It’s no use
July 6, 2023In the spring twilight
July 6, 2023It was you, Atthis, who said
It was you, Atthis, who said
“Sappho, if you will not get
up and let us look at you
I shall never love you again!
“Get up, unleash your suppleness,
lift off your Chian nightdress
and, like a lily leaning into
“a spring, bathe in the water.
Cleis is bringing your best
purple frock and the yellow
“tunic down from the clothes chest;
you will have a cloak thrown over
you and flowers crowning your hair…
“Praxinoa, my child, will you please
roast nuts for our breakfast? One
of the gods is being good to us:
“today we are going at last
into Mitylene, our favorite
city, with Sappho, loveliest
“of its women; she will walk
among us like a mother with
all her daughters around her
“when she comes home from exile…”
But you forget everything
Sappho
Sappho (c. 630 BCE - c. 570 BCE) was an ancient Greek poet who is known for her lyric poetry and her depiction of love and desire between women. She was highly regarded in her time and her works continue to be celebrated as masterpieces of Greek literature.