by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation © by Walter Jens (1923 - 2013)
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), appears in Fragments, no. 31 [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", copyright © ; 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)
- 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 ©
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 16
Word count: 81
Gottgesegnet, nah den Himmlischen, mag...
Language: German (Deutsch) after the Aeolic Greek
Gottgesegnet, nah den Himmlischen, mag er sein, jener Mann [ ... ]
About the headline (FAQ)
This text may be copyright, so we will not display it until we obtain permission to do so or discover it is public-domain.Text Authorship:
- by Walter Jens (1923 - 2013), copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Aribert Reimann (b. 1936), "Gottgesegnet, nah den Himmlischen, mag er sein, jener Mann", 2000, first performed 2000 [ soprano, 3 violins, 2 violoncellos, contrabass, English horn, bassoon, and contrabassoon ], from Drei Gedichte der Sappho, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in French (Français), a translation by Jacques Delille (1738 - 1813) , no title ; composed by Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini.
This text was added to the website: 2009-10-03
Line count: 16
Word count: 120