"I More Than Envy Him"

He is a god in my eyes, that man,
Given to sit in front of you
And close to himself sweetly to hear
The sound of you speaking.

Your magical laugh--this I swear--
Batters my heart--my breast astir--
My voice when I see you suddenly near
Refuses to come.

My tongue breaks up and a delicate fire
Runs through my flesh; I see not a thing
With my eyes, and all that I hear
In my ears is a hum.

The sweat runs down, a shuddering takes
Me in every part and pale as the drying
Grasses, then, I think I am near
The moment of dying

                                                   Lakiesha Spivey and Melanie Gartrell

                                                                   April 25,2002

                The poem "I More Than Envy Him" by Sappho is definitely a deep poem. The poem is expressing the love a woman has for this certain man.The woman in the poem believes this man is the one for her. She loves him so much she feels she's near her own death from his love. I enjoyed what the poem had to say. "I More Than Envy Him" is a short poem but it gets to the point. I believe my favorite part would be the first stanza. In the first stanza Sappho explains that this man is just so beautiful, he seems almost like a god to her. I like the way Sappho explains the woman's feeling for the man and how the man makes her feel. Sappho's poem makes you feel what the woman was feeling. Her poem seems realistic and true. I think Sappho should have used rhyming schemes to her poem to make it a little more interesting. I would even suggest that she make it alittle longer so the reader can get an even better feeling. If Sappho made the poem longer it would make the thought of the poem more meaningful of the reader. Sappho really goes deep in thought in writing this poem. She is said to write from experiences of her own life and others. I personally think this poem is an experience from her own life. Sappho really explains in deeply the woman's feelings for this man. I would definitely recommend this poem to others. I would especially recommend the poem for those who are experiencing love or what they think is love for someone. I think Sappho intended for this poem to be for those of older age and more experience in
life. Those of the late teenage years and older, may understand the meaning of the poem better than younger ones. If you are some one searching or experiencing love, Sappho's poems would be a great choice. "I More Than Envy Him" by Sappho would be an even better choice for those interested in love. Sappho is truely a Love Poet!