by Sappho (flourished c610-c580 BCE)
Translation by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803)
Ach die gliederlösende böse Liebe quält...
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the Aeolic Greek
Ach die gliederlösende böse Liebe quält mich, Lieblichbitter singet der untreffbare Vogel, Liebster Artis, du warst mir einst so spröde, Nur auf Andromeden dein Herz gerichtet. O Mädchenthum, o Mädchenthum, Wo gehst du hin von mir? Ich komm nicht mehr, ich komm nicht mehr, Ich komme nie zu dir.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with J. G. von Herder's Ausgewählte Werke in einem Bande, Stuttgart und Tübingen, J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1844, page 331.
Note: this translation appears to be based upon several fragments. Lines 2-4 come from the fragment beginning "Ἄτθι, σοὶ δ' ἔμεθεν μεν ἀπήχθετο"; and the second stanza appears to come from the fragment beginning "Παρθενία, παρθενία".
Text Authorship:
- by Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 - 1803), no title, appears in Stimmen der Völker in Liedern, in 2. Das zweite Buch. Lieder aus dem Süd, in 5. Fragmente griechischer Lieder. Sappho, no. 3 [an adaptation] [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 Mathilde von Kralik (1857 - 1944), "Ach die gliederlösende böse Liebe" [ voice and piano ], from Lied der Sappho , no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Henry Thornton Wharton (1846 - 1895) , no title ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
- Also set in Italian (Italiano), a translation by Salvatore Quasimodo (1901 - 1968) , no title ; composed by Goffredo Petrassi.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Vyacheslav Ivanovich Ivanov (1866 - 1949) , no title, appears in Сапфо и Алкей (Sapfo i Alkej) [an adaptation] ; composed by Arthur Vincent Lourié.
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Johann Winkler
This text was added to the website: 2018-12-03
Line count: 8
Word count: 49