Nunc tibi Sicelides veniunt nova praeda puellae ;
Quid mihi cum Lefbo? Sicelis effe volo.
At vos erronem tellure remittite noftrum,
Nifiades matres, Nifiadefque nurus.

Neu vos decipiant blandae mendacia linguae: 65
Quae dicit vobis, dixerat ante mihi.

Tu quoque quae montes celebras, Erycina, Sicanos,
(Nam tua fum) vati confule, diva tuae.
An gravis inceptum peragit fortuna tenorem ? 70
Et manet in curfu femper acerba fuo?
Sex mihi natales ierant, cum lecta parentis
Ante diem lacrymas offa bibere meas.
Arfit inops frater, victus meretricis amore;
Miftaque cum turpi damna pudore tulit.
Factus inops agili peragit freta coerula remo: 75
Quafque male amifit, nunc male quaerit opes:
Me quoque, quod monui bene multa fideliter, odit.
Hoc mihi libertas, hoc pia lingua dedit.
Et tanquam defint, quae me fine fine fatigent,
Accumulat curas filia parva meas.
Ultima tu noftris accedis caufa querelis:
Non agitur vento noftra carina fuo.
Ecce, jacent collo fparfi fine lege capilli;

Nec premit articulos lucida gemma meos.

80

Veste tegor vili: nullum eft in crinibus aurum : Non Arabo nofter rore capillus olet.

Cui

The fair Sicilians now thy foul inflame;

Why was I born, ye Gods, a Lesbian dame?

65

70

But ah beware, Sicilian nymphs! nor boast
That wand'ring heart which I fo lately loft;
Nor be with all those tempting words abus'd,
Those tempting words were all to Sappho us'd.
And you that rule Sicilia's happy plains,
Have pity, Venus, on your Poet's pains!
Shall fortune ftill in one fad tenor run,
And still increase the woes fo foon begun?
Inur'd to forrow from my tender years,
My parent's ashes drank my early tears;
My brother next, neglecting wealth and fame, 75
Ignobly burn'd in a destructive flame :

An infant daughter late my griefs increas'd,
And all a mother's cares diftract my breast.
Alas, what more could fate itself impofe,
But thee, the laft and greatest of my woes? 80
No more my robes in waving purple flow,

Nor on my
hand the sparkling diʼmonds glow;
No more my locks in ringlets curl'd diffuse
The coftly sweetness of Arabian dews,
Nor braids of gold the varied treffes bind,
That fly disorder'd with the wanton wind :

85

For

Cui colar infelix? aut cui placuiffe laborem?
Ille mihi cultus unicus auctor abeft.

Molle meum levibus cor eft violabile telis;
Et femper caufa eft, cur ego femper amem. 90
Sive ita nafcenti legem dixere forores,

Nec data funt vitae fila fevera meae;
Sive abeunt ftudia in mores, artefque magiftrae,
Ingenium nobis molle Thalia facit.

Quid mirum, fi me primae lanuginis aetas
Abftulit, atque anni, quos vir amare poteft?
Hunc ne pro Cephalo raperes, Aurora, timebam:
Et faceres; fed te prima rapina tenet.
Hunc fi confpiciat quae confpicit omnia, Phoebe ;
Juffus erit fomnos continuare Phaon.
Hunc Venus in coelum curru vexiffet eburno;
Sed videt et Marti poffe placere suo,

O nec adhuc juvenis, nec jam puer! utilis aetas!
O decus, atque aevi gloria magna tui!
Huc ades, inque finus, formofe, relabere noftros:
Non ut ames oro, verum ut amare finas, 106
Scribimus, et lacrymis oculi rorantur obortis :
Afpice, quam fit in hoc multa litura loco.

Si

For whom fhould Sappho use such arts as these? He's gone, whom only fhe defir'd to please! Cupid's light darts my

tender bofom move,

Still is there cause for Sappho ftill to love: go
So from my birth the Sifters fix'd my doom,
And gave to Venus all my life to come;
Or, while my Mufe in melting notes complains,
My yielding heart keeps measure to my ftrains.
By charms like thine which all my foul have won,
Who might not-ah! who would not be undone?
For those Aurora Cephalus might scorn,

And with fresh blufhes paint the conscious morn.
For those might Cynthia lengthen Phaon's fleep,
And bid Endymion nightly tend his fheep. 100
Venus for thofe had rapt thee to the fkies,
But Mars on thee might look with Venus' eyes.
O fcarce a youth, yet fcarce a tender boy!
O useful time for lovers to employ !

Pride of thy age, and glory of thy race,

Come to these arms, and melt in this embrace;

105

The vows you never will return, receive;
And take at least the love you will not give.
See, while I write, my words are loft in tears!
The less my sense, the more my love appears. 110

Sure

Si tam certus eras hinc ire, modeftius iffes, 110 Et modo dixiffes: Lefbi puella, vale.

Non tecum lacrymas, non ofcula fumma tulifti; Denique non timui, quod dolitura fui.

Nil de te mecum est, nisi tantum injuria : nec tu,

J 20

Admoneat quod te, pignus amantis habes.
Non mandata dedi; neque enim mandata dediffem
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 :
Aftri&tum 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.

Gaudet,