Prayer to Our Lady of Paphos
Dapple-throned Aphrodite,
eternal daughter of God,
snare-knitter! Don't, I beg you,
cow my heart with grief! Come,
as once when you heard my far-
off cry and, listening, stepped
from your father's house to your
gold car, to yoke the pair whose
beautiful thick-feathered wings
oaring down mid-air from heaven
carried you to light swiftly
on dark earth; then, blissful one,
smiling your immortal smile
you asked, What ailed me now that
me call you again? What
was it that my distracted
heart most wanted? ``Whom has
Persuasion to bring round now
``to your love? Who, Sappho, is
unfair to you? For, let her
run, she will soon run after;
``if she won't accept gifts, she
will one day give them; and if
she won't love you --- she soon will
``love, although unwillingly...''
If ever --- come now! Relieve
this intolerable pain!
What my heart most hopes will
happen, make happen; you your-
self join forces on my side!
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Related quotes
Drapple-thorned Aphrodite,
Dapple-throned Aphrodite,
eternal daughterf God,
snare-knitter! Don't, I beg you,
cow my heart with grief! Come,
as once when you heard my far-
off cry and, listening, stepped
from your father's house to your
gold car, to yoke the pair whose
beautiful thick-feathered wings
oaring down mid-air from heaven
carried you to light swiftly
on dark earth; then, blissful one,
smiling your immortal smile
you asked, What ailed me now that
me me call you again? What
was it that my distracted
heart most wanted? "Whom has
Persuasion to bring round now
"to your love? Who, Sappho, is
unfair to you? For, let her
run, she will soon run after;
"if she won't accept gifts, she
will one day give them; and if
she won't love you -- she soon will
"love, although unwillingly..."
If ever -- come now! Relieve
this intolerable pain!
What my heart most hopes will
happen, make happen; you your-
self join forces on my side!
Hymn To Aphrodite
Throned in splendor, immortal Aphrodite!
Child of Zeus, Enchantress, I implore thee
Slay me not in this distress and anguish,
Lady of beauty.
Hither come as once before thou camest,
When from afar thou heard'st my voice lamenting,
Heard'st and camest, leaving thy glorious father's Palace golden,
Yoking thy chariot. Fair the doves that bore thee;
Swift to the darksome earth their course directing,
Waving their thick wings from the highest heaven
Down through the ether.
Quickly they came. Then thou, O blessed goddess,
All in smiling wreathed thy face immortal,
Bade me tell thee the cause of all my suffering,
Why now I called thee;
What for my maddened heart I most was longing.
"Whom," thou criest, "dost wish that sweet Persuasion
Now win over and lead to thy love, my Sappho?
Who is it wrongs thee?
"For, though now he flies, he soon shall follow,
Soon shall be giving gifts who now rejects them.
Even though now he love not, soon shall he love thee
Even though thou wouldst not."
Come then now, dear goddess, and release me
From my anguish. All my heart's desiring
Grant thou now. Now too again as aforetime,
Be thou my ally.
No Word
I have had not one word from her
Frankly I wish I were dead.
When she left, she wept
a great deal; she said to
me, ``This parting must be
endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly.''
I said, ``Go, and be happy
but remember (you know
well) whom you leave shackled by love
``If you forget me, think
of our gifts to Aphrodite
and all the loveliness that we shared
``all the violet tiaras,
braided rosebuds, dill and
crocus twined around your young neck
``myrrh poured on your head
and on soft mats girls with
all that they most wished for beside them
``while no voices chanted
choruses without ours,
no woodlot bloomed in spring without song...''
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Blame Aphrodite
It's no use
Mother dear, I
can't finish my
weaving
You may
blame Aphrodite
soft as she is
she has almost
killed me with
love for that boy
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Words
Although they are
only breath, words
which I command
are immortal
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Sounds of grief
Must I remind you, Cleis,
that sounds of grief
are unbecoming in
a poet's household?
and that they are not
suitable in ours?
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Cleis
Sleep, darling
I have a small
daughter called
Cleis, who is
like a golden
flower
I wouldn't
take all Croesus'
kingdom with love
thrown in, for her
---
Don't ask me what to wear
I have no embroidered
headband from Sardis to
give you, Cleis, such as
I wore
and my mother
always said that in her
day a purple ribbon
looped in the hair was thought
to be high style indeed
but we were dark:
a girl
whose hair is yellower than
torchlight should wear no
headdress but fresh flowers
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Smile
Open the door and let your love come down
Over the wall you spin me round and round
Cause you wanted some love
I'll make it happen
Chorus:
Cause I don't wanna break
Your fine faith I can take
They way you wanna (?) me up
Cause I just smile
Open your heart and let the good stuff out
Water me girl and let me ease the draught
Cause you wanted some love
I'll make it happen
(chorus)
I can't be gone
song performed by by Weezer from Weezer (2001)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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To Atthis The Inconstant
Fragments 33, 57A, 44, 41, 70, 58 combined.
I loved thee, Atthis, — even thee! —
Ah, long ago!
As Aphrodite's handmaid bright
As gold wert thou then in my sight.
A very queen of love to me
Then didst thou show.
Fair gifts I sent thee — 'broidery
Of golden thread whose shimmering light
Flashed mid the purple on thy knee,
A gleam and glow.
Then I knew not thine heart aright:
But now I know!
Thou incarnate false inconstancy —
To whom I grow
A thing to hate! — thou takest flight
On wings of love to — who is she?
A rustic wench whose garments flow
About her heels ungracefully!
O yea, let thy false love requite
Andromeda's worship! Take delight
In her — thou who from my love's height
Hast sunk so low!
Hearts Healing
I called your name
you weren't there
I waited for you
You passed me by
I asked you to dance
You asked someone else
I loved you
You didn't love me
I said hello
You said good-bye
You broke my heart
I couldn't fix it
I wanted revenge
You lauged at me
I cried
You loved someone else
No one heard my cries
My heart was aching
You moved on
I didn't
You were happy
I was sad
I had no one
You had someone
I got lost
lost
lost
In the dark was I
alone alone alone....
my heart still aching
the memoires of us still waking
help help help
no one heard
alone alone alone
forever forever forever
it seemed
the pain was intolerable
I was going insane
my heart was still broken and pain
then then then
I saw
a bright light
i heard a calming voice
calling me....
it was someone who loved me
more than you,
I felt a strong
loving embrace
It was an angel you see
He loved me very much
He told me to go on
That I wasn't alone
I was healed
I felt happy again
and I knew I was loved
and I would never have to wait for love again.....
poem by Bella Ravenstar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hot Persuasion
You know you light my candle
You know you load my gun
Youre way too hot to handle
Theres nothing we aint done
Give me your love
Give me that hot persuasion
I cant get enough
Give me that hot persuasion
Give it to me!
Mouth full of hot persuasion
You face me upside down
A love for all occasions
You wont catch me foolin aroung
Give me your love
Give me that hot persuasion
I cant, cant get enough
Give me that hot persuasion
I need to know youre near me
I need you by my side
You keep my tank on empty
You keep me up all night
Give me your love
Give me that hot persuasion
Oh, cant get enough
Give me that hot persuasion
Give me your hot persuasion
I cant get enough, get enough
Ive done hot persuasion
song performed by by Uriah Heep
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Where Is Heaven
My daughter asked me: daddy where is heaven?
I thought about this very carefully
asking myself the same question.
Then the answer came into my mind
Like a bolt of lightning.
Heaven is god, and god is heaven.
When we commit ourselves to god, body and soul
Then we are in heaven, because heaven is in us.
Yet when we fail to see what is in front of us
And what’s in our hearts, that’s when we are blind.
For god is in our hearts, and heaven is god.
Just look around at all that he has created
Then look into your heart and
see the beauties inside and out.
Why would god create the universe and the world
And not have created a heaven within us.
We are gods most beautiful creation
And he gave us his only begotten son
To show us the way to heaven.
Now many say that heaven is in infinity
and infinity has no beginning and no end.
and hell is here on earth, and some say it’s below the earth.
Now it is hard to believe that god
would make this beautiful earth as hell.
And if it was under the earth, where is the fire and brimstone
When we dig so deep into the earth searching for oil.
Heaven is in our love for god while on this earth
Then we go to his kingdom in his total heart
Where it is infinite.
This is where I see heaven my daughter.
It’s in all of us who believe in god.
poem by Louis Rams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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It's not going to happen again
It's not going to happen again
I have known the most dear that is granted us here,
More supreme than the gods know above,
Like a star I was hurled through the sweet of the world,
And the height and the light of it, Love.
I have risen to the uttermost Heaven of Joy,
I have sunk to the sheer Hell of Pain -
But - it's not going to happen again, my boy,
It's not going to happen again.
It's the very first word that poor Juliet heard
From her Romeo over the Styx;
And the Roman will tell Cleopatra in hell
When she starts her immortal old tricks;
What Paris was tellin' for good-bye to Helen
When he bundled her into the train -
Oh, it's not going to happen again, old girl,
It's not going to happen again.
poem by Rupert Brooke (1913)
Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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To any army wife
To any army wife, in Sardis:
Some say a cavalry corps,
some infantry, some again,
will maintain that the swift oars
of our fleet are the finest
sight on dark earth; but I say
that whatever one loves, is.
This is easily proved: did
not Helen --- she who had scanned
the flower of the world's manhood ---
choose as first among men one
who laid Troy's honor in ruin?
warped to his will, forgetting
love due her own blood, her own
child, she wandered far with him.
So Anactoria, although you
being far away forget us,
the dear sound of your footstep
and light glancing in your eyes
would move me more than glitter
of Lydian horse or armored
tread of mainland infantry
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Anything Can Happen
Time will come when we know what happened here
Change will come in time and make it clear
We learn one thing if we learn at all
In the secret wars we call our lives
Anything can happen
We watch the days, we make our plans
We change in ways a life demands
But what ever pleasure this life may allow
Ill give you the love I have for you now
Because anything can happen
In a world so full of fear
Dreams are whispered in the dead of night
And people disappear
But you hear my heart and you know Im still here
Although you know and I know you know
While I swear Ill never let you go
Anything can happen
Yeah, if this love can happen here
Anything can
We watch the days we make our plans
We change in ways a life demands
Ill always remember this time, this place
The hope in your voice, the light on your face
Because anything can happen
In a world so full of pain
People give their lives to making war
And we call those people sane
But I love you where your dreams remain
Though you never say it anymore
One day therell be an end to this war
And who knows
We may see what were here for
Anything can happen
Yeah, if this love has found us here
Anything can
Can happen
song performed by by Jackson Browne
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I took my lyre
I took my lyre and said:
Come now, my heavenly
tortoise shell: become
a speaking instrument
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Forsaking My Love
I hate you
I wish to tear you away from me
This tumor that clings to my chest
The thing that makes me ache
That haunts my dreams
And tears at my desires
You have brought me only pain
My untamed heart
That beast that gnaws at my soul
That pitifully whines
Bringing my mind into unwanted pain
Yet how can I blame you
How can I chastise you when I listen intently to your pleas
Why should I punish you for what my eyes feed upon
How can I blame my eyes for falling upon her
She who brings light to the eternal darkness of my soul
She whose eyes bring me to subjection
Whose smile leaves me in awe
How can I blame you when my ears are met with her laughter
How they submerge into her song
How they quiver at her voice
Why should I punish you for inclining my soul
Tempting it with the one sense that has been forsaken by her
How could I look over the thought of the brushing of lips
The touching of hands
The binding of the soul, mind, and body
O you wretched heart
What am I to do with this constant companion
How could I tear you away
When she is the cause of my agony
Or rather
It is the lack of her which brings me sorrow
It is the need for her that leaves my heart in pain
Yet she is not mine
She was never mine
She will never be mine
O my poor heart
How can I make you see reason
When all you do is show me the truth
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poem by Michael Silver
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Muses
It is the Muses
who have caused me
to be honred: they
taught me their craft
Sappho
tr. Barnard
Leto and Niobe
Before they were mothers
Leto and Niobe
had been the most
devoted of friends
Sappho
tr. Barnard
The love i couldn't give
She begs and craves all day,
for the love i couldn't give
She hopes and filled her fate
with the love i couldn't give.
Her smile is filled with hope,
of the love i couldn't give
her heart is sad but strong
for the love i couldn't give.
Her days is filled with hope and love,
for the love i couldn't give
her heart is mild but torn
because of the love i couldn't give.
She wished for just a day of love,
for the love i couldn't give
my heart is lost and gone
now there is no love i could give.
My heart is far from me,
there's no love i could give
my hope is far but deep withing
for the love i couldn't give.
My past came like a GIFT,
and stole my heart from me.
Leaving me hollow and empty,
now there's no love i could give.
My present wants so much love from me,
but there's no love i could give
i'll bring her smile all day,
even with the love i couldn't give.
poem by Randy Micheal
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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