Si tam certus eras hinc ire, modeftius îffes, 110 Et modo dixifles: Lefbi puella, vale.
Non tecum lacrymas, non ofcula fumma tulisti; Denique non timui, quod dolitura fui.
Nil de te mecum eft, nifi tantum injuria: nec tu,
Admoneat quod te, pignus amantis habes.
Non mandata dedi; neque enim mandata dedissem
Ulla, nifi ut nolles immemor effe mei,
Per tibi, qui nunquam longe difcedat, amorem,
Perque novem Juro, numina noftra, Deas;
Cum mihi nefcio quis, Fugiunt tua gaudia, dixit:
Nec me flere diu, nec potuiffe loqui;
Et lacrymae deerant oculis, et lingua palato
Aftrictum gelido frigore pectus erat.
Poftquam fe dolor invenit; nec pectora plangi,
Nec puduit fciffis exululare comis.
Non aliter quam fi nati pia mater adempti
Portet ad extructos corpus inane rogos
Sure 'twas not much to bid one kind adieu,
(At least to feign was never hard to you)
Farewell my Lesbian Love, you might have said,
Or coldly thus, Farewell, oh Lesbian maid!
No tear did you, no parting kiss receive,
Nor knew I then how much I was to grieve.
No lover's gift your Sappho could confer,
And wrongs and woes were all you left with her.
No charge I gave you, and no charge could give,
But this, Be mindful of our loves and live. 120
Now by the Nine, those pow'rs ador'd by me,
And Love, the God that ever waits on thee,
When first I heard (from whom I hardly knew)
That you were fled, and all my joys with you,
Like fome fad ftatue, fpeechlefs, pale Iftood, 125
Grief chill'd my breast, and stopp'd my freezing
blood;
No figh to rife, no tear had pow'r to flow,
Fix'd in a stupid lethargy of woe :
But when its way th' impetuous paffion found,
I rend my treffes, and my breast I wound; 130
rave, then weep, I curfe, and then complain,
Now fwell to rage, now melt in tears again. Not fiercer pangs distract the mournful dame, Whofe firft-born infant feeds the fun'ral flame.
Gaudet et e noftro crefcit moerore Charaxus 135
Frater; et ante oculos itque reditque meos.
Utque pudenda mei videatur caufa doloris;
Quid dolet haec; certe filia vivit, ait.
Non veniunt in idem pudor atque amor: omne videbat
Vulgus; eram lacero pectus aperta finu.
Tu mihi cura, Phaon: te fomnia noftra reducunt;
Somnia formofo candidiora die.
Illié te invenio, quanquam regionibus abfis; 145
Sed non longa fatis gaudia fomnus habet.
Saepe tuos noftra cervice onerare lacertos,
Saepe tuae videor fuppofuiffe meos.
Blandior interdum; verifque fimillima verba
Eloquor; et vigilant fenfibus ora meis.
Ofcula cognofco; quae tu committere linguae,
Aptaque confuêras accipere, apta dare.
Ulteriora pudet narrare; fed omnia fiunt,
Et juvat, et fine te non libet effe mihi.
At cum fe Titan oftendit, et omnia fecum;
Tam cito me fomnos deftituiffe queror.
My scornful brother with a smile appears,
Infults my woes, and triumphs in my tears,
His hated image ever haunts my eyes,
And why this grief? thy daughter lives, he cries.
Stung with my love and furious with despair,
All torn my garments, and my bofom bare, 140
My woes thy crimes, I to the world proclaim:
Such inconfiftent things are love and shame!
'Tis thou art all my care and
my delight,
My daily longing, and my dream by night:
Oh night more pleafing than the brightest day, 145
When fancy gives what abfence takes away,
And, drefs'd in all its vifionary charms,
Reftores fair deferter to my arms!
Then round your neck in wanton wreaths I twine,
Then you, methinks, as fondly circle mine: 150
A thousand tender words I hear and speak;
A thousand melting kiffes, give, and take:
Then fiercer joys, I blufh to mention these,
Yet while I blush, confefs how much they please.
But when, with day, the sweet delufions fly, 155
And all things wake to life and joy, but I,
As if once more forfaken, I complain,
And close my eyes to dream of you again:
Antra nemufque peto, tanquam nemus antraque
Confcia deliciis illa fuere tuis.
Illuc mentis inops, ut quam furialis Erichtho
Impulit, in collo crine jacente férör.
Antra vident oculi fcabro pendentia topho,
Quae mihi Mygdonii marmoris inftar erant.
Invenio fylvam, quae faepe cubilia nobis
Praebuit, et multa texit opaca coma.
At non invenio dominum fylvaeque, meumque. Vile folum locus eft: dos erat ille loci. Agnovi preffas noti mihi cefpitis herbas:
De noftro curvum pondere gramen erat. Incubui, tetigique locum qua parte fuifti ; Grata prius lacrymas combibit herba meas. Quinetiam rami pofitis lugere videntur Frondibus; et nullae dulce queruntur aves. Sola virum non ulta pie moeftiffima mater
Concinit Ifmarium Daulias ales Ityn. Ales Ityn, Sappho defertos cantat amores :
Hactenus, ut media caetera nocte filent.
Eft nitidus, vitroque magis perlucidus omni, 180
Fons facer; hunc multi numen habere putant. Quem fupra ramos expandit aquatica lotos,
Una nemus; tenero cefpite terra viret.
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