The meaning behind any poem is interpreted based on many tone, meter, and language. Deciphering an author’s message normally involves looking at a combination of these things. When only fragments of a poem are known, the task of interpretation becomes that much more challenging. The poems of Sappho, written thousands of years ago, pose exactly this problem. When reading these poems, I had to devise a strategy in order to try and understand Sappho’s message. When poems contain missing pieces, context becomes an important guide. Some of Sappho’s poems contain more complete lines, and those lines are critical to inferring the rest. For example, Sappho writes in her 16th piece, “…Not possible to happen… to pray for a share…toward… out of the unexpected.” Alone, these lines mean nothing. The previous lines, however, convey a solemn tone. Sappho then writes, “…reminded me now of Anaktoria who is gone. I would rather see her lovely step and the motion of light on her face than chariots of Lydians or ranks of the footsoldiers in arms.” Sappho is comparing seeing the face of a lost loved one to a picture of war. The lines that follow should expand on this idea. Sappho may be hoping for a miracle, to see the face of Anaktoria once again. The key is trying to decide whether the poem’s mood is dark or uplifting, tragic or joyful. From there, educated guesses can be made from the fragments that would otherwise be incomprehensible.