Jealousy
Portrait of a young woman from Pompeii. (So-called “Sappho”) ca. 50 CE
Fragment 31
by Sappho
translation by Chris Childers
He seems like the gods’ equal, that man, who
ever he is, who takes his seat so close
across from you, and listens raptly to
your lilting voice
and lovely laughter, which, as it wafts by,
sets the heart in my ribcage fluttering;
as soon as I glance at you a moment, I
can’t say a thing,
and my tongue stiffens into silence, thin
flames underneath my skin prickle and spark,
a rush of blood booms in my ears, and then
my eyes go dark,
and sweat pours coldly over me, and all
my body shakes, suddenly sallower
than summer grass, and death, I fear and feel,
is very near.
Jealousy
Sappho’s poem captures the all-consuming nature of an intense jealousy. Her resentment upon seeing her lover delighted by the attentions of someone else, boils over so that it’s felt physically, and even causes her body to sweat and to shake. Jealousy is as versatile as it is destructive. It can occur in a variety of relationships including not only the romantic, but also among siblings, co-workers, and students. It arises from insecurity or a sense of injustice, and amplifies emotions that are damaging to self-worth.
If Sappho asked your advice, what would you tell her to help calm her heightened emotional state ?
