Poem 1
by Sappho (circa 630-570 B.C.)
translated from Greek by Bruce Phenix
Immortal Aphrodite, richly throned,
wile-weaving child of Zeus, receive my prayer:
do not, my mistress, overwhelm my heart
___with pain or care,
but come here, if at any other time
you heard me, at a distance, call your name
and, paying heed, you left your father’s house
___of gold, and came;
you yoked your chariot and were conveyed
by pretty sparrows whirring in swift flight
strong wings through ether, over the black earth,
___from heaven’s height;
and quickly they arrived; you, blessed one,
then asked, a smile on your immortal face,
what was my problem now, why now I called
___you to this place,
and what I most of all wished for myself
with maddened heart: “Who is it now I must
persuade to take you back? Whom, Sappho, do
___you think unjust?
For truly, if she flees, soon she shall chase,
and she shall give gifts rather than refuse
your own; soon she shall feel for you a love
___she may not choose.”
Now also come to me: from grievous woes
release me; and those things it would delight
my heart to have fulfilled, fulfil, and join
___me in the fight.
Greek Original of Sapho’s ‘Poem 1’
ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθανάτ’ Ἀφρόδιτα,
παῖ Δίος 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· κάλοι δέ σ’ ἆγον
ὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας
πύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνωἴθε-
ρος 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
ἄψ σ’ ἄγην ἐς ϝὰν 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 δέ μοι τέλεσσαι
θῦμος ἰμέρρει, τέλεσον, σὺ δ’ αὔτα
σύμμαχος ἔσσο.
Bruce Phenix worked as a civil servant in England from 1983 until his retirement in 2021, in various administrative roles in transport and environment. He has a longstanding interest in foreign languages and other cultures and his translations have been published in numerous, including in the Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. He also has extensive experience, over a period of 35 years, in giving English language support to students from Far Eastern backgrounds. He won the Yeats Club’s 1989 Catullus Award for the best translation from an ancient language.
Bruce, this is nicely done to reflect the repetitive misery of Sappho’s love. Aphrodite gently makes fun of the poet’s problem as they two repeat “now,” apparently to mean, “not again?” And you place that word emphatically to begin the final stanza. “Fight” as final word to the poem well portrays the goddess as an ally in perpetual conflict rather than a solver of emotional problems.
Thank you very much, Margaret, for your perceptive and positive comments, which I truly appreciate. Best wishes, Bruce
In the Augustan Age, Atticist Dionysios of Halicarnassus said of Sappho One: “The euphony and gracefulness of the language arise from the continuity and smoothness of the joining [melodies]. The words lie close to one another and are woven together according to certain affinities and natural alliances of the letters. Almost right through the whole ode those vowels are joined to mutes and semivowels which are naturally prefixed or affixed to one another when pronounced together in a syllable of one word. There are extremely few collisions of semivowels with semivowels or mutes such as would disrupt the regular wave of the sounds.”
Mr. Phenix’ thoughtful choice of replacing Sappho’s rippling trochaic line, with iambic pentameters and her adonics with dimeters makes for an unusual English poem.
Dear BDW, I’m very grateful for your positive response to this translation and for drawing attention to Dionysios’s remarks about Sappho’s language in the poem. I’m particularly glad that you found interest in the way I chose to deal with metre. With best wishes, Bruce Phenix
Being a non-Classics educated fellow, I had problems getting into this poem, then read it backwards from the last stanza to the first, and hey presto!
A wonderful way to greet the day, Bruce.
Thank you very much, Paul. I think I understand the problems you refer to, but what a delightful solution! I’m so glad you ended up enjoying the translation and always appreciate your comments. Best wishes, Bruce
A lovely translation that maintains much faith to the original: not only do you maintain the Sapphic ending, but in every case you maintain its meaning separate in the translation (rather than merged with preceding lines). This is no mean feat. Your decision to translate into rhyme with two blank lines maintains a balance between the blank verse of the original and the English tradition of rhyme. Admirable work!
Thank you very much, Adam! I’m thrilled to receive your positive and encouraging comments, especially on the structure and rhyme-scheme of the translation. With best wishes, Bruce