O fair, O lovely! As the sweet apple blushes on the end of the bough, By the gatherers overlook'd, Nay, but reach'd not till now. The bride comes rejoicing, let the bridegroom rejoice. No other, O bridegroom, like to her O fair, O lovely! Raise high the roof beam, Hymenaeus! Like Ares comes the bridegroom, Hymenaeus! Tow'ring as the Lesbian singer 'mong men of other lands, Happy bridegroom, now is thy wedding come. And thou hast the maiden of thy heart's desire. Bride, teeming with rosy loves, Fair as the Goddess of Paphos, Softly sporting, sweet to the bridegroom May Hesperus lead thee rejoicing, Honouring Hera of the silver throne. Hail, bride; hail, noble bridegroom; all hail! O fair, O lovely!
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Authorship:
- by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Henry Thornton Wharton (1846 - 1895) [text unavailable]
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "Bridal song", from Sappho: Prelude and Nine Fragments, no. 8 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by James Stephens (1882 - 1950) , "Sweet apple", appears in Here are Ladies, first published 1913 [an adaptation] ; composed by Harry R. Spier.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-12-01
Line count: 21
Word count: 121