{"schema_version":1,"access":"public","rights":"Public-domain or compatibly licensed source editions; provenance is retained per record.","work":{"slug":"sappho-1","title":"Fragment 1 (Ode to Aphrodite)","author":"Sappho","tradition":"greek","language":"grc","genre":"lyric","period":"6th c. BCE","source_url":"https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/Ύμνος_προς_την_Αφροδίτη","original":{"text":"Ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθάνατ’ Ἀφρόδιτα,\nπαῖ Διός, δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σε\nμή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα,\nπότνια, θῦμον·\n\nἀλλά τυῖδ’ ἔλθ’, αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτα\nτᾶς ἔμας αὔδως ἀίοισα πήλυι\nἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισα\nχρύσιον ἦλθες\n\nἄρμ’ ὐπαζεύξαισα, κάλοι δέ σ’ ἆγον\nὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας\nπύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνω αἴθερος\nδιὰ μέσσω.\n\nαἶψα δ’ ἐξίκοντο, τὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα,\nμειδιάσαισ’ ἀθανάτῳ προσώπῳ,\nἤρε’ ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττι\nδηὖτε κάλημι,\n\nκὤττι ἔμῳ μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι\nμαινόλᾳ θύμῳ· τίνα δηὖτε πείθω\nμαῖς ἄγην ἐς σὰν φιλότατα; τίς σ’, ὦ\nΨάπφ’, ἀδικήει;\n\nκαὶ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει,\nαἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει,\nαἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσει\nκωὐκ ἐθέλοισα.\n\nἔλθε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσον\nἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δέ μοι τέλεσσαι\nθῦμος ἰμμέρρει, τέλεσον· σὺ δ’ αὔτα\nσύμμαχος ἔσσο.","download_url":"https://mouseia.org/api/works/sappho-1/original.txt"},"translations":[{"id":"trn_sappho_1_mouseia","translator":"Mouseia","kind":"curated","note":"Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.","text":"Rich-throned, deathless Aphrodite,\nchild of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I beg you:\ndo not crush my heart with grief and anguish,\nLady;\n\nbut come here, if ever at another time,\nhearing my voice from far away,\nyou listened, and, leaving your father’s\ngolden house, came,\n\nyoking your chariot; lovely, swift\nsparrows bore you over the black earth,\nwhirling their close-beating wings down from heaven,\nthrough midair.\n\nSwiftly they arrived; and you, blessed goddess,\nsmiling with your deathless face,\nasked what I had suffered now, and why\nI called you now,\n\nand what, above all, I wished to happen\nin my maddened heart: “Whom now shall I persuade\nto lead into your love? Who, O\nSappho, wrongs you?\n\nFor if she flees, soon she will pursue;\nif she does not accept gifts, she will give them;\nif she does not love, soon she will love,\neven against her will.”\n\nCome to me now as well; release me from\nharrowing care, and all my heart\nyearns to see fulfilled, fulfill; and you yourself\nbe my ally.","download_url":"https://mouseia.org/api/works/sappho-1/translations/trn_sappho_1_mouseia.txt"},{"id":"trn_sappho_1_plain","translator":"Mouseia","kind":"plain","note":"Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete surviving Greek ode.","text":"Immortal Aphrodite on your patterned throne, daughter of Zeus, weaver of traps: I beg you, do not crush my heart, lady, with weariness and pain.\n\nBut come here, if ever in the past you heard my voice from far away, and listened, and left your father's golden house, and came,\n\nharnessing your chariot. Beautiful, swift sparrows brought you around the dark earth, beating their wings thick and fast, down from heaven through the middle of the sky.\n\nThey arrived at once. And you, blessed one, smiling with your immortal face, asked what I was suffering this time, and why I was calling this time,\n\nand what I most wanted to happen in my maddened heart: \"Whom shall I persuade this time to come into your love? Who is wronging you, Sappho?\n\nEven if she runs away, soon she will chase you. If she refuses gifts, soon she will give them. If she does not love you, soon she will love, even against her will.\"\n\nCome to me now as well. Free me from harsh worries. All that my heart longs to see accomplished, accomplish it. And you yourself be my ally in the fight.","download_url":"https://mouseia.org/api/works/sappho-1/translations/trn_sappho_1_plain.txt"},{"id":"trn_sappho_1_ref","translator":"Public domain","kind":"reference","note":"Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.","text":"Immortal Aphrodite of the broidered throne, daughter of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I pray thee break not my spirit with anguish and distress, O Queen.\n\nBut come hither, if ever before thou didst hear my voice afar, and listen, and leaving thy father's golden house camest with chariot yoked, and fair fleet sparrows drew thee, flapping fast their wings around the dark earth, from heaven through mid sky.\n\nQuickly arrived they; and thou, blessed one, smiling with immortal countenance, didst ask What now is befallen me, and Why now I call, and What I in my mad heart most desire to see.\n\n'What Beauty now wouldst thou draw to love thee? Who wrongs thee, Sappho?\n\nFor even if she flies she shall soon follow, and if she rejects gifts shall yet give, and if she loves not shall soon love, however loth.'\n\nCome, I pray thee, now too, and release me from cruel cares; and all that my heart desires to accomplish, accomplish thou, and be thyself my ally.","download_url":"https://mouseia.org/api/works/sappho-1/translations/trn_sappho_1_ref.txt"}],"retex_markdown_url":"https://mouseia.org/api/works/sappho-1/retex.md"}}