Sappho's A Prayer To Aphrodite and Seizure

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Sappho's A Prayer To Aphrodite and Seizure

Sappho wrote poems about lust, longing, suffering, and their connections to love. Her poetry is vivid, to the point where the reader or listener can feel the sentiments rising from the core of his or her own being. The poetry truly depicts a realistic picture of the bonds of love. Through the subtle differences of the poems, "A Prayer To Aphrodite," and "Seizure," Sappho conveys the intensity of the longing and suffering of love.

In "A Prayer To Aphrodite," Sappho is offering a prayer, of sorts, to the goddess of love. She doesn't directly describe the pains her love causes her: she suggests them, and allows Aphrodite to elaborate. She mentions the grief one feels at the denial of love, but that is all. She implies that she is living in darkness, without this love she so desires. Aphrodite comes to her -- taking pains to do so -- in all her splendor. She knows immediately what Sappho wishes of her. She has been there for the same purpose before...

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