Fragment 1 (Ode to Aphrodite)
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete surviving Greek ode. Ancient Greek source edition on el.wikisource.org
Ancient Greek
Ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθάνατ’ Ἀφρόδιτα,παῖ Διός, δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σεμή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα,πότνια, θῦμον·
ἀλλά τυῖδ’ ἔλθ’, αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτατᾶς ἔμας αὔδως ἀίοισα πήλυιἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισαχρύσιον ἦλθες
ἄρμ’ ὐπαζεύξαισα, κάλοι δέ σ’ ἆγονὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίναςπύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνω αἴθεροςδιὰ μέσσω.
αἶψα δ’ ἐξίκοντο, τὺ δ’, ὦ μάκαιρα,μειδιάσαισ’ ἀθανάτῳ προσώπῳ,ἤρε’ ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττιδηὖτε κάλημι,
κὤττι ἔμῳ μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαιμαινόλᾳ θύμῳ· τίνα δηὖτε πείθωμαῖς ἄγην ἐς σὰν φιλότατα; τίς σ’, ὦΨάπφ’, ἀδικήει;
καὶ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει,αἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει,αἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσεικωὐκ ἐθέλοισα.
ἔλθε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσονἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δέ μοι τέλεσσαιθῦμος ἰμμέρρει, τέλεσον· σὺ δ’ αὔτασύμμαχος ἔσσο.
English · Plain English translation · Mouseia
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.
But 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,
harnessing 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.
They 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,
and 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?
Even 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."
Come 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.