The most famous lesbian in history is without doubt Sappho
of Lesbos, born in the seventh century B.C. Praised by the Greeks for her
sublime poetry she was variously depicted "the tenth Muse",
"the marvel among women", etc. There is still debate as to
whether she was truly an exclusive homosexual or really bisexual, enjoying
passionate relationships with both men and women. The life and poetry of
Sappho - or Psappha, as she called herself in a local dialect - are filled
with the love of women. She gathered a circle of girls around her; and
with them she explored poetry, music and love. Inevitably the early
Christians thought her highly immoral. Thus Saint Gregory of Nazianzus,
Bishop of Constantinople, ordered her books to be burned wherever they
were found, and he termed her "gynaeon pornikon erotomanes"
("lewd nymphomaniac"). In 1072 Pope Gregory destroyed more of
her surviving works. The poems of Sappho that are still known today are
said to represent about 5 per cent of her total output, the rest having
been destroyed by the bigots.
The
very extensive tradition of male homosexual literature in China was
distinct from any discussion of Lesbianism. You might consider reasons for
this. There are occasional references to Lesbianism, collected by Hinsch
[pages 173-178]. The subject also comes up in the most famous Chinese
novel, The Dream of the Red Chamber [also known as The Story of
the Stone.]
[Hinsch,
176-77 - ref. Cao Xuequin and Gao E, Story of the Stone, (New York:
Penguin, 1973-87), Vol 3: 375, 551-53]
"So
who was she making the offering for?"
Parfumee's
eyes reddened slightly and she sighed.
"Oh,
Nenuphar is crazy "
"Why?"
said Baoyu. "What do you mean?"
"It
was for Pivoine," said Parfumee, "the girl in our troupe who
died."
"There's
nothing crazy about that,'' said Baoyu, ''if they were friends. ''
"Friend,"
said Parfumee, "They were more than that. It was
Nenuphar's
soppy ideas that started it all. You see, Nenuphar is our Principal Boy
and Pivoine always played opposite her as Principal Girl. They became so
accustomed to acting the part of lovers on the stage, which gradually it
came to seem real to them and Nenuphar began carrying on as if they were
really lovers. When Pivoine died, Ninuphar cried herself into fits, and
even now she still thinks about her. That's why she makes offerings to her
on feast-days. When Etamine took over the roles that Pivoine used to play,
Nenuphar became just the same towards her. We even teased her about it:
'Have you forgotten your old love then, now that you've got yourself a new
one?' But she said, 'No, I haven't forgotten. It's like when a man loses
his wife and remarries. He can still be faithful to the first wife, as
long as he keeps her memory green.' Did you ever hear Anything so soppy in
your life?"
"Soppy"
or whatever it was, there was a star in Baoyu's own nature which
responded with a powerful mixture of emotions: pleasure, sorrow, and an
unbounded admiration for the little actress.
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The most famous lesbian in history is without doubt Sappho
of Lesbos, born in the seventh century B.C. Praised by the Greeks for her
sublime poetry she was variously depicted "the tenth Muse",
"the marvel among women", etc. There is still debate as to
whether she was truly an exclusive homosexual or really bisexual, enjoying
passionate relationships with both men and women. The life and poetry of
Sappho - or Psappha, as she called herself in a local dialect - are filled
with the love of women. She gathered a circle of girls around her; and
with them she explored poetry, music and love. Inevitably the early
Christians thought her highly immoral. Thus Saint Gregory of Nazianzus,
Bishop of Constantinople, ordered her books to be burned wherever they
were found, and he termed her "gynaeon pornikon erotomanes"
("lewd nymphomaniac"). In 1072 Pope Gregory destroyed more of
her surviving works. The poems of Sappho that are still known today are
said to represent about 5 per cent of her total output, the rest having
been destroyed by the bigots.