Dear teacher, more, dearest mother-muse divinely given,
you must not lament that your reward
is not eternal youthfulness, let alone a timeless life,
nor regret that beauty of the outward eye
slips your fingers' gate and flees with winged days.
There is beauty still, and its sweet reminders too;
why else would I dip my whole face into
that cascade of hair, or kiss your furrows,
why look at you at all with tenderness?
Your beauty shall live on, even when eyes close
and daylight is no more, in memory for ever,
and in immortal verse you will be beautiful.
[c] 2005
Author notes
In 2005 a lost poem by Sappho was found and published for the first time in centuries. The poem mourned the loss of her youth. The poem I have written, in the same number of lines and words, is a reply by one of her young acolytes, who loves her mistress.
Written February 5th, 2006
In a list
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this is very touching and beautifully executed.
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Thank you. (But the more I look at it, the more I wonder if it was indeed my final draft. I wrote it at work one day, with that day's copy of the newspaper in my hand, in which Sappho's original had been published. I will have to check.)
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Shiny Sister - I do not have the first idea how to reply to your comments.
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This is lilting and sweet, so much so that it leaves a feeling of peacefulness. It seems to set all things right with the world. How could there be any strife or evil or even disagreement with this kind of unconditional love afoot in the universe? It's a beautiful poem, Sis - simply beautiful!
Shiny One
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Janet, what can I say except thank you.
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Darling MB
This is good muse
so for your view
I wrote Sapphic poem
into a sonnet tome.
Smoosh
Janet
PS: I'll send it to you. -
Thanks sis. I have scratched around and lost it! I can't find the original anywhere! *sighs* But she means such a lot to me; she was one of the most celbrated poets of the classical era...
Found it! The words in brackets were conjecture on the part of the translator. The reference to Tithonius is to someone who was granted immortality in order to marry a beautiful nymph - but he forgot to ask for eternal youth!
"[You for] the fragrant-blossomed Muses’ lovely gifts
[be zealous,] girls, [and the] clear melodious lyre:
[but my once tender] body old age now
[has seized;] my hair’s turned [white] instead of dark;
my heart’s grown heavy, my knees will not support me,
that once on a time were fleet for the dance as fawns.
This state I oft bemoan; but what’s to do?
Not to grow old, being human, there’s no way.
Tithonus once, the tale was, rose-armed Dawn,
love-smitten, carried off to the world’s end,
handsome and young then, yet in time grey age
o’ertook him, husband of immortal wife."
(I am not sure if this is the translation I had originally)
Edited on Feb 05, 3:26 p.m. because ''. -
Most Excellent
Absolutely brilliant! This is simply divine... and in her verse immortal beauty certainly is found. It would be interesting to post the poem you are replying to.
My favorite lines:
nor regret that beauty of the outward eye
slips your fingers' gate and flees with winged days
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