Love In Sappho's Song Of Songs

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Although the love poetry of Sappho is similar to the Song of Songs in that they both express love as having a deep and tinting effect on how people view each other, emphasizing devotion, they differ on their depiction of the concept of love itself and the fate of those bound by love. Sappho demonstrates the reality of love, full of heartbreak and longing, rather than the destined perfect marriage couple in the Song of Songs. It seems that in the Song of Songs, love is demonstrated as if the couple was first married and in honeymoon phase. The poetry is defined by the reciprocated lauding of each other as soulmates. The bride and bridegroom define one another as the paramount of beauty, the bridegroom describes his bride as the “fairest among …show more content…
Because Sappho’s poetry is primarily first person, the words are more personal and reflective of the inner thoughts of the one in love, Sappho herself. In the case of a Song of Songs, there is only dialogue between the bride, bridegroom, and companions. This limits the expression of love in the poetry to the façade of love that the characters want to portray. It is unknown whether the bride feels any jealousy to anyone the bridegroom has met. Perhaps the bride hates that there is a fairer paler maiden that passes by the bridegroom’s garden and fears that telling him will upset him. After all, the bride has already expressed insecurity being ashamed of her black tan skin working in the fields, and even asks the bridegroom “why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” (128). The fact that in all the overt flattering the bride and bridegroom give each other, trust is only implied and honesty is not mentioned. Since the Song of Songs is in third person limited, the possible imperfections in the marriage will remain hidden in either of the partners’ mind. Thus, the poem is a limited view of love and relationships as if the audience are guests at a wedding between two strangers. Such a small context when viewing love has a predisposition of assuming the best of a relationship, that it is indeed perfect. As for Sappho, the poems are …show more content…
What the combined poetry suggests when compared is that love is not the feelings and emotions in a relationship and romance, but the cause. Sappho and the couple have polar opposite experiences of being in love; however, they all share a compelling devotion to another person. The pleasure of being in a lover’s presence and the longing of being unable to be in a lover’s presence are expressed by the Song of Songs and Sappho respectively. Is the cause of this compelling devotion the feelings and emotions in relationship and romance? Is the logic of love circular, since being in love with someone causes emotions that incentivize being more compelled to that person, more in love, so even more passionate, and even more in love… Both Sappho and the Song of Songs do not
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