Allusion And Figurative Language In Sappho's Poem Sleep, Darling
In a typical and ideal parent child relationship, the parent loves their child. Sappho's poem “Sleep, Darling” portrays through allusion and figurative language that the speakers daughter is very precious to them.
The speaker has “a small/ daughter” (1,2) named “Kleis” (3). In Greek, this name means 'a key’. Keys often symbolize release or the opening of things hence freedom. Thus this line entails that the speaker feels liberated from the rest of the world through their daughter. This is due to the girl's innocence as she is a child and yet to know of the world. This is elaborated further as the daughter is compared to “a golden / flower” (4,5), a symbol of purity, amongst other things; as it can also be inferred from this comparison
The speaker has “a small/ daughter” (1,2) named “Kleis” (3). In Greek, this name means 'a key’. Keys often symbolize release or the opening of things hence freedom. Thus this line entails that the speaker feels liberated from the rest of the world through their daughter. This is due to the girl's innocence as she is a child and yet to know of the world. This is elaborated further as the daughter is compared to “a golden / flower” (4,5), a symbol of purity, amongst other things; as it can also be inferred from this comparison