It is actually quite difficult to understand something that was written a long time ago and especially when the existing parts are only in fragments. But what I did notice is that this poem mentions worshipping of Greek gods and goddesses as well as love and suffering of mankind a lot. Since it was written around 600 BC, it is not unusual to Thus, a decent approach to read this poem is to know the gods and goddesses that are mentioned, such as Aphrodite, Zeus, Hera, Helena, and Nereids. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and fertility so the first part might be talking about love. In the middle, she asks for help from Nereids, sea nymphs in Greek mythology, to help her brother to arrive home safe, which means that her brother is sailing through the ocean. Such that knowing these gods and goddesses can help you understand what is going on at least a little. Another approach is to notice the words that are frequently used to get a general understanding like we did in class.