Sappho: Sleep, darling

Sappho

(c. 630–570 b.c.)

 

Sleep, darling

 

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 poetry

kempis poetry magazine

More in: Archive S-T