divertissements | titled history.

While she translates those fragments of poetry Professor Bernard gave her, Claude discovers an existence that is both far removed from her own and similar. Instead of noting the text’s variety of inflections, she scribbles down things Sappho did which she herself has done: Sappho got frustrated with her writings, Sappho wanted people she couldn’t have, Sappho kissed girls. As Claude gets frustrated with her writings, wants people she can’t have. As Claude kisses girls. More so than vocabulary and grammar, Sappho’s poems teach her how there lived a poetess once.

In much the same way a poetess lives now.