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Sappho: Ode to Aphrodite (1 B/D)

   ποικιλόθρον’ ἀθανάτ’ Ἀφρόδιτα,
   παῖ Δίος δολόπλοκε, λίσσομαί σε·
   μή μ’ ἄσαισι μηδ’ ὀνίαισι δάμνα,
 4     πότνια, θῦμον.
   
   ἀλλὰ τυίδ’ ἔλθ’, αἴ ποτα κἀτέρωτα
   τὰς ἔμας αὔδας ἀίοισα πήλοι
   ἔκλυες, πάτρος δὲ δόμον λίποισα
 8     χρύσιον ἦλθες
   
   ἄρμ’ ὐπασδεύξαισα· κάλοι δέ σ’ ἆγον
   ὤκεες στροῦθοι περὶ γᾶς μελαίνας
   πύκνα δίννεντες πτέρ’ ἀπ’ ὠράνωἴθε-
12     ρος διὰ μέσσω·
   
   αἶψα δ’ ἐξίκοντο, σὺ δ’ ὦ μάκαιρα
   μειδιαίσαισ’ ἀθανάτωι προσώπωι
   ἤρε’ ὄττι δηὖτε πέπονθα κὤττι
16     δηὖτε κάλημμι
   
   κὤττι μοι μάλιστα θέλω γένεσθαι
   μαινόλαι θύμωι· τίνα δηὖτε πείθω
   †.. σαγην† ἐς σὰν φιλότατα; τίς σ’ ὦ
20     Ψάπφ’ ἀδικήει;
   
   καἰ γὰρ αἰ φεύγει, ταχέως διώξει,
   αἰ δὲ δῶρα μὴ δέκετ’, ἀλλὰ δώσει,
   αἰ δὲ μὴ φίλει, ταχέως φιλήσει
24     κοὐκ ἐθέλοισα.
   
   ἔλθε μοι καὶ νῦν, χαλέπαν δὲ λῦσον
   ἐκ μερίμναν, ὄσσα δέ μοι τέλεσσαι
   θῦμος ἰμέρρει, τέλεσον, σὺ δ’ αὔτα
28     σύμμαχος ἔσσο.

Editor's Notes

codicum vitia minora iamdudum correcta praetereo

1 ποικιλόθρον’ : -οφρον codd. non nulli

8 post χρύσιον distinguit P. Oxy.

19 .].. ἄγη .[ P. Oxy., ut vid. ἄ]ψ σ’ ἄγην[ ; μαι (in βαι corr.) σαγηνεσσαν Dion. cod. P, και σαγήνεσσαν cod. F

24 fort. κωὔ κε θέλοισα (Lobel) vel κωὐκὶ θέλοισα (Bergk) fort. θέλοισαν (Schaefer, Knox)

Translation

Of many-coloured embroidery¹, undying Aphrodite,

wile-weaving daughter of Zeus, I pray to you:

torment not with rashness and distresses, mistress, this soul of mine!

Yet come to me, if ever in another place

catching wind of my songs from afar

you listened and, leaving your father's golden palace, came

carried on a chariot – and before you pulled

swift, beautiful sparrows flocking round black earth,

wings thickly aflutter, from heavenly aether through mid-sky

– suddenly you were here, and – O blessed one –

smiling in your undying visage, you asked me

what troubles me again, why again I called upon you:

and what, above all else, this madness of my heart

yearns for itself – "Whom shall I persuade this time

<...>²? Who wronged you now, Sappho?

"And if she runs away – soon she will chase you.

If she turns down gifts – soon she will give you.

If she says 'no' to you, soon she will love you – even unwillingly."

Come to me even now, and set me free from bitter

anxiety; and whatever my heart desires to accomplish,

accomplish for me – and yourself my partner in arms, become!

[1] Or "many-coloured throne" acc. to other translators. I like the translation "embroidery" better because 1) it matches nicely with the epithet "wile-weaving"; and 2) thrones aren't especially associated with Aphrodite in classical imagery (compared to, say, Hera).

[2] Corrupt text; conjectures include "whom shall I convince this time to admit you into her company?", etc.