Question

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.

The pause helps to illustrate the difference between the speaker and the loved one.
The pause gives the person reciting the poem a chance to breathe.
The pause helps emphasize the speaker’s sadness and regret.
The pause has no effect on the poem; it’s purely grammatical.

Answer 1

C. The pause helps emphasize the speaker's sadness and regret.

Comment if this helps.

Answer 2

The pause helps emphasize the speaker’s sadness and regret.

Step-by-step explanation:

The pauses made by semicolon usually have the purpose of emphasizing something or some feeling during the reading. In the case of this poem, it was to emphasize the sadness and regret of the speaker. With this the author makes the reader reflect on the feeling of sadness he desires to pass by writing this stanza of the poem.