Sappho 44

Fragment 44 is a fragment of a poem by the archaic Greek poet Sappho, which describes the wedding of Hector and Andromache. It was preserved on a fragment of papyrus found at Oxyrhynchus^[1] The poem is in dactylic pentameter,^[2] and was part of Book II in the Alexandrian edition of Sappho.^[3]

The poem tells the story of the marriage of Hector and Andromache, which is mentioned in Book 22 of the Iliad, and may have been written for performance at a wedding.^[1] However, as early as 1966, some scholars had begun to question this belief, noting that the story of Hector and Andromache – culminating in the death of Hector and the enslavement of Andromache – is not particularly suitable for a wedding.^[4] Holt Parker describes the theory that the poem was intended as a wedding song as a "silly idea".^[5] Lawrence Schrenk argues that the poem specifically alludes to two scenes in the Iliad – firstly, Andromache's seeing Hector's body being dragged from the battlefield and the subsequent flashback to her wedding in Book 22, and secondly, the recovery of Hector's corpse in Book 24.^[6]

The poem has received relatively little scholarly attention, and many scholars consider it not to be one of Sappho's best works.^[7] However, Schrenk argues that the poem is more subtle than has often been appreciated.^[8]

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