Death is an evil; the gods have so judged; had it been good, they would die. SAPPHO DeathEvilGodJudgement
With his venom irresistible and bittersweet that loosener of limbs, Love reptile-like strikes me down SAPPHO MyselfStrikeVenom
He who is fair to look upon is good, and he who is good will soon be fair also. SAPPHO FairGoodnessHimself
Some say an army of horsemen, or infantry, A fleet of ships is the fairest thing On the face of the black earth, but I say It’s what one loves. SAPPHO BlackEarthFaceInfantLoveOneself
Experience shows us Wealth unchaperoned by Virtue is never an innocuous neighbor. SAPPHO ExperienceNeighborVirtue
Builders, raise the ceiling high, Raise the dome into the sky, Hear the wedding song! For the happy groom is near, Tall as Mars, and statelier, Hear the wedding song! SAPPHO BuildMarriageRaiseSky
The moon is setand the Pleiades; Middle ofthe night, time passes by,I lie alone. SAPPHO AloneMoonNightPassTime
I took my lyre and said: come now, my heavenly tortoise shell: become a speaking instrument. SAPPHO HeavenInstrumentMyselfTalk
Beauty endures only for as long as it can be seen; goodness, beautiful today, will remain so tomorrow. SAPPHO BeautifulEnduranceGoodnessWilling
You may forget but let me tell you this: someone in some future time will think of us. SAPPHO ForgetFutureThinkingTimeYourself
The moon has set, and the Pleiades; it is midnight, and time passes, and I sleep alone. SAPPHO AloneMoonPassSleepTime
Love shook my heart/ Like the wind on the mountain/ Troubling the oak-trees. SAPPHO HeartLoveShookTreeTrouble
May I write words more naked than flesh, stronger than bone, more resilient than sinew, sensitive than nerve. SAPPHO NakedNerveResilienceSensitiveWordWriting
Love, like a mountain-wind upon an oak, falling upon me, shakes me leaf and bough. SAPPHO FallLoveMountainNature
