Sappho uses figurative language throughout her poetry, oftentimes working to obfuscate meaning by masking her real intent, and other times contributing to the structure and rhythm of the poem. Numerous examples can be found within her fragmented poetry. Most notably, fragment 14 named Atthis includes complex metaphors, hyperbole, and at least one anaphora.
Sappho utilizes numerous types of tropes in the form of metaphors to thinly veil the reality of her homoromantic relationship. Atthis, a Greek mythological figure, exists as a metaphor for the relationship that Sappho experienced with her lover. It is clear that the figure of Atthis stands in as a metaphor for a period of love in which Sappho is involved with an unnamed female figure when she mentions that her lover expresses sadness when “she remembers our gentle Atthis.” By using the figure of Atthis as a metaphor to describe their love and companionship for one another, Sappho allows all of what is understood by the reader about Atthis as a Greek mythological figure, including beauty, love, and youth, while obscuring the reality of their relationship. Additionally, the period of nighttime acts as a metaphor for Sappho’s companionship, and numerous sources of light act as metaphors for Sappho’s lover. After nighttime begins as the “sun has set,” a period of companionship begins in which her lover is a “rosy-fingered moon” and “a light that shines.” Aside from the recurrence of this metaphor throughout Sappho’s other poetry fragments, nighttime is quite literally a time of companionship for many lovers, as the contemporary act of spending the night with a lover implies a certain level of commitment. Sappho uses this common understanding to develop a metaphor for companionship, however obscuring the somewhat scandalous act of sleeping with another woman, resorting only to mentioning ‘nighttime’ more ambiguously. A third metaphor is used to describe a period of what could be considered Spring that can be analogized to love and prosperity in their relationship. The listing of delicate Spring happenings, such as when “roses,” “tender chervil,” and “honey clover” should be understood as lively but temporary. Just as Spring brings the blooming of new and fragile life, its presence, just like Sappho’s relationship, is only temporary. These metaphors hold the truth to Sappho’s beautiful relationship of which she chooses not to expose openly.
Hyperbole is yet another trope used by Sappho to described her unnamed female lover as beautiful beyond comprehension, describing her as “matchless among the Lydian woman” and “supreme among the stars.” This hyperbole is used to emphasis the beauty of Sappho’s lover, exaggerating her beauty by ranking her above all the other women in the region. This trope, just like her use of metaphors, hides Sappho’s true theme of homoromatic attraction by comparing her almost jokingly to unrealistic beauty standards.
Lastly, Sappho sparingly uses the scheme of anaphora by beginning lines with “and” throughout the poem. Specifically, “and” and “the” alternate the beginning of each line in the fifth stanza. This repetition offers the reader a rhythm for which the poem can be read, emphasizing the passage of time. The repetition of “and...and...and...” contributes to the concept of Sappho’s period of time in which she experienced love with the unnamed woman. It should be noted that Sappho’s poetry was originally written in Greek, so the preservation and accuracy of the anaphora is left up to the translator's subjective reading, meaning the originally poetry may have had much more or much less anaphora, as well as other types of schemes.
Figurative language, especially tropes, act as a cornerstone of Sappho’s tone, popular throughout her poetry. The use of complex metaphors, generous use of hyperbole, and at least one type of scheme are used to deepen the meaning of her poetry, while working to make obscure the more controversial subjects of Sappho’s work, including but not limited to homoromantic and homosexual love, desire, and companionship.
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