Bilishizi's Song - (Illustrated Edition)

Author: P. Louis
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In a society where men are nightly indulged in wine and lust, women naturally draw closer to one another, finding solace in their interactions to alleviate loneliness. Thus, they develop feelings for this subtle kind of love. In reality, such love has existed since ancient times. Regardless of how men view it, it contains more genuine affection than lewdness. At that time, the renowned poet Sappho remained beautiful and charming. Bilitis knew her and spoke to us about her. The woman Bilitis referred to as Psappha was Sappho, her alias on Lesbos. Perhaps, it was this admirable woman who taught the girl from Paphos to compose poetry and pass on the memories of her beloved to future generations. Unfortunately, Bilitis provides little detail about this woman, now little-known, which is why we feel justified in regretting it. Even a single word she would have devoted to this great inspirer would have been invaluable. Instead, she left us about thirty elegies, telling the story of her friendship with a fellow young woman named Mnemosyne, whom she lived with. Sappho composed a poem praising the beauty of that girl, and from it we learned her name. However, that name is also questionable. Bakker tends to believe her name was simply Mnais. However, later poems prove this assumption to be unfounded and should be discarded. Mnemosyne seems to have been a very gentle and innocent girl, a naturally lovely person destined to be cherished, especially as she effortlessly deserved the affection others had for her, making her even more adorable. Love without motive lasts the longest: the love between the two girls endured for ten years. Later, due to Bilitis's fault, the two close friends parted ways, as Bilitis's extreme jealousy excluded any possibility of forgiveness. When Bilitis felt that nothing but painful memories kept her in Mitilini, she made a second journey. She went to Cyprus. That island, like Paphos, belonged to both Greece and Phoenicia, likely reminding her often of the appearance of her homeland. There, Bilitis, in some way, began her life anew. If readers do not yet understand how the ancients regarded love as a sacred thing, then it would be difficult to accept her way of life. The courtesans of Amathus were not like the contemporary women of the flesh trade, who were rejected by any upper-class society. They were young ladies from the noble families of the city. Grateful to Aphrodite for granting them beautiful faces, they used this gift to serve the worship of the goddess. Just like in Cyprus, each city had a temple housing many courtesans, and the people of the city treated these women with the same respect as other women. As the ancient writer Athenaeus recounts, the unparalleled story of the famous courtesan Phryne gives us some insight into the respect courtesans received at that time. Although that courtesan committed a great sin (reportedly murder, but not confirmed—translator), Hypereides did not need to strip her of her clothes to move the judges of the criminal court to leniency. The famous orator merely tore the upper part of her robe, exposing her two breasts. He pleaded with the judges, "Do not execute the priestess of Aphrodite (a term for courtesans at the time—translator) and the woman inspired by her." Other courtesans went out wearing transparent silk skirts, and every detail of their bodies was visible through the clothes. Phryne, however, was different. She was accustomed to wearing wrinkled, loose robes that covered her from head to toe, even her hair. The statues discovered in the village of Tanagra have preserved her charm. No one, except her friends, ever saw her bare arms or delicate shoulders. She also never appeared in the public bath pools. However, one extraordinary event occurred. On the day of the festival in Elaiussa, twenty thousand people from all over Greece gathered on the beach to watch Phryne enter the water: she removed her clothes, unbuckled her belt, even her undergarments, "shook her hair, and stepped into the sea." The sculptor Praxiteles, among the crowd watching the spectacle, sketched the outline of the "Aphrodite of Knidos" based on this living goddess. Another painter, Apelles, caught a glimpse of his "Anadyomene" in her. O noble people! Before them, beauty could appear naked, neither provoking laughter nor false shame! I truly hope this story is about Bilitis's experience, for as I translate her poems, I begin to love her. Bilitis's life was likely just as magical. I only regret that her story has not been discussed more, and that ancient writers, at least those who died later than her, knew so little about her deeds. Philodemos stole her works twice but never mentioned her name. Due to the lack of some beautiful anecdotes, we can only beg the reader to be satisfied with the details she provides to us, even those about the life of courtesans. She was a courtesan, there is no denying it. Even her last few poems show that although she had a professional ethic, she also had some terrible weaknesses. However, I prefer to focus on her virtues. She was a devout believer, even a woman who adhered to religious teachings. She remained faithful to the temple as long as Aphrodite agreed to prolong the youth of her pure devotees. She said that when she no longer received love from others, she would stop writing. However, we find it hard to agree that "The Odes of Paphos" were written during the period she lived in that region. How could a shepherdess from the mountains have learned to compose poetry according to the complex Ionia rhythm? We find it more believable that, in her old age, she composed poetry for her own amusement, even singing about her distant childhood. But we know nothing about her later years. We are even unclear about the age at which she died.