I take this opportunity to encourage you to write verses as she does, to show that women are capable of doing so and that they are mistaken to neglect such a delightful occupation. This is the topic of this discourse, which is addressed here to Erinna, and which I dedicate particularly to the glory of women, in the same manner as I have done throughout this volume. 

                                           Sappho to Erinna 
      Erinna, it is necessary that I remove in you today this self-distrust and misdirected timidity that prevent you from using your mind to its full potential. But before speaking to you of your particular merit, let me demonstrate that of women in general so this understanding may more easily lead you towards the aim of my words. Those who claim beauty is a domain reserved for women, and that the fine arts, literature, and all the sublime and complicated sciences belong solely to men, unjustly excluding us, are as far from justice as they are from truth. If this were the case, all women would be born beautiful and all men would have high probabilities of becoming scholars. This is to say, nature would be unfair in the distribution of her treasures. But we observe daily that ugliness is found among our sex and stupidity among the other.

      If it were true that charm was the only advantage we received from heaven, not only would all women be beautiful, but I believe they would remain so until their death. Time would respect in them what it destroys every instant, and as women are sent on earth solely to display their splendour, they would therefore remain beautiful as long as they were present here. It would indeed be strange, living a century while believing that only one thing could make us remarkable in the eyes of others and only benefiting from five or six years of the glory that beauty can bring us, amongst all the years that lead us to the tomb. Instead, it is more coherent to enjoy all the years of our life achieving glory and realizing our ambitions in order to leave a significant legacy. The elements created by nature that seem to have the sole purpose of adorning the universe seldom ever lose the magnificence she bestowed upon them. Gold, pearls, and diamonds keep their shine as long as they exist, and even the phoenix dies with its grace to be reborn with it. Now we say that women's beauty does not fade like roses or lilies and that their eyes remain dazzling even after having won numerous victories. But time steals from us our most precious assets: our youth leaves us and our brilliance of charm cannot resist the ravages of sickness and old age. Thus we must seek other advantages in life because beauty alone does not suffice. And to tell you the truth, beauty for our sex is what valour is for men, but as this quality doesn't prevent them from loving the study of letters, our advantage should not prohibit us from learning and mastering them.

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