Abstract

In this paper I offer a new interpretation of Sappho fr. 44 V by arguing for a sophisticated reading of the phrase κλέος ἄφθιτον at Sappho fr. 44.4 V in light of two Homeric sources. While the Sapphic verse directly alludes to the identical expression found in Achilles’ famous speech (Il. 9.413), the Iliadic passage serves further as a ‘window reference’ to Hector’s imagination of his future renown (Il. 7.91), which is the ultimate source of Sappho’s allusion.