He is more than a hero, he is a god among men. His beauty catches the eye, his voice draws you in. He is strong and confident, always in control. He knows what he wants and goes after it with determination. He is everything I could ever want in a man and more.
Sappho’s “He Is More Than A Hero” is one of the most beautiful and poetic love songs ever written. It speaks of the speaker’s absolute adoration for the subject of the poem, who she sees as being perfect in every way.
The poem is an ode to this idealized man, and Sappho makes it clear that she would do anything for him. She compares him to a god among men, and it is easy to see why she is so in love with him. The poem is a classic example of Sappho’s work, and it is clear that she was a master of the love poem genre.
The following lines are from Sappho’s “He Is More Than A Hero” poem. Sappho was a citizen of the island state Lesbos, who lived from 630 B.C. to 570 B.C. She was a well-known poet/teacher in the city of Lesbos, although primarily among the women. It is reported that she was frequently surrounded by a ring of female students who studied poetry with her in Lesbos.
Sappho was married off to a man named Kerkylas of Andros. He was away from home frequently, which left Sappho feeling lonely. During her lifetime, Sappho wrote around 10,000 lines of poetry, but sadly only fragments remain today.
“He Is More Than A Hero”
He is more than a hero
He’s a god in my eyes
I love him
I worship him
More than anything else in the world
He can pick me up when I’m down
He makes me feel like I can do anything
He is strong and handsome
And he loves me for who I am
He is more than a hero
He’s a god in my eyes
I love him
I worship him
More than anything else in the world.
The poem which I extracted my thesis statement is obviously being written to a woman, but it is cleverly masked by the title “He Is More Than A Hero” and a few other lines in the poem. In the beginning of the poem she is briefly describing someone’s male companion who is apparently a good lover possessing a few qualities that Sappho admires. “He who listens to the sweet murmur of your voice- the enticing laughter that makes my own heart beat fast.”
Sappho is comparing this man to a god, saying that she would even pick him over Hermes. Sappho then goes on to say how his eyes “unman” her. This could be interpreted as making her feel weak in the knees or it could be interpreted as making her feel so passionately in love that she is no longer in control of herself. Sappho asks this man to stay with her forever and never leave her.
The poem ends with a very famous line, which is also the line that I based my thesis statement off of. “For you are more than a hero, and I am your loyal slave.” In this line, Sappho finally comes out and says who this poem is addressed to. It is addressed to a woman who is Sappho’s lover.
Sappho is confessing her love for this woman and how she would do anything for her. This poem is one of the earliest examples of lesbian love and it is clear that Sappho was deeply in love with this woman. Sappho uses many flowery words to describe her lover and she even compares her to a god, which shows just how much she admired and loved her.
Despite the fact that the first few lines are a clever disguise, a well-read individual can tell that the poem abruptly changes themes, moving from an account of this man who is a god to an expression of love for Sappho’s female companion. The 3-4th stanzas are addressed to an unknown you who is implied to be the male counterpart’s lady friend. In line 9, you is also mentioned.
Sappho uses the term hymenaios, which can refer to a woman’s virginity, or to the membrane that seals off the vaginal opening. Sappho here is saying that this young girl is as yet unripe for love, and compares her to a fig that is not quite ready to be eaten. The image recurs in line 11 where Sappho compares herself to an olive tree and her young friend to its shadow.
In the final three lines, Sappho abandons any disguise and makes her declaration of love explicit. She compares herself to a bee that has been attracted by the flowery words of her young friend. Just as the bee gathers honey from the flowers, Sappho longs to gather kisses from her young friend’s lips. Sappho’s use of the bee image is significant in that bees were often associated with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and their buzzing was thought to be an expression of sexual desire. Sappho’s poem thus ends on a note of yearning and frustration, as she remains denied the consummation of her love.
While “He Is More Than A Hero” may be Sappho’s most famous fragment, it is by no means her only one. In addition to the approximately three hundred other fragments that have been attributed to her, Sappho also wrote several full-length poems that have unfortunately not survived intact.
These include the “Poem of Hegemony”, the “Poem of Glorification”, a wedding song, and a funeral elegy. Sappho’s poetry was known and admired throughout the ancient world, and her work continued to be read and imitated by later poets, even after her death. Sappho remains one of the most famous and beloved authors of antiquity, and her work continues to resonate with readers today.
