Christina Rossetti's "Sappho," which she wrote when only sixteen years old, presents the thoughts of the Greek lyric poet Sappho in the throes of despair and hinting at suicide. Rossetti's later poem about Sappho, "What Sappho would have said had her leap cured instead of killing her," refers to the legend that Sappho killed herself by jumping off of the Leucadian rock because of her love for Phaon (source outside VW), and Rossetti's earlier poem foreshadows Sappho's rumored suicide:
Oh! It were better far to die
Than thus for ever mourn and sigh,
And in death's dreamless sleep to be
Unconscious that none weep for me;
Eased from my weight of heaviness,
Forgetful of forgetfulness,
Resting from pain and care and sorrow
Thro' the long night that knows no morrow;
Living unloved, to die unknown,
Unwept, untended and alone. ["Sappho"]
Though Sappho's poetry often focused on erotic love (source outside VW), Rossetti chooses to illustrate what she seems to have decided was the subtext of Sappho's existence, the despair that led her to jump off of the rock. Instead of addressing Sappho's poems, which focus on sensuality, Rossetti casts light into what Sappho was not known for — expressions of darkness, loneliness, and thoughts of death.
Qutestions
1. Sappho's emphasis on the sensual sparked distaste in many Christians. Could this have been why Rossetti focused her attention on another aspect of Sappho's life? What consequences does this have? In ignoring the tangible evidence of Sappho's life (her poems) and focusing on the more ephemeral legend, what could Rossetti be trying to express?
2. Alison Womble compares Rossetti and Sappho, claiming that they are both voices of women who had been objectified or silenced in their respective societies. However, Sappho's poetry differs from Rossetti's greatly [for evidence, here is a link to Sappho's poem "Like The Gods"]. How do you think Rossetti may have judged Sappho negatively, and how too might she have respected the poet? How different were their societies and their positions within them?
3. Sappho's poem "Like The Gods . . ." describes both feelings of erotic love as well as the physical effects of jealousy. Could Christina Rossetti have described the same emotions? How might she have veiled them? Were such topics completely taboo, or were they just expressed differently?
4. Christina Rossetti focuses many poems on death, including both poems that focus on Sappho and "After Death," for instance. What could death have symbolized for Rossetti that it could not have symbolized for Sappho? Are there any similarities between writing about sensuality or eroticism and death? If one could not write about the latter, could one choose the former as a dramatic/artistic substitute?
Works Cited
Womble, Alison. Sappho and Christina Rossetti. Part I and II.
Sappho. "Like The Gods." The Academy of American Poets.
Rossetti, Christina. "Sappho." Victorian Web.
Last modified 20 October 2003