by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929)
Soft was the wind in the beech‑trees
Language: English  after the Aeolic Greek
Soft was the wind in the beech-trees; Low was the surf on the shore; In the blue dusk one planet Like a great sea-pharos shone. But nothing to me were the sea-sounds, The wind and the yellow star, When over my breast the banner Of your golden hair was spread.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929), no title, appears in Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics, no. 84 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Soft was the wind in the beech-trees" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 50