by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Mary Barnard (1909 - 2001)
Διὸς παῖς ὁ χρυσός·
Language: Aeolic Greek
Διὸς παῖς ὁ χρυσός· κεῖνον οὐ σὴς οὐδὲ κὶς δάπτει, βροτεᾶν φρένα κράτιστον φρενῶν
About the headline (FAQ)
Attributed to SapphoText 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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Mary Barnard (1909 - 2001) , "Say what you please", appears in Sappho: A New Translation, no. 88, first published 1958 ; composed by Sheila Silver.
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-14
Line count: 3
Word count: 14
Gold is God’s child
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
Gold is God’s child; neither worms nor moths eat gold; it is much stronger than a man’s heart
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Mary Barnard, Sappho: A New Translation, Berkeley : University of California, 1986
Text Authorship:
- by Mary Barnard (1909 - 2001), "Say what you please", appears in Sappho: A New Translation, no. 88, first published 1958 [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):
- by Sheila Silver (b. 1946), "Gold is God’s child", 1978 [ soprano and piano ], from Chariessa. A Cycle of Six Songs on Fragments from Sappho, no. 4, Lauren Keiser Music Publishing
Publisher: Keiser Productions [external link] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-14
Line count: 5
Word count: 18