Sweet Cyprian Goddess! A wise fool, yet I did not see
when lust was turning into love.
Anactoria has grown cold now.
There is a new hero in her life,
a warrior who plunders her each day;
an Amazon with a crown of laurels.
I smell her scent in our room;
I see teeth marks on her skin;
I feel raw scratches on her spine.
She tortures me and I die. Her tears and oaths do not
fool me anymore. How fragile Anactoria looks on our bed tonight.
How slender seems her neck. Immortal Cyprian Goddess!
Please save me from this rage, I'm drowning in a sea of green.
Read A short biography of Sappho the ancient world's greatest poet
This poem is part of the collection of poems Sappho
A few words about the poem…
Sappho Mourns the Loss of Anactoria – A Tribute to Sappho
This poetic tribute to Sappho is an imagined monologue by the ancient poetess expressing her feelings of betrayal and heartbreak after being abandoned by her lover Anactoria.
Sappho and Anactoria were both women who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 6th century BC. Whilst there is no direct historical evidence that the two women were lovers, Sappho's poetry contains many references to female same-sex relationships.
Sappho was known for her lyric poetry, which was often about love and desire. She wrote in a highly emotional and personal style, expressing her feelings and experiences in her poetry. Her work was highly respected in ancient Greece and beyond, and she was often referred to as the "tenth muse."
In this imagined poetic monologue, Sappho is expressing her heartbreak after being abandoned by Anactoria for a new lover, a warrior with a crown of laurels. Sappho is tormented by the memory of their physical intimacy, as evidenced by the scent of Anactoria in their room. Teeth marks on Anactoria’s skin and scratches on her spine torture Sappho who feels helpless and unable to resist her feelings for Anactoria even as she knows she is no longer interested in her.
The poem ends with Sappho calling on the Cyprian Goddess, a reference to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, to save her from the consequences of her rage and from the "sea of green" that represents her jealousy and envy.
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