by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Constantine Athanasius Trypanis (1909 - 1993)
Φαίνεταί μοι κῆνοσ ἴͅσοσ θέοισιν
Language: Aeolic Greek
Φαίνεταί μοι κῆνοσ ἴͅσοσ θέοισιν
ἔμμεν’ ὤνηρ, ὄττισ ἐνάντιόσ τοι
ἰσδάνει καὶ πλάσιον ἆδυ φωνεί‑
σασ ὐπακούει
καὶ γελαίσασ ἰμέρσεν, τό μ’ ἦ μὰν
καρδίαν ἐν στήθεσιν ἐπτόαισεν.
ὠσ γὰρ ἔσ σ’ ἴδω βρόχε’ ὤσ με φώνη‑
σ’ οὐδὲν ἔτ’ εἴκει,
ἀλλ’ ἄκαν μὲν γλῶσσα μ’ ἔαγε, λέπτον
β’ αὔτικα χρῶι πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμακεν,
ὀππάτεσσι δ’ οὐδὲν ὄρημμ’, ἐπιβρό‑
μεισι δ’ ἄκουαι,
κὰδ δέ μ’ ἴδρωσ κακχέεται, τρόμοσ βὲ
λαῖσαν ἄγρει, χλωροτέρα βὲ ποίασ
ἔμμι, τεθνάκην δ’ ὀλίγω ’πιδεύησ
φαίνομ’ ἔμ’ αὔται.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Fainetai moi kynos", 1958 [ soprano and instrumental ensemble ], from Sappho - Fünf griechische Lieder, no. 4, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Fainetai moi kynos", 1959/60, first performed 1961 [ soprano and small orchestra ], from Sappho - Fünf griechische Lieder, no. 3, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Novák (1921 - 1984), "Ode amatoria", from Cantica latina, no. 5 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Patricia Van Ness , "To me it seems that man has the fortune of the gods", 1998, copyright © 1998, first performed 1998 [ mixed chorus ], from The Voice of the Tenth Muse, no. 5
Score: Patricia van Ness [external link]
Publisher: Patricia van Ness [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Constantine Athanasius Trypanis (1909 - 1993) , "To a Young Girl" ; composed by Liza Lim.
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Jacques Delille (1738 - 1813) , no title ; composed by Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Walter Jens (1923 - 2013) , copyright © ; composed by Aribert Reimann.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , copyright © ; composed by Olga Neuwirth.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Henry Thornton Wharton)
- ENG English (Diane J. Rayor)
- FRE French (Français) (Ernest Falconnet) , "À une femme aimée"
- FRE French (Français) (Pauline Mary Tarn) , "Ode à une Femme aimée", first published 1903
- GER German (Deutsch) (Anonymous/Unidentified Artist) , copyright ©
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 81
But my tongue is frozen, and at once a
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
But my tongue is frozen, and at once a delicate fire flickers under my skin. I no longer see anything with my eyes, and my ears are full of strange sounds. Sweat pours down me, and trembling Seizes me all over. I am paler than grass, And I seem to be little short of death.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Constantine Athanasius Trypanis (1909 - 1993), "To a Young Girl" [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
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 Liza Lim (b. 1966), "Voodoo Child", 1989, first performed 1990 [ soprano and instrumental ensemble ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-14
Line count: 7
Word count: 55