g'.
Erôs d'aute m' ho lysimelês donei,
glykypikron amachanon orpeton.
Atthis, soi d'emethen men apêchtheto,
Phrontis d'ên epi t' Andromedan pote.
The Annotated Edition
g'. by Sappho
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This is a brief excerpt from Sappho that portrays Eros — the god of love — as a being that weakens her body and leaves her powerless, embodying both sweetness and bitterness.
- Poet
- Sappho
- Themes
- identity, love, sorrow
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
This is a brief excerpt from Sappho that portrays Eros — the god of love — as a being that weakens her body and leaves her powerless, embodying both sweetness and bitterness. She then reflects on Atthis, the woman she loves, observing that Atthis now sees her with disdain and has shifted her focus to another woman, Andromeda. In just four lines, Sappho conveys the deep pain of being supplanted by a rival.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
Erôs d'aute m' ho lysimelês donei, / glykypikron amachanon orpeton.
Editor's note
Sappho begins by identifying Eros as the force that is shaking her — the word **lysimelês** translates to 'limb-loosener,' creating a vivid image of desire as something that physically weakens the body. **Glykypikron** — meaning 'bittersweet' — is one of the most renowned compound words in ancient Greek poetry, and Sappho might have been the one to create it. **Amachanon** translates to 'impossible to fight,' while **orpeton** means 'creeping creature,' depicting Eros as a small, relentless, crawling entity that sneaks up on you. The entire couplet conveys: love has struck me once more, it feels both sweet and bitter, and there's nothing I can do to resist it.
Atthis, soi d'emethen men apêchtheto, / Phrontis d'ên epi t' Andromedan pote.
Editor's note
Now Sappho speaks directly to Atthis. **Apêchtheto** means 'has become hateful' — it’s Sappho who has become hateful to Atthis, not the other way around. The change is harsh and deliberate. Then we see the rival: Atthis has shifted her affection to **Andromeda**, a name that appears in other fragments of Sappho's work, where she expresses a kind of disdain for this woman. The word **pote** ('once' or 'formerly') deepens the hurt — this love has already moved on. The fragment ends there, caught in emotion, which is part of what makes it so heartbreaking.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is both raw and controlled — very much in line with Sappho's style. There’s no self-pity or begging here. She simply lays out the facts: love is affecting me, and the person I love now despises me and seeks someone else. The emotional depth arises from the careful choice of words, rather than any theatrical display. The bittersweet compound word establishes the emotional tone right from the first line, and the poem maintains that throughout.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- Eros as a creeping creature
- Calling Eros a **orpeton** — a creeping or crawling thing — diminishes the god's typical magnificence. Love isn't depicted as a thunderbolt in this context; instead, it's something subtle and sneaky that infiltrates you before you're aware of it. This imagery makes desire seem both personal and unavoidable.
- Glykypikron (bittersweet)
- This one compound word captures the emotional weight of an entire stanza. It's sweet because desire brings pleasure, yet bitter because it also leads to pain and loss. Sappho masterfully intertwines these conflicting feelings without offering a resolution, perfectly mirroring the complexity of love.
- Andromeda
- The rival's name appears at the end of the fragment, almost like a door slamming shut. In other Sappho fragments, Andromeda is linked to a lack of refinement or taste. Mentioning her here suggests that Atthis has picked someone unworthy, which injects a sense of wounded pride into the grief.
- Limb-loosening (lysimelês)
- The image of loosening limbs frequently appears in ancient Greek poetry, symbolizing the physical impact of intense emotions—fear, death, and desire can all 'loosen the limbs.' By incorporating this imagery, Sappho links erotic longing to an experience as powerful and uncontrollable as dying.
§06Historical context
Historical context
Sappho lived on the island of Lesbos around 630–570 BCE, making her one of the few ancient Greek poets whose voice feels deeply personal. She was likely part of a community of women, possibly focused on religious or educational pursuits, and many of her poems mention women by name, including Atthis and Andromeda, who show up in several fragments. Unfortunately, very few of her works have survived intact; what we do have are snippets preserved by later grammarians who quoted her to make points about meter or vocabulary. This particular fragment (numbered differently in various editions) has lasted because a later writer referenced it to showcase Sappho's use of the Aeolic dialect. The meter is Sapphic, a form she used so often that it became associated with her name. Engaging with her poetry always involves navigating through loss — those gaps become part of the reading experience.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
**Glykypikron** is a Greek compound word that translates to 'bittersweet' — **glykys** means sweet, while **pikron** means bitter. Its fame stems from the fact that Sappho seems to have coined it, or at the very least, she is the earliest recorded user. The classicist and poet Anne Carson wrote a whole book titled *Eros the Bittersweet* (1986), centered on this one word and its insights into how the ancient Greeks perceived desire.
Atthis is a woman mentioned in several fragments of Sappho's work. She seems to have been someone Sappho loved or felt a strong connection with. In some fragments, Sappho expresses her affection for Atthis; however, in this particular fragment, it’s evident that their relationship has deteriorated. We don’t have any information about Atthis beyond what Sappho wrote.
Andromeda is portrayed as a rival in various fragments of Sappho's work, often in a negative way—Sappho hints at her being unsophisticated or lacking in taste. By mentioning her at the end of this fragment, it implies that Atthis has chosen someone Sappho sees as beneath her, adding a layer of wounded pride to Sappho's heartbreak.
It’s a fragment—four lines that survived because a later ancient writer quoted them for grammatical or linguistic purposes. We don’t know the original length of the poem. Most of Sappho's work has come down to us in fragments like this, cited by grammarians, discovered on small pieces of papyrus, or pieced together from quotes found in other ancient writings.
Sapphic meter is a four-line stanza form frequently employed by Sappho, leading to its name. The first three lines adhere to a particular rhythmic pattern of long-short combinations, while the fourth line is shorter. Latin poets such as Catullus and Horace later adopted this meter, contributing to its survival into modern times.
**Lysimelês** translates to 'limb-loosener.' This term combines **lyein** (to loosen or dissolve) and **melê** (limbs). In ancient Greek poetry, the loosening of limbs signifies an overpowering force, often associated with experiences of death, fear, and desire. By using it in this context, Sappho places erotic longing alongside the intensity of being overwhelmed.
The poems use the same language of desire and longing to address women that other Greek poets used for women or boys. Ancient sources had mixed interpretations—some praised her, others mocked her, and some attempted to rationalize it. Modern scholars generally view her work as a sincere expression of erotic feelings toward women. The term 'lesbian' is derived from her island, Lesbos.
Look for a translation that maintains the compound words — 'bittersweet,' 'limb-loosener' — since that's where Sappho's strength lies. Many regard Anne Carson's translations in *If Not, Winter* (2002) as the finest in English. Carson also faithfully preserves the gaps and fragments, using brackets to indicate missing text, which is crucial for grasping what we truly possess.
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