbyanaccusativerelativepronounfollows
thefirstquestion‘Howwouldsomeone…notbenauseated(ἄϲαιτο̣ )?’(1):4by
‘whomever(ὄττινα)oneindeedloves(δ]ὴ̣φιλ̣́ ̣[ηϲι)’(2).Thisrhetoricalquestion
impliesthatnauseaandpainareinevitable;everyoneinsuchasituationsuffers
againandagain.BeforetherelativeclausethesingingpersonaddressesKypris,
themistress(δέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν̣̣’,̣ 2).The‘I’ismostlikelySappho,thoughthefirststrophe
doesnotcontainafirstperson,singularorplural,ratherthesentimentapplies
universally.Onlyinline5dowezoominonthe‘I/we’[με]andinline11the
‘I’becomesafemaleidentity(ἔγωδ’ἐμ’αὔται).Unsurprisinglythesingingper-
sondoesnotsummonHera,goddessofmarriage,authority,andseafaring,who
presidesoverthefamousPan-LesbiansanctuaryofMesson,butAphrodite,the
goddessoflove.Thesecondpartoftherhetoricalquestion—anegatedoptative
with κεν (negation with οὐ) insinuates a strong affirmation—continues with
3 SeeBarthes(1979)13–17.
4 Thedictionἄϲαιτο̣ inline1recallstheaddresstoAphroditeinSapphofr.1,esp.lines3–4:μή
μ’ἄϲαισιμηδ’ὀνίαιϲιδάμνα/πότνια,θῦμον(‘donotoverpowermyheart,mistress,withacheand
anguish’,transl.Campbell).
342 bierl
[κωὐ]θέλοιexpressingastrongwishintheensuinginfinitive:…‘and(howcould
one)notaboveallwishforreleasefromthepassions?’(3)Throughthestriking
a-andai-soundstheinfinitiveχ̣άλ̣[αϲϲαιinthelastpositionoftheline(3)refer-
encestheemphaticἄϲαιτο̣ (1)asthelastwordofthefirstverse.Thepainoflove
iscounterbalancedbythewishforrespitefromit.5
The last line of the first strophe introduces a new thought, an address to
a‘you’whomustbeidenticalwithKypris.InhispreliminaryversionObbink
(2014b)suggestedπόθ]ονἔχηϲθα(4)—theabruptasyndeticnewthoughtwould
expresstheafflictionoflove:‘Youpossessdesire/youhavesex-appeal’—πόθ]ον
would then be resumed by ἰμέ]ρω⟨ι⟩ (‘desire’, 6).6 But in the editio princeps
Obbink(2014b,49),asinchapter1,adoptsEwenBowie’ssuggestionandinter-
prets the structure as a question: ‘What noos do you have’ (ποῖ]ον ἔχηϲθα/
[νῶν], 4–5) to hurt me, i.e. what is your rationale behind this? This ques-
tion would be followed by a drastic expression of an explicative infinitive to
unfoldAphrodite’sbrutalaggressionagainstthephysicalintegrityoftheper-
sonbemoaningone’sfate:‘Whatsortofthoughtsdoyouhavetotearmeidly
apartwithshiverings’?(ποῖ]ονἔχηϲθα/[νῶν]σ̣άλοιϲι̣μ’ἀλεμά̣τω̣ ̣ϲ̣δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ην;4–5).
Thestructureisagainsimpleanddirect.Throughthegeneralizedrhetorical
questionintwopartswithtwopredicatesinthepotentialoptative(κε…ἄϲαιτο̣ ,
5 Schlesier,inthisvolume,interestinglyreconstructsline3takingκὠϲ]fromWest(2014)and
κάλ̣[εϲϲαιfromObbink’seditioprinceps(2014b)andchangingthegenitivepluralπάθα̣νtothe
infinitiveπάθη̣ν,dependentonκάλ̣[εϲϲαι,asκὠϲ]θέλοιμάλιϲταπάθη̣ν̣κάλ̣[εϲϲαι;shetranslates
theline:‘evenwheneveronewouldmostwanttocallforexperiencing’.Thenauseawould
stemfrom‘thepsychicimpulse,thewill…to“call”tothe“experience”(oflove)theperson
whoisloved’.Thepersonwouldbedisgustedbyhis/herownirresistiblewilltosummon
thebelovedtosufferloveaswell.Theexamplessheprovidesfortheconstructionofκαλέω
followedbyaninfinitive(e.g.,accordingtolsjs.v.i:Il.10.197;Soph.El.996;Phil.466)areall
concrete,thepersoncallinginloudvoicetodosomething(inthesenseofπαρακαλέω),e.g.to
participateincouncil,help,ormoreabstract,themomentcalling(sinceitisapt)tosailoff.But
hereSapphowouldusetheverbtocallforthapassiveexperience,thesufferinginlove.AsIsee
it,thistrainofthoughtissomehowcomplicatedandartificial.IfSapphowishedthebeloved
persontoreciprocateshewouldhardlyhavesaid‘please,Icallyoutosuffer/experience’—not
arealseduction,butadeterrent—ratherinsimpleterms‘please,lovemeaswell’.Therefore
IbelievethateveninhergeneralreflectionSapphowouldprobablyhaveusedjustthevery
concreteverbφιλεῖν,thustentativelyandnotinmetere.g.…καὖτεθέλοιμάλιϲτάϝεφίληϲαι
κάλ̣[εϲϲαι.Seealsothedictioninfr.1.15–24.Theπάθη̣νisasecondaryandverynegativeresult
thataloverwouldhardlyaddress.ThereforeitseemsunlikelythatSapphomakesuseofitin
connectionwithκαλέωdespiteheranalyticself-awareness.
6 Onotherpossiblesupplements,seeObbinkinchapter1ofthevolumeandObbink(2014b)
47–48,e.g.κἄρον(‘anddesire’)(48).
sappho as aphrodite’s singer, poet, and hero(ine) 343
1andθέλοι,3)Sappho,orthechoralgroup,havingaddressedKypris,laments
the corollary of the state of love. She reproaches the goddess for her cruelty
inhurtingthespeakerinsuchabrutalway.Thebodilyafflictionisextremely
strong:thespeaking‘I’islikeawoundedwarrior,transfixedandpierced,her
fleshtornapart.Shecanonlyprayforrelief.AgainandagainSapphocompares
thequintessentiallymaleexperienceofthewarriorwoundedinbattlewiththe
girls’experienceoferoticaffliction.7Inordertotestifytothedrasticimplica-
tions Sappho as chorus leader sings about it as her own suffering, while the
groupcanreenactit.Bydoingso,thegirlshavetheirencounterwithbeauty
onthelevelofmindandbody.ThroughmimesistheyreenactSappho’spassion
andthusassumethechoralleader’saffliction.Fulloflove,theycanthemselves
becomeobjectsoflove.Inthesamewayasyoungmenareinitiatedintomale
societythroughwarandnear-death-experiences,soaretheyintroducedinto
femalevaluesandsocietybybecomingbeautifulmaidensthatmenadoreand
wishtomarry.
MonodicReconstructionsoftheBeginning:Aphrodite’sRefusalto
LoveSappho?
Verydifferent,butlesslikely,areWest’sandFerrari’ssimilarrestorationsofthe
firsttwostrophes,bothrecentlycontendingthatAphroditerefusestolove.8In
thisscenarioweclearlyhaveasoloperformanceofareal,individualSapphoas
apoeticandbiographicvoice.
IprovidethetextandtranslationofthelateMartinWest:
πῶϲ̣κεδήτιϲοὐθαμέω̣ϲ̣ἄϲαιτο̣ ,
Κύπριδέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν̣̣’,̣ ὄττινα[μ]ὴ̣φίλ̣[ηϲθα,
κὠϲ]θέλοιμάλιϲταπάθ̣ο̣ϲ̣καλ̣[ύπτην;
οὐκ]ὀνέχηϲθα
5 κνώ]δ̣αλ’οἶϲί̣μ’ἀλεματωϲ̣δαΐϲδ[ηϲ;
μήμ’ἔ]ρω⟨ι⟩λύϲϲ̣ αντι,γόνωμ’,ἔν̣α̣[ιρε
κἀκ]λ̣άπαϲδ̣’ἄ̣μμ’·οὐπρότερ’ἠϲ[
....]νε’ἐρα̣[ίϲ]αι
7 SeeRissman(1983).
8 West(2014)9–12,esp.12andFerrari(2014)13–15.
344 bierl
Howcanawomanhelpbeingregularlyheartsick,
myLady,ifyoudonotloveher,
andwhenshewouldmostwishtoconcealherpassion,
youdonotholdback
themordaciouspestswithwhichyouravagemetonopurpose?
Donot,Ibeseechyou,despoilmewithraginglove
anddevastateus.Youwerenotpreviously
…tomewhenIwasinlove.
Thegenerallawofloveseemstomorphintoapersonalanddirectattackon
Kyprisbecauseshedoesnotrequitetheloveofthewomanwho,beingidentical
with the lyric ‘I’, seeks to hide her passion, a rather unusual concept since
nowhereelsedowefindAphroditeinadirectloverelationshipwithSappho
or women of her circle, rather the goddess allows love to blossom between
Sappho and other girls.9 But normally Kypris is responsible for the typically
lyricsituationofunrequitedlove;thedistanceoftheabsentbelovedgenerates
thefeelingofdesire,andthefirstpersonspeakerbemoansthisconstellation
thatcreatesexcruciatingsuffering.ItisinthissensethatWestandFerrariwish
to understand φιλεῖν in line 2: ‘a deity’s favor towards an individual, inferred
fromhisorherfortunes’.10WestandFerrariseemtosaythatthewoman,i.e.
Sappho, suffers from unrequited love (of course not towards the deity but
towardsanotherwomanofhercircle)andlaystheblameatAphrodite’sfeet,
sinceshegivesSappho’spassion‘fullrein’,eventhoughSapphotriestoconceal
it.11Despitethewellattestedsenseofphiliaasageneralrelationofmutualfavor
between deity and a mortal, the risk in understanding the phrase in a more
concretesenseas‘tolove’,e.g.asinfragment16.3b–4,ishigh,sincethepassions
Sapphospeaksaboutstemfromlove.Moreover,thelyric‘I’typicallydoesnot
concealherpassion,butrathertendstoactitoutinadecisivespeech-actas
compensation.12
Ferrari understands the poem in a similar way but restores it differently,
especiallyinlines5–8:13
9 SeealsoSchlesierinthisvolume.
10 West(2014)10.
11 West(2014)10andFerrari(2014)13–14.
12 SeeCalame(1999b)52–56andalsoSchlesierinthisvolume.
13 Ferrari(2014)13–15.
sappho as aphrodite’s singer, poet, and hero(ine) 345
πώϲκεδήτιϲοὐθαμέωϲἄϲαιτο,
Κύπριδέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν’,ὄττινα[μ]ὴ̣φίλ[ηϲθα
ὠϲ]θέλοιμάλιϲταπάθ̣[οϲ]κάλ̣[υψαι
μηδ’]ὀνέχηϲθα;
5 ϲὺν]ϲά̣ λοιϲίμ’ἀλεμά̣τω̣ ̣ϲ̣δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ηϲ
ἰμέ]ρω⟨ι⟩λύ{ι}̣ϲαντιγόν’,ὤ⟨ι⟩μ’,ἔγ[ω[δέ
λαί]λ̣απ̣αϲ[φ]α̣ῖμ’οὐπρο[τόνοιϲ]π̣ερήϲ[ην
8 …]νεε̣ ρ.[.]αι
…
AndheprovidesthefollowingItaliantranslation:
Comenonsicruccerebbepiùvolte,
Kyprispadrona,chiunquetunonfavorisci
quandoinsommogradovuolcelarelasuapassione
nélotrattieni?
Frasussultiondosituvaistraziandomi
conildesiderioche,ohimé,giàmipiegòleginocchia,maio
credocheleraffichenonsopravanzerannoglistralli
…
FerrariclearlythinksthatanypersonwhomAphroditedoesnotcarefor(see
Hesiod, Theogony 96–97), suffers when (s)he wishes to hide her/his passion.
Thenheseemstocontinuethegeneralizedrelativeclause:‘andwhomeveryou
donotholdback’.Aphroditedoesnotreciprocatetheloveand,whiletheperson
triestoconcealher/hispassion,Aphroditedoesnotstoporevenmoderatethis
person’sfeeling.Againwewouldhavetheparadoxoflove:yousufferanditis
inevitable—ageneralexperience.
The next stanza then, for Ferrari, is dedicated to the terrible actions of
Kypris.Withmovingspasms,sheafflictsthe‘I’withdesirethatbendstheknees.
Accordingtohimthe‘I’thinks—alinktothemetaphorofshipsandstormsof
theBrothersSongprecedinginthepapyrus—thattheboatwillbeinterrible
dangerofsinking.
MostrecentlyBenelli(2015),heavilydependentonWest’sandFerrari’sre-
constructions,restoresthefirstlinesasfollowing:
πῶϲ̣κεδήτιϲοὐθαμέω̣ϲ̣ἄϲαιτο,
Κύπριδέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν̣̣’̣;ὄττινα[δ]ὴ̣φιλ̣́ ̣[ηϲθα,
346 bierl
καἰ]θέλοιμάλιϲταπάθ̣ο̣ϲ̣καλ̣[ύπτην,
οὐκ]ὀνέχηϲθα.
5 κνω]δ̣άλοιϲιμ’ἀλεμά̣τωϲ̣δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ηϲ
κἰμέ]ρω⟨ι⟩λύ{ι}̣ϲαντιγόν’,ὦμε̣–[x
Benelli suggests punctuating after Κύπρι δέϲπ̣ ̣ο̣ιν̣̣’̣ reading it as a short ques-
tion:‘Howcansomeonenotbehurtagainandagain,QueenAphrodite?’—or:
‘Howcanonehelpbeingregularlyheartsick,LadyKypris?’(1–2a).Therestof
the first strophe (2b-4) he takes as the underlying reason for the preceding
rhetorical question. Therefore he wants to link the proleptic relative clause
with a concessive clause καἰ] θέλοι μάλιϲτα πάθ̣ο̣ϲ̣ καλ̣[ύπτην (3) followed by
theapodosisintheindicativeas‘astatementofanundoubtedtruth’.Iprovide
a tentative translation: ‘Whomever you really love, even though/if one most
wishestoconcealone’spassion,youdonotrestrain/holdback(him/her).’Since
Benelli—heprovidesneither a translationnoran explicitexplanationin his
shortcontribution,butdoessointhelastpartofadraftedarticlethathekindly
sent me in advance of publication14—assumes that the ‘you’ is Aphrodite,
similar objections apply to his solution as well. Why should Aphrodite love
someone, if it is not in the restricted sense of caring for the person, and
whyshouldshenottolerateitwhenthebelovedhideshis/herpassions?The
idea of suppressing one’s passion has an almost Puritan flavor. Thus accord-
ingtoBenelliandinlinewithWest,thesentencewouldimplythatwhoever
is in the realm of love has to suffer. Even if the person in question—in Sap-
pho’scircleagirl—wishestohideherfeelings,Aphrodite,thegoddessoflove,
does what she has to do and works just in the opposite direction, not hold-
ing her back but letting the passion loose. The ensuing sentence κνω]δ̣άλοιϲι
μ’ ἀλεμά̣τωϲ̣ δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ηϲ … (5–6), with Benelli again heavily dependent on the
late Martin West, definitely refers to Aphrodite as well affecting the ‘I’ (μ’, 5)
directly,i.e.Sapphoherself:‘Withmordaciouspestsyouravagemetonopur-
pose/ and with desire, which weakened the knees, o (greatest?) …’ (5–6). It
wouldthusmeanadesperateoutcryagainstAphrodite,theprincipleoflove,
theterribleforceofpassionthatalmostkills,ravagingthebody,sinceonesim-
plycannotrestrainit.Tofightagainstgodseventheoneslovingyouisavain
hubris; therefore it is best to endure the excruciating effects that come with
Aphrodite.
14 Benelli(inpreparation),unpublishedpaper,lastpart.
sappho as aphrodite’s singer, poet, and hero(ine) 347
Bethatasitmay,weagainwitnesshowdifferentpresuppositionsinfluence
the reconstruction of a fragment as well as the hermeneutical framework in
reading Sappho. Everything depends on our concept of eros and our under-
standingofthegenre,thepragmaticcontext,anditsfunction.
BacktoObbink’sReconstructionandtheRemainingLines:Choral
Performance
ReturningtothepoeticdescriptionofviolentpassioninObbink’srestoration,
weseethattheculturalmetaphoragainstands,atleasttosomeextent,inself-
referential relation to the performative execution, i.e. the choreia, the actual
bodymovementsofdancing.Thedestructivedesireloosensthekneesofthe
lyric‘I’;shecanhardlystand,muchlessdance.Thisrecallstheexpressionin
theCologneSappho,P.Colognexi.429col.i.1–2=TithonusPoem,lines5–6:
βάρυϲδέμ’ὀ[θ]ῦμο̣ϲ̣πεπόηται,γο̣ν́ αδ’[ο]ὐφερ̣́ οιϲι,/τὰδήποταλαίψη̣ρ’ἔονὄρχηϲθ’
ἴϲανεβρίοιϲι(‘Heavyhasmyheartbecome,mykneesbearitnomore,/which
oncewerenimbleenoughtodancelikedeer’).15Loveisaterribleanddestruc-
tiveenergyafflictingherentirebody,overwhichshelosescontrol.Thetypical
attributeforloveanditspersonificationErosisλυσιμελής(Hesiod,Theogony
911; see Sappho fr. 130.1 Ἔροϲ ̣… λυσιμέληϲ), ‘loosening the limbs’, like sleep
(Homer,Odyssey20.57,23.343)anddeath(Euripides,SuppliantWomen47).It
appliesalsotothewarriorskilledinaction.AphroditehasaffinitieswithAres
and war, her statues sometimes armed, and her oriental predecessors were
evenwarriorgoddesses.16Moreover,Sappho’suseofwarmetaphorsforloveis
averycommonthemeinherpoetry.17Thebrutalsparagmos,thetearingapart
(δ̣αιϲ̣̈́δ̣ ̣[ην,5)againreferstoawarcontext.Finallythe‘you’,i.e.Aphrodite’spres-
encewithrespecttothebelovedperson,seemsresponsibleforthiswildreac-
tionofloveresultinginextremeagonyandpathos(seeπάθα̣ν̣,3andπάθην,10).
TheKyprisSongthusrepresentsauniversalandhumanlaw,ananthropological
andalmostphilosophicalstandpoint.Everybodyhasexperiencedthisfeeling
15 OntheCologneSapphoandchorality,seeBierl(2008)and(2016)esp.310–311,314,318–319,
323–326.
16 Polycharmus of Naucratis (FGrH 640 f 1) mentions that a nine-inch statue, probably
armed, was brought around 688/85bc from Paphos on Cyprus to Naucratis, the city
whereCharaxostradedwineandmetDoricha;Paus.3.23.1mentionsanarmedimageof
AphroditeinCytheraandCorinth(2.5.1);seeBreitenberger(2007)25–26(withfurther
sources).
17 SeeRissman(1983)ande.g.Sapphofr.1.28σύμμαχοϲἔϲϲο.
348 bierl
oflove.Aphroditeand/orthebelovedyetabsentpersonmakethesingersuffer,
andthepathologicalsituationisconveyedthroughimagesofbodilydestruc-
tion.
Thankstooverlapswithanotherpapyrus(P.Oxy.1231fr.16),formerlyedited
asfragment26v.,Obbinkcouldreconstructtherestofthesong.18Sappho,or
thesingingandfictional‘I’,experiencesthisextremesuffering,andexpressesit
inpoeticsonganddance.Sappho’salmostphilosophical,scientific,andself-
detached awareness regarding these symptoms of manic possession recalls
Sappho’s famous fragment 31.5–16 and indubitably forms the basis and pre-
requisite for her poetic production. As a female singer and fictional persona
Sappho both bemoans and describes this pathological state, the contents of
theactualsong,whichshe—orsheaschoralleadertogetherwithherchorus—
bringsforthinmimesisoverandoveragain,wheneversheperformsthispoem.
Theperspectiveshiftsfromtheimpersonal,generalizedτις(1)toa‘you’(2,4;
andϲέ,9)(Aphroditeorthebeloved)andfinallytothe‘I’asconsciousfemale
personandpoetess(ἔγω,11,and12;μ’,5):‘Iknowofitmyself’—inthesense:
‘IhaveexperienceditmyselfandIamconsciousofthepathology’(11–12).In
lines9–10atleasttwowordsaremissingbetween‘Iwish’and‘tosufferthis’,
andSappho,alsoonthebasisofthenewlyrestoredline2,musthavesaid:‘I
wish [no longer] to suffer this’. In her overwhelming passion she wishes for
respite from her suffering. Also in fragment 1.3 Sappho prays to Aphrodite
‘nottooverpowerherwithnausea,pain,anddistress(μήμ’ἄϲαιϲιμηδ’ὀνίαιϲι
δάμνα—ἄϲαιϲι reminds of ἄϲαιτο in line 1 of our Kypris Song). Thus the unre-
quitedloveofthe‘you’generatespassionsshewouldratherforegooratleast,
findrelieffrom,thanlivethrough.Thereforeinfragment1.25–26Sapphoalso
praystoAphroditeto‘come’toher‘nowagainandtodeliver’her‘fromoppres-
siveanxieties’(transl.Campbell).
SomeThoughtsRegardingItsLinktotheBrothersSong,Original
Setting,andSecondaryReperformanceintheSymposium
The Kypris Song follows the Brothers Song in the new papyrus, reflecting
the alphabetical order of the Alexandrian edition of the first book, though
not necessarily the performance context. Both poems, as many other initial
fragments in the first book, seem to function on the principle of alternation
andvariation—familyvs.love.ButasIhavearguedinchapter14,theBrothers
18 Obbink(2014b)49;seealso37andhiscomments45–49.