Aeolica

Aeolica refers to a collection of poems written by the ancient Greek poetess Sappho. These works are characterized by their lyrical quality, intense emotional expression, and focus on personal themes, particularly love and desire. The poems are typically short, often referred to as monodies, and were traditionally sung or recited to the accompaniment of a lyre, hence the name "aeolica" which relates to the Aeolian mode in ancient Greek music. While Sappho's complete body of work is lost, fragments of her poems have survived through quotations by later writers and papyrus discoveries. These surviving fragments offer a glimpse into her unique poetic voice and her profound influence on subsequent Western literature. Her poems are noted for their directness, intimacy, and vivid imagery, often exploring themes of love, longing, beauty, and the relationships between women. The exact number of poems in the Aeolica collection is not definitively known due to the fragmented nature of the surviving texts.