by Willis Barnstone (b. 1927)
Translation by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
The Cricket
Language: English after the Aeolic Greek
When sun dazzles the earth with straight-falling flames, a cricket rubs its wings scraping up a shrill song
Confirmed with Willis Barnston, Sappho and the Greek Lyric Poets, New York : Schoken Books, 1988
Text Authorship:
- by Willis Barnstone (b. 1927), "The Cricket" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE), no title, appears in Fragments, no. 101a
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: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-16
Line count: 4
Word count: 18
Cicada
Language: English after the English
Rubbing its wings incessantly, a cicada pours flaming summer over the earth in luminous song.
Carol Barnett adapted the translation of Barnstone
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
Text Authorship:
- by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Based on:
- a text in English by Willis Barnstone (b. 1927), "The Cricket"
Based on:
- a text in Aeolic Greek by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE), no title, appears in Fragments, no. 101a
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Carol Barnett , "Cicada", 2007, copyright © 2007 [ mezzo-soprano, soprano saxophone, double bass, vibraphone or marimba ], from Sappho Fragments, no. 2
Score: Carol Barnett [external link] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-16
Line count: 4
Word count: 15