by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929)
I shall be ever maiden
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
I shall be ever maiden, If thou be not my lover, And no man shall possess me Henceforth and forever. But thou alone shalt gather This fragile flower of beauty,-- To crush and keep the fragrance Like a holy incense. Thou only shalt remember This love of mine, or hallow The coming years with gladness, Calm and pride and passion.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929), no title, appears in Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics, no. 24 [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), "I shall be ever maiden", 1919, published 1952 [ voice and piano ], from Two Sappho Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-13
Line count: 12
Word count: 60