Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.

Sappho’s Ode

By Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84–c. 54 B.C.)

(Translated by Ambrose Phillips) BLEST as th’ immortal gods is he,
The youth, who fondly sits by thee,
And hears and sees thee all the while
Softly speak, and sweetly smile.
’Twas that deprived my soul of rest,	5
And raised such tumults in my breast;
For while I gazed, in transport toss’d,
My breath was gone, my voice was lost.
My bosom glow’d; the subtle flame
Ran quick through all my vital frame;	10
On my dim eyes a darkness hung;
My ears with hollow murmurs rung:
With dewy damp my limbs were chill’d;
My blood with gentle horrors thrill’d;
My feeble pulse forgot to play;	15
I fainted, sank, and died away.