Ancient Greek – Camila Lashbrook ’23, Classical Studies & English double major

Fragment 31: φαίνεταί μοι κῆνος ἴσος θέοισιν
by Sappho

φαίνεταί μοι κῆνος ἴσος θέοισιν
ἔμμεν’ ὤνηρ, ὄττις ἐνάντιός τοι
ἰσδάνει, καὶ πλάσιον ἆδυ φωνεί-
σας ὐπακούει

καὶ γελαίσας ἰμέροεν, τό μ’ ἦ μάν
καρδίαν ἐν στήθεσιν ἐπτόαισεν,
ὠς γὰρ εἰσίδω βροχέως σε, φώνας
οὐδὲν ἔτ’ ἴκει,

ἀλλὰ καμ μὲν γλῶσσα ἔαγε, λέπτον
δ’ αὔτικα χρῷ πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμακεν,
ὀππάτεσσι δ’ οὐδὲν ὄρημ’, ἐπιρρόμ-
βεισι δ’ ἄκουαι.

καδ δέ μ’ ἴδρως κακχέεται, τρόμος δε
παῖσαν ἄγρει, χλωροτέρα δὲ ποίας
ἔμμι, τεθνάκην δ’ ὀλίγω ‘πιδεύης
φαίνομ’ ἔμ’ αὔτᾳ.

Sappho 31: That man seems to me to be equal to the gods
Translated by Camila Lashbrook

That man seems to me to be equal to the gods,
whoever sits opposite you,
and close to you he listens as
you speak sweetly

and laugh, full of delight.
Truly, it makes the heart in my chest tremble;
for whenever I look upon you, briefly, still
nothing comes from my voice.

But my tongue has been shattered altogether,
and all at once a delicate fire has run under my skin,
and I see nothing with my eyes,
and my ears ring.

And sweat pours down me, and trembling
seizes all of me, and I am greener than
grass wet with dew, and I seem to myself to be just
short of death.