Edwin Marion Cox, with poems by Sappho and translations by various authors.

“ Even so, Anactoria, you do not remember, it seems, when she is with you, one the gentle sound of whose footfall I would rather hear and the brightness of whose shining face I would rather see than all the chariots and mail-clad footmen of Lydia. I know that in this world man cannot have the best ”

“ Do thou, O Dica, set garlands upon thy lovely hair, weaving sprigs of dill with thy delicate hands; for those who wear fair blossoms may surely stand first, even in the presence of Goddesses who look without favour upon those who come ungarlanded. ”

“ Forever shalt thou lie dead, nor shall there be any remembrance of thee now or hereafter, for never hast thou had any of the roses of Pieria; but thou shalt wander, eternally unregarded in the houses of Hades, flitting among the insubstantial shades.
Quoted by Stobaeus about A.D. 500 as addressed to a woman of no education. Plutarch also quotes the fragment, twice in fact, once as if written to a rich woman, and again when he says that the crown of roses was assigned to the Muses, for he remembers that Sappho had said these same words to some uneducated woman. ”

“ Man can never attain his greatest desire,
[But must pray for what good fortune Fate holdeth,
Never unmindful.]
In the volume of the Egypt Exploration Society, “Oxyrhynchus Papyrus,” Part X, 1914, is printed this important fragment of a poem by Sappho. There are nearly six stanzas, and the editors, as well as Mr. Edmonds, have essayed the interesting and difficult task of emendation. In the “Classical Review,” May 1914, Mr. Edmonds published his version as here given, and his result is somewhat different from that of the editors of the Exploration Society’s volume. ”

“ Κῶμα is something more than ordinary sleep; it is deeper with a quality of oblivion in it, and so, differs from ὕπνος, the more ordinary term. Poe in the “Haunted Palace” approaches this, when he writes:
Banners—yellow, glorious, golden,
On its roof did float and flow.
(This, all this was in the olden
Time long ago.)
But here there is just a suggestion of effort which is absent from the work of Sappho.
This beautiful fragment is quoted by Hermogenes about A.D. 170. Demetrius, about A.D. 150, says that it is part of Sappho’s description of the garden of the nymphs. ”

“ Maidens, though I am dumb, yet thus I speak, if any ask and place at your feet one with an untiring voice: To Aethopia the daughter of Leto was I consecrated by Arista, daughter of Hermocleides Saonaiades, thy servant, O queen of women; whom mayest thou bless and deign to glorify our house.
From the Greek Anthology. It is a difficult and obscure piece. Bergk has not attempted to restore the Aeolic form. ”

“ A voice more golden than gold, new found.
Quoted by Demetrius to show the poetical value of hyperbolical phrase.
116
Maximus Tyrius says that Socrates calls Love the wizard, while Sappho uses the term μυθοπλόκος, “fiction weaving.”
117
Aristides quotes Sappho as saying τὸ γάνος . . . οὐ διαφθεῖρον τὰς ὄψεις, “the brightness . . . not destroying the sight.” ”

“ Ϝέσπερε, πάντα φέρων, ὄσα φαίνολις ἐσκέδασ ̓ αὔως,
φέρεις οἴν, φέρεις αἶγα φέρεις ἄπυ ματέρι παῖδα.
Evening, thou that bringest all that bright morning scattered, thou bringest the sheep, the goat, and the child back to its mother.
Hail, gentle Evening, that bringest back
All things that bright morning hath beguiled.
Thou bringest the lamb, thou bringest the kid,
And to its mother, her drowsy child.
From the “Etymologicum Magnum,” where the meaning of αὔως (“dawn”) is discussed. The beauty of the fragment needs no emphasizing.
93
Ἀϊπάρθενος ἔσσομαι. ”

“ Bergk conjectures ἄμοι for ἄνεμοι, “winds.” The fragment is tantalizingly incomplete, as so many others are, and the reading of one or two words in it is not certain.
18
Ἀρτίος μ ̓ ἀ χρυσοπέδιλλος Ἀύως.
The just now the golden-sandalled Dawn [has called] .
There could hardly be a more beautiful epithet than “golden-sandalled” to apply to the Dawn. It is fully equal in this respect to “rosy-fingered,” and in Greek both words are beautiful in sound.
This is quoted by Ammonius of Alexandria about A.D. 400. to show Sappho’s use of Ἀρτίος. ”

“ Wealth without thee, Worthiness is no safe neighbour, [but the mixture of both is the height of happiness] .
From the Scholiast on Pindar. The second line is apparently a gloss of the commentator.
79
Ἀυτα δὲ σύ Καλλιόπα.
And thou thyself, Calliope.
Quoted by Hephaestion when discussing a metre of Archilochus.
80
Δαύοις ἀπάλας ἐτάρας ἐν στήθεσιν.
Sleep thou, in the bosom of thy sweetheart.
From the “Etymologicum Magnum.” This fragment probably belongs among the Epithalamia.
81
Δεῦρο δηὖτε Μοῖσαι χρύσιον λίποισαι. ”

“ VI
εὔ μεν ἴδ] μεν οὔ δύνατον γένεσθαι
λῷστ ̓] ὂν ἀνθρώποις, πεδέχην δ ̓ ἄρασθαι,
[τῶν πέδειχόν ἐστι βρότοισι λῷον]
[ἢ λελάθεσθαι.]
With the emendations by Mr. J. M. Edmonds, the reprinting of which he has been kind enough to permit, a nearly literal rendering would be as follows:
Some say that the fairest thing upon the dark earth is a host of horsemen, and some say a host of foot soldiers, and others again a fleet of ships, but for me it is my beloved. ”

“ Athenaeus says that Sappho addressed the poem, of which this is a fragment, to a man famous for his physical beauty. It has also been suggested that the lines may have been addressed to Sappho’s brother. It need not, however, necessarily be assumed that any particular person is meant.
28
Χρύσεοι δ ̓ ἐρέβινθοι ἐπ ̓ αἰόνων ἐφύοντο. ”

“ The Scholiast quotes this to show that Sappho says the same thing of doves as Pindar (Pyth. 1–10) says of the eagle of Zeus.
Another reading is ψαῦκρος, “light,” for ψῦχρος, “moist or chill.” The sense would then be, “the spirit within them became light and they relaxed their wings in rest.”
17
κατ ̓ ἔμον στάλαγμον,
τὸν δ ̓ ἐπιπλάζοντες ἄμοι φέροιεν
καὶ μελεδώναις.
From my distress: let buffeting winds bear it and all care away.
From the “Etymologicum Magnum” to show the Aeolic use of ζ in place of σσ. ”

“ Ille mi par esse deo videtur,
Ille, si fas est, superare divos,
Qui sedens adversus identidem te
Spectat et audit
Dulce ridentem misero quod omnis
Eripit sensus mihi; nam simul te,
Lesbia aspexi, nihil est super mi
* * * *
Lingua sed torpet, tenuis sub artus
Flamma demanat, sonitu suopte
Tintinant aures, gemina teguntur
Lumina nocte.
This was actually the first of any of Sappho’s poems to be translated into English. John Hall of Durham in 1652, in his translation of Longinus, gives his version which has already been quoted in the description of the book in Chapter I. ”

“ Quoted by the Scholiast on Hermogenes and elsewhere. The “sweet-apple” to which Sappho refers was probably the result of a graft of apple on quince.
91
Οἴαν τὰν ὐἀκινθον ἐν οὔρεσι ποίμενες ἄνδρες
πόσσι καταστείβοισι, χάμαι δ ̓ ἐπιπορφύρει ἄνθος.
As on the hills the shepherds trample the larkspur (?) under foot and the flower lies empurpling in decay on the ground.
O’er the hills the heedless shepherd,
Heavy footed, plods his way;
Crushed behind him lies the larkspur,
Soon empurpling in decay.
Quoted by Demetrius, who comments on the ornament and beauty of the lines. ”

“ Thus sometimes, the Cretan women, tender footed, dance in measure round the fair altar, crushing the fine bloom of the grass.
From Hephaestion as an example of metre. Blass thinks that this and the preceding fragment belong together. The whole is another example of the delicate imagery of Sappho.
51
Ἄβρα δηὖτε παχήᾳ σπόλᾳ ἀλλόμαν. ”

“ Quoted by Maximus Tyrius about 150 B.C. He speaks of Socrates exciting Phaedrus to madness, when he speaks of love.
41
Ὄτα πάννυχος ἄσφι κατάγρει.
When all night long [sleep] holds them.
Bergk suggests that the words ὄππατ ̓ ἄωρος may have preceded these words. The fragment is quoted by Apollonius, and its sense may be: “when all night long sleep holds their eyes.”
42
Ἄγε δὴ χέλυ δῖά μοι φωνάεσσα γένοιο. ”

“ Athenaeus quotes this fragment, saying that according to Sappho those who approach the gods should wear garlands, as beautiful things are acceptable to them.
76
Ἔγω δὲ φίλημ ̓ ἀβροσύναν, καί μοι τὸ λάμπρον
ἔρος ἄελίω καὶ τὸ κάλον λέλογχεν.
I love refinement and for me Love has the splendour and beauty of the sun.
From Athenaeus.
77
Κὰμ μέν τε τύλαν κασπολέω. ”

“ Her shining ankles clad in fairest fashion
In broidered leather from the realm of Lydia,
So came the Goddess.
This fragment is very likely from an invocation to Aphrodite. It is from the Scholiast on Aristophanes’ “Peace,” 1174; Pollux about A.D. 180 also mentions it.
20
Παντοδάπαις μεμιγμέ-
-να χροίαισιν.
Shot with innumerable hues.
Quoted by the Scholiast on Apollonius of Rhodes, i, 727. Sappho’s reference may be to the rainbow.
21
Ἔμεθεν δ ̓ ἔχεισθα λάθαν. ”

“ Quoted by Athenaeus.
44
Γἐλλως παιδοφιλωτέρα.
More fond of children than Gello.
Zenobius, about A.D. 130, quotes this as a proverb. The ghost of Gello was said by the Lesbians to pursue and carry off young children.
45
Μάλα δὴ κεκορημένας Γόργως.
Very weary of Gorgo.
Quoted by Choeroboscus about A.D. 600 to show the Aeolic genitive in -ως. Gorgo is mentioned by Maximus Tyrius with Andromeda as being friends of Sappho.
46
Ἔγω δ ̓ ἐπὶ μαλθάκαν τύλαν σπολέω μέλεα. ”

“ Quoted by Apollonius to show the use of ϝ in Aeolic Greek.
106
Ὠΐω πόλυ λεγκότερον.
[A thing] much whiter than an egg.
From Athenaeus.
107
Μήτ ̓ ἔμοι μέλι μήτε μέλισσα.
Neither honey nor bee for me.
This is a proverb quoted by a number of late authors. It is an example of Sappho’s successful use of alliteration.
108
Μὴ κίνη χέραδας.
Stir not the pebbles.
From the Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius. Χεράδες were little heaps of stones.
109
Ὄπταις ἄμμε.
Thou burnest us.
From Apollonius, showing Aeolic form ημᾶς, “us.”
110
Ἠμιτύβιον σταλάσσον. ”

“ Aristotle (“Rhetoric,” i, 9) , about 330 B.C., says “base things dishonour those who do or wish them, as Sappho showed when Alcaeus said:
ἰόπλοκ ́ ἄγνα μελλιχόμειδε Σάπφοι
θέλω τι ϝείπεν ἄλλά με κωλύει αἴδως.
“ ‘Violet-weaving, chaste sweetly smiling Sappho, I would speak but bashfulness restrains me.’ ”
And she answered him in the words of the present fragment. Blass thinks that these two lines assigned to Alcaeus are also by Sappho, and about A.D. 1110 Anna Comnena certainly suggested the same authorship.
27
Στᾶθι κἄντα φίλος, . ”