Kissing the Mask: Beauty, Understatement and Femininity in Japanese Noh Theater, with Some Thoughts on Muses (Especially Helga Testorf), Transgender Women, ... Geishas, Valkyries and Venus Figurines

Appendix C

Descriptions of Feminine Beauty in Sappho and Miscellaneous

Greek Lyric Sources

All from Barnstone, whose edition contains the complete poems of Sappho and a smattering of other Greek lyric poets from the Greek period through the Byzantine.

1

Descriptions of feminine beauty and its opposite in Sappho (b. ca. 630 B.C.)

BEAUTY

“Graces of the pink arms” (p. 76)

“Muses of the splendid hair” (p. 76)

“a soft girlfriend’s breast” (p. 76)

“honey-voiced women” (p. 77)

limbs like violets (p. 77)

honey-soft eyes (p. 78)

supple Cretan dancers (p. 80)

“slender-ankled girls” (p. 81)

loud and heavenly singing (p. 81)

Gonglya in her milk-white gown (p. 84)

a Lydian-embroidered gown extending to the toes (p. 85)

“the soft fine linen robes of Amorgos” (p. 85)

a lover (presumed) who exceeds a fine robe’s softness, gold’s hue, a lyre’s sweetness, an egg’s whiteness (p. 86)

a tender girl (p. 87)

a soft girl (p. 88)

blonde Helen (p. 89)

S.’s little daughter, “who is beautiful like a gold flower” (p. 89)

“pink-armed Dawn” (p. 90)

a quiet girl in beautiful garments (p. 91)

UGLINESS

a farm-girl who does not know the proper way to lift her gown over her ankles and who wears “farm-girl finery” (p. 82)

wrinkled flesh and black hair aged to white (p. 90)

2

Descriptions of feminine beauty in Archilochos (late eighth century B.C.)

BEAUTY

“Her breasts and dark hair were perfume…” (p. 36)

3

Descriptions of feminine beauty in Alkman (mid seventh century B.C.)

BEAUTY

goldenrod hair (p. 50)

floral gold chain (p. 51)

4

Description of feminine beauty in Anakreon (b. ca. 572 B.C.)

BEAUTY

blonde hair (of Artemis) (p. 122)

“warm women” (p. 123)

“colorful sandals” (p. 124)

5

Description of feminine beauty in Pindar (d. 438 B.C.)

BEAUTY

“Helen of the lovely hair” (p. 161)

6

Descriptions of feminine beauty in Bachkylides (fl. 476 B.C.)

BEAUTY

“white-armed Iole” (p. 166)

violet-braided Marpessa (p. 167)

white cheek (p. 167)

“violet-wreathed” (p. 168)

“white-armed bride” (p. 168)

7

Description of feminine beauty’s opposite in Asklepiades (fl. ca. 270 B.C.)

UGLINESS

black skin (but A. pleads for her beauty regardless) (p. 161)

8

Descriptions of feminine beauty and its opposite in Meleagros (fl. ca. 270 B.C.)

BEAUTY

perfumed hair (p. 202)

unspecified glow (p. 202)

“erotic mouth” (p. 203)

aquamarine eyes (p. 203)

eyes like fire (p. 203)

9

Descriptions of feminine beauty and its opposite in Philodemos the Epicurean (ca. 110– ca. 40 B.C.) His lover, Charito, is in her sixties.

BEAUTY

dense hair (p. 211)

high-pointed, conical white breasts (p. 211)

ambrosia-fragrant, smooth flesh (p. 211)

UGLINESS

same woman’s old age (but P. says this is no handicap) (p. 211)

10

Descriptions of feminine beauty’s opposite in Marcus Argentarius (early C.E.).

UGLINESS

scrawniness (but can be overlooked by love) (p. 214)

11

Descriptions of feminine beauty in Rufinus (ca. 50 B.C. — ca. 50 A.D.).

BEAUTY

silver ankles (p. 215)

milky breasts like golden apples (p. 215)

round hips (from pregnancy) (p. 215)

swelling belly¹ (p. 215)

12

Descriptions of feminine beauty in Nikarchos (ca. first century A.D.).

BEAUTY

plumpness (p. 219)

“beautiful limbs” (p. 219)

13

Description of feminine beauty in Paulus Silentiarius (fl. ca. 560).

BEAUTY

silver neck (p. 238)

14

Anonymous description of feminine beauty.

BEAUTY

snowy breasts (p. 257)