by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Pauline Mary Tarn (1877 - 1909), as Renée Vivien
Ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθάνατ’, Ἀφρόδιτα
Language: Aeolic Greek
Ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθάνατ’, Ἀφρόδιτα, παῖ Дίος δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σε, μή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα, πότνια, θῦμον· ἀλλὰ τυίδ’ ἔλθ’ , αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτα τὰς ἔμας αὔδας ἀίοισα πήλοι ἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισα χρύσιον ἦλθες ἄρμ’ ὐπασδεύξαισα· καλοι δέ σ’ ἆγον ὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας πύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνωἴθερος διὰ μέσσω. αἶψα δ’ ἐξίκοντο· σὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα, μειδιαίσαισ’ ἀθανάτωι προσώπωι ἤρε’, ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττι δηὖτε κάλημμι κὤττι μοι μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι μαινόλαι θύμωι. ῾τίνα δηὖτε Πείθω μαῖσ’ ἄγην ἐς σὰν φιλότατα, τίς σ’, ὦ Ψάπφ’, ἀδικήει; καὶ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει, αἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει, αἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσει κωὐκ ἐΘέλοισα. ᾽ ἔλΘε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσον ἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δὲ μοι τέλεσσαι θῦμος ἰμέρρει, τέλεσον, σὺ δ’ αὔτα σύμμαχος ἔσσο.
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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 Christos Hatzis (b. 1953), "Invocation to Aphrodite", published 1993, first performed 1995 [ soprano, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano ], from Three Songs on Poems by Sappho, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Poikilothron athanat' Afrodita", 1959/60, first performed 1961 [ soprano and small orchestra ], from Sappho - Fünf griechische Lieder, no. 5, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "An Aphrodite", op. 9, Heft 9 no. 4 (1835), published 1840, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Plant , "Invocation to Aphrodite", first performed 1995 [ voice, flute, violin, cello and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Margaret Ruthven Lang.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Walter Jens (1923 - 2013) , copyright © [an adaptation] ; composed by Aribert Reimann.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Carl von Blankensee ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rudolf Bach (1901 - 1957) ; composed by Hermann Reutter.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by N. F. Arbenin ; composed by Anton Yulyevich Simon.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Henry Thornton Wharton)
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "Ode to Aphrodite", first published 1893
- ENG English (John Plant) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Edwin Marion Cox) , first published 1924
- ENG English (Ambrose Philips) , "A Hymn to Venus", written 1711
- FRE French (Français) (Pauline Mary Tarn) , "à l’Aphrodita", first published 1903
- FRE French (Français) (Jocelyne Fleury) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-10
Line count: 28
Word count: 133
à l’Aphrodita
Language: French (Français) after the Aeolic Greek
Toi dont le trône est d’arc-en-ciel, immortelle Aphrodita, fille de Zeus, tisseuse de ruses, je te supplie de ne point dompter mon âme, Ô Vénérable, par les angoisses et les détresses. Mais viens, si jamais, et plus d’une fois, entendant ma voix, tu l’as écoutée, et, quittant la maison de ton père, tu es venue, ayant attelé ton char d’or. Et c’étaient de beaux passereaux rapides qui te conduisaient. Autour de la terre sombre ils battaient des ailes, descendus du ciel à travers l’éther. Ils arrivèrent aussitôt, et toi, ô Bienheureuse, ayant souri de ton visage immortel, tu me demandas ce qui m’était advenu, et quelle faveur j’implorais, et ce que je désirais le plus dans mon âme insensée. « Quelle Persuasion veux-tu donc attirer vers ton amour ? Qui te traite injustement, Psappha ? Car celle qui te fuit promptement te poursuivra, celle qui refuse tes présents t’en offrira, celle qui ne t’aime pas t’aimera promptement et même malgré elle. » Viens vers moi encore maintenant, et délivre-moi des cruels soucis, et tout ce que mon cœur veut accomplir, accomplis-le, et sois Toi-Même mon alliée.
Text Authorship:
- by Pauline Mary Tarn (1877 - 1909), as Renée Vivien, "à l’Aphrodita", first published 1903 [author's text checked 1 time 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Guy Laffaille [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2018-10-23
Line count: 28
Word count: 184