by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929)
Love shakes my soul, like a mountain...
Language: English  after the Aeolic Greek
Love shakes my soul, like a mountain wind Falling upon the trees, When they are swayed and whitened and bowed As the great gusts will. I know why Daphne sped through the grove When the bright god came by, And shut herself in the laurel's heart For her silent doom. Love fills my heart, like my lover's breath Filling the hollow flute, Till the magic wood awakes and cries With remembrance and joy. Ah, timid Syrinx, do I not know Thy tremor of sweet fear? For a beautiful and imperious player Is the lord of life.
About the headline (FAQ)
Authorship:
- by Bliss Carman (1861 - 1929), no title, appears in Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics, no. 30 [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), "Love shakes my soul", 1919, published 1959 [ voice and piano ], from Two Sappho Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-01-13
Line count: 16
Word count: 96