Introduction
The section of Ovid’s Metamorphosis which discusses Daphne and Apollo is more a heroic narrative than a love poem. It tells the tale of why Apollo loved Daphne in vain after Apollo made fun of Cupid and his bow, and Cupid shot them for revenge. The original rhyme has been lost in translation from the original Greek, though the translator took care to preserve some internal rhyme and the meter is faithfully reproduced. It was, after all, an entertainment that had to be memorized and presented to the audience, and was a major form of entertainment of the time. By contrast, the love poems of Catullus are spoken in the first person, as if orated for the courtship of the lover.
Again, the original rhyme is lost, though much of the original character of the words are intact, due to the close resemblance of Latin and English in much of the inherited vocabulary from French, a direct derivative. Catullus speaks of a pure and possibly platonic love, idealized and above reproach. Sappho of Lesbos uses another, the third type of address, beginning in the second person as in general remarks or examples and then switching to the first person, speaking to lover of the poet’s feelings. This representative poem is closer to that which we think of as love poetry because speaks of one particular love and how the narrator feels.
Main body
In looking at Daphne and Apollo from the Metamorphosis, we can hear the meter of a tale, much like those narratives made quite popular in the middle ages by minstrels. It reminds one of the other heroic poems, as in Longfellow’s Evangeline or Hiawatha or Coleridge’s Kubla Kahn. It has what might be termed a “travelling rhythm”, almost like a song, and is easy to remember. Well done, these poems can mesmerize an audience, even more so than the best special effects in movies. Sadly, it is almost a lost art to be able to properly deliver these works, as the audience is far too small and scattered.
The imagery in this poem is typical of ancient epic poetry. Everything is depicted in superlatives. Apollo, called Phoebus here, is not simply the God of Light, but “the great God of glorious light”. Python, Apollo’s most recent triumph, was described as “Python, huge, whose pestilential carcass vast extent covered.” Everything is described in great words, meant to strike awe and wonder into the audience and make them gasp, as we do with exploding planets. Interestingly, Cupid’s reply to Apollo’s insults is just as sharp: “And by the measure that thy might exceeds the broken powers of thy defeated foes, so is thy glory less than mine.” This kind of poetry was the IMAX of the time in all its splendor.
As the poem continues the language becomes more and more flowery and the poetic images raise wonderful imaginary scenes. One example is near to the end of the poem as Apollo pursues Daphne: “she seemed graceful, the winds were exposing her body,and her garments were fluttering exposed to opposing breezes, and a light breeze was giving her hair(s) [to be] driven back, and beauty was increased in flight.”
The final imagery of the transformation of Daphne into a tree and Apollo making his crown of Laurel is a final triumph for God, but also for Cupid because the love he engendered in Apollo endures even through the transformation. Daphne is free forever from losing her maidenhood, but she is the eternal captive of Apollo’s love. This is a powerfully emotional heroic tale of fantasy.
Catullus is wooing his love in the poem My Sweetest Lesbia (Catullus 87-57 B.C.) He speaks of ignoring those wiser people who council restraint:
(the) “ sager sort our deeds reprove,
Let us not weigh them.
Heaven’s great lamps do dive
Into their west, and straight again revive.
But, soon as once set our little light,
Then must we sleep one ever-during night?” (Catullus 87-57 B.C.),
because life is too short. However, he never mentions any word concerning unchaste love. In fact, he insists that this love will endure through death. He claims that if all loved like he and spent their lives at it, war and weapons would not exist. The final image of this poem shows us the lover, Lesbia, shining her light on his “happy tomb”. So, while he believes that life is too short to ignore love, he also believes in eternal life, life after death. Therefore, we must conclude that he is talking of physical love after all, in life, but enduring chaste love after death.
Sappho’s poem, Like The Very Gods In My Sight, Is He is more like our typical love poems, where the poet is entreating the lover to notice his or her feelings. The first verse sounds almost like the shared secrets of a friend describing her feelings for a man. The second-person address works well here.
The second verse describes how love and fear of rejection paralyze her when she tries to speak. The “you” has become him instead of the confidant. She says that her spirit is broken, meaning broken into or opened, and her heart is shaken so that her voice dies and she can say nothing.
The images of the next verse closely describe the feelings of impotence, which manifest especially in first love:
- “my lips are stricken to silence”, (not just paralyzed, but forcefully stopped)
- “underneath my skin the tenuous flame suffuses”; (that feeling of hot blushing, when one is captivated)
- “nothing shows in front of my eyes”, (blinded by love)
- my ears are muted in thunder. (blood pounding in the ears sounds like thunder)
The final verse is not so strong, except for the line stating that the poet feels as if death had come near. The description of sweating and shaking with fever is more commonly used, but the idea that the poet has turned “paler than the grass” is interesting.
All of these poems use very strong imagery and highly evocative and flowery words. Of the three, Sappho is most descriptive, closer to the idea of “showing not telling”. We can get closer to Sappho’s poem, and feel the poet’s emotion. We can enjoy the poetry of Ovid and the imagery brings up great imaginary scenes, and the poetry of Catullus is inspiring, but Sappho catches the audience by the throat and doesn’t let go.
Question 5
Of these three poems, by far I found the poem of Sappho, Like The Very Gods In My Sight, Is He, the most successful. The poem by Ovid was very successful for its intent, that is, telling a story in verse. The poetry of Catullus was nice, but not particularly inspiring, as this subject has been overdone, However, the poetry of Sappho is as fresh today in imagery as in its own time. It draws the audience in with the sharp description of the action, not the slower melodic poetics and description of the other two. Her words are exactly enough to share with us the actual responses of a woman who is more than just attracted to a man. The attraction may engender much the same responses but to a lesser extent.
With the very first line, Sappho is “whispering” in the ear of the audience, telling her innermost feelings and describing the almost embarrassing responses to the man. We feel like we are sharing her secrets. Those of us who have actually experienced the same response to someone will immediately identify with the poet. Those who have not will be intrigued by the ideas, and possibly a little titillated.
The poem is very compact, but it completes a deft touch to the undersurface of the audience. Touching at a level below actual conscious thought is effective since it almost mimics the responses described in memory or imagination. The reader feels what happens to the poet and wonders at the slight thrill of the experience.
The formal construction of the first verse is not off-putting, but, instead, interesting and very poetic. It makes us think about some of the greatest love poems we have read of Browning and Shakespeare. The most telling image is that he is “like the very gods”, It does not matter that most of the modern audience is monotheistic because we understand the phrase as a poetic device, an idea of the highest possibility.
The changes Sappho makes in viewpoint, voice, and even idea (as in the first verse when she switches from what she admires in him to how she responds-“all for him”), do not jar, and the changes are made smoothly without transition because we feel as if we are sharing the private thoughts of the poet. There is a dreaminess to this description as if some young girl is daydreaming about love.
The second verse is more immediate, as she describes what happens when she looks at him. This thought is often repeated in other words, in popular songs, love poetry, and lines in plays and movies, but none are any more eloquently expressed than in this verse. It is simple and direct, yet oddly phrased: “the voice dies, I can say nothing”. It is not “my” voice, but disconnected and not under the poet’s control.
The next verse becomes very evocative: my lips are “stricken” is a very strong beginning, as if something suddenly attacked the poet. Then the description of a “hot blush” is so smoothly described in beautiful words: “the tenuous flame suffuses”, that the undertone of sexuality is perfectly understood, but never offensive. This line would make the primmest Victorian lady flutter her fan, and possibly blush. This entire verse is in the passive voice as these things “happen to” the poet, and we totally understand her feelings of helplessness.
The next few lines describe sweating, shaking, and fever, with blood pounding in the ears and we almost feel faint as we read. I suspect everyone has had times when one or two of these things happened to them, but all at once seems very daunting. We can believe that the poet feels that she has almost died.
Conclusion
This poem is strong because it never mentions emotion. It is the pure description of the actions and effects of emotional response. That kind of description is very immediate and brings the reader into the picture as they share the understanding of what is happening, though it is never really said. The poem begins with identifying the source of discomfort, and then shows us that the poet has feelings for this man. Then it suddenly dumps us right into all the physical responses of the poet and we share her experience and enjoy it. The poet never preaches or tries to teach us anything, but, instead, gives us the gift of her most private feelings.
References
Ovid, Metamorphosis. Web.
Catullus, My Sweetest Lesbia. Web.
Sappho, Like The Very Gods In My Sight Is He. Web.