Lyric Poems in Ancient Times

The lyric poems in the ancient times are presented in the first person point of view. Since lyric poetry expresses the personal and emotional feelings of a speaker, Sappho’s poems, Abu Nawar’s verses, Egyptian poems, and Neo-Christian Aztec poems explore the emotions of the speakers as they describe their culture, lifestyle, and tradition. These verses depict the passion, love, and perspectives of the ancient civilizations

The Songs of Aztec Nobility encompass the curiosity of the speaker towards her social environment. In one of the Songs of the Aztec Nobility, the speaker conveyed: “Make your beginning, / you who sing. / May you beat again / your flowered drum, / may you give joy / to my lords, / the eagles, the jaguars. / Briefly are we here together” (1-8). This is the establishing point of the verse—expressing the delightfulness of the speaker. The poet uses metaphor, symbolism, and imagery to emphasize her perspectives. The flowered drum symbolizes happiness, delightfulness, and liveliness. The eagles and jaguars are imageries of strictness and wildness, but through the flower drums that continue to beat, these strict and wild lords become soft and overwhelmed. From this sense, it can be said that during the period of ancient Aztec, poems like this express the metaphorical emotions of the poets.

On the other hand, the Greek poems envisage the concept of love and passion between two people. In one of the poems of Sappho, the speaker expressed: “Come to me now once again and release me / from grueling anxiety. / All that my heart longs for, / fulfill. And be yourself my ally in love’s battle” (25-28). The speaker in this part of the verse seeks for dependence. Same with the poetic techniques of Aztec poetry, this poem also...

... middle of paper ...

...y, Odysseus’ fate depends on his power and magnificence. In the last part of the piece, the hero conveyed: “Yet Fate, yet cruel Fate repose denies; / A labour long, and hard, remains behind; / By heaven above, by hell beneath enjoin’d: / For the tiresias through th’ eternal gates / Of hell I trode, to learn my future fates” (Homer, 1853, XXIII; 266-270). Odysseus expresses his strength and influence to bring back his kingdom. Despite all his circumstances in the hands of different gods and goddesses, Odysseus emphasizes his strength to conquer all his foes and win the battle against them. This also brings him home to his family and followers. This idea proves that Odysseus’ destiny lies within his own hands. He holds his fate—depending on his wit, strength, and dignity. He used these personalities throughout his journey, which brings him back to his wife and son.