Ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθάνατ’, Ἀφρόδιτα, παῖ Дίος δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σε, μή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα, πότνια, θῦμον· ἀλλὰ τυίδ’ ἔλθ’ , αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτα τὰς ἔμας αὔδας ἀίοισα πήλοι ἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισα χρύσιον ἦλθες ἄρμ’ ὐπασδεύξαισα· καλοι δέ σ’ ἆγον ὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας πύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνωἴθερος διὰ μέσσω. αἶψα δ’ ἐξίκοντο· σὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα, μειδιαίσαισ’ ἀθανάτωι προσώπωι ἤρε’, ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττι δηὖτε κάλημμι κὤττι μοι μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι μαινόλαι θύμωι. ῾τίνα δηὖτε Πείθω μαῖσ’ ἄγην ἐς σὰν φιλότατα, τίς σ’, ὦ Ψάπφ’, ἀδικήει; καὶ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει, αἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει, αἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσει κωὐκ ἐΘέλοισα. ᾽ ἔλΘε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσον ἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δὲ μοι τέλεσσαι θῦμος ἰμέρρει, τέλεσον, σὺ δ’ αὔτα σύμμαχος ἔσσο.
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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):
- by Christos Hatzis (b. 1953), "Invocation to Aphrodite", published 1993, first performed 1995 [ soprano, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano ], from Three Songs on Poems by Sappho, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Wilhelm Killmayer (1927 - 2017), "Poikilothron athanat' Afrodita", 1959/60, first performed 1961 [ soprano and small orchestra ], from Sappho - Fünf griechische Lieder, no. 5, Mainz, Schott [sung text not yet checked]
- by Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869), "An Aphrodite", op. 9, Heft 9 no. 4 (1835), published 1840, also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Plant , "Invocation to Aphrodite", first performed 1995 [ voice, flute, violin, cello and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Helen Maude Francesca Bantock, née von Schweitzer (1868 - 1961) [an adaptation] ; composed by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir.
- Also set in English, a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Margaret Ruthven Lang.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Walter Jens (1923 - 2013) , copyright © [an adaptation] ; composed by Aribert Reimann.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Carl von Blankensee ; composed by Carl Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Rudolf Bach (1901 - 1957) ; composed by Hermann Reutter.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by N. F. Arbenin ; composed by Anton Yulyevich Simon.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Henry Thornton Wharton)
- ENG English (John Addington Symonds) , "Ode to Aphrodite", first published 1893
- ENG English (John Plant) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ENG English (Edwin Marion Cox) , first published 1924
- ENG English (Ambrose Philips) , "A Hymn to Venus", written 1711
- FRE French (Français) (Pauline Mary Tarn) , "à l’Aphrodita", first published 1903
- FRE French (Français) (Jocelyne Fleury) , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2007-12-10
Line count: 28
Word count: 133
Aphrodite! Listreiche Tochter des Zeus! Zu deinem funkelnden Throne fleh ich empor: Nicht schlage mit Qual und Trauer den Sinn mir, o Herrin. Sondern komm eilends, wenn du je erhört mein Gebet aus ferner Tiefe und es erfüllt hast und, das Haus deines Vaters verlassend, mir nahekamst auf goldgeschirrtem Gefährt, das leuchtend jagende Vögel über das dämmernde Land hin mit tausendfältigem Schwirren der Flügel dir zogen, hin durch die strahlende Kuppel des Himmels. Flink sanken sie her. Du aber, Selige, Lächeln über dem wandellos blühenden Antlitz, fragtest mich: was wieder ich litte, was wieder ich nach dir riefe? Was denn so ungestüm mein Herz, das rasende, wiederum wünsche zur Gabe? “Wen denn,” fragtest du, “wen soll ins Netz deiner Liebe überredend wieder ich treiben? Wer hat, o Sappho, dir Unrecht getan? Wisse, wer heute dich flieht, wird bald dich verfolgen– wer heut deine Gaben verschmäht, wird bald die seinen dir spenden– wer jetzt nicht liebt, wird lieben in kurzem, vergeblich sich sträubend.” So sprachst du. – Komm auch jetzt zu mir! Erhell’ mir das umschattete Herz, ende, wie ich’s ersehne, die wirre Mühsal und steh mir im Kampf hilfreich zur Seite –
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Authorship:
- by Rudolf Bach (1901 - 1957) [author's text not yet checked 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 Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Aphrodite! Listreiche Tochter des Zeus!", op. 57 no. 5, published 1948 [ medium voice (female voice), viola, and piano ], from Fünf antike Oden nach Gedichten von Sappho, no. 5, Edition Schott 3674 [sung text checked 1 time]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (John Glenn Paton) , copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: John Glenn Paton [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2017-08-03
Line count: 33
Word count: 192