“no: tongue breaks and thin
fire is racing under skin
and in eyes no sight and drumming
fills ears
and cold sweat holds me and shaking
grips me all, greener than grass
I am and dead—or almost
I seem to me.”
— “He seems to me equal to Gods” by Sappho
Technique
In “He seems to me equal to Gods,” Sappho uses the “show, don’t tell“ technique to create imagery of love’s effects on the narrator.
The above stanza describes multiple effects of love to show how the narrator feels when they see a person whom they have a crush on. The “fire is racing under the skin” line is famous for its depiction of love.
Use
- Imagine that you’re observing your character experiencing an emotion. Write down what you see without naming the emotion.
The Periplous 