Sapphic stanzas are known for their pauses in unlikely places. Which statement best describes the effect of the semicolon pause
in the third stanza, second line, of "Long Ago"? Long Ago
by Sappho
Long ago beloved, thy memory, Atthis,
Saddens still my heart as the soft Æolic
Twilight deepens down on the sea, and fitful
Winds that have wandered
Over groves of myrtle at Amathonte
Waft forgotten passion on breaths of perfume.
Long ago, how madly I loved thee, Atthis!
Faithless, light-hearted
Loved one, mine no more, who lovest another
More than me; the silent flute and the faded
Garlands haunt the heart of me thou forgettest,
Long since thy lover.
A.
The pause helps to illustrate the difference between the speaker and the loved one.
B.
The pause gives the person reciting the poem a chance to breathe.
C.
The pause helps emphasize the speaker’s sadness and regret.
D.
The pause has no effect on the poem; it’s purely grammatical.
The answer for this problem would be J. Innocent should stay as “innocent”, there doesn’t need to be a comma after today and the comma is acting just fine in the place it is in.
