Stand face to face, friend... and unveil the grace in thine eyes, All care let buffetting winds bear away; For in the golden house of the singer the voice of lamentation may not be. Then come, O lyre divine, for me thine echoes awaken, So all night long, when sleep holds the eyes of the weary, Before the feet of Love may I set my tireless singing. Ah! delicate Love, More precious than gold, Sweeter than honey, Softer than rose-leaves, Beautiful Love! Thou hast the sun's glory and splendour, Hungry time can never devour thee: Thou burnest us, thou bitter sweet, with a swift, with a subtle fire - We are broken by longing At soft Aphrodite's will, Let us drain a thousand cups of Love, O my sweet, O my tender one. Ah! a hue as honey pale o'erspreads thy cheek, Pale are thy lips and thy beautiful eyelids, As stars fade, when the lovely moon Lights up all earth with silver, So there is none other whereunto I may liken thee.
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Authorship:
- by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by Henry Thornton Wharton (1846 - 1895) [text unavailable]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE), no title [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 Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "Stand face to face, friend", from Sappho: Prelude and Nine Fragments, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-12-01
Line count: 29
Word count: 173