by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by James Stephens (1882 - 1950)
Sweet apple
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
At the end of the bough, at the top of the tree (As fragrant, as high, and as lovely as thou !), One sweet apple reddens which all men may see At the end of the bough. Swinging full to the view, though the gatherers now Pass, and evade, overlook busily : Overlook ! nay, but pluck it ! They cannot tell how. For it swings out of reach as a cloud, and as free As a star, or thy beauty, which seems too, I vow. Remote as the sweet rosy apple -- ah me ! At the end of the bough.
Text Authorship:
- by James Stephens (1882 - 1950), "Sweet apple", appears in Here are Ladies, first published 1913 [an adaptation] [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE), no title
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Harry R. Spier (1888 - 1952), "Sweet apple", published <<1940 [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, adapted by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-26
Line count: 11
Word count: 97