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Et Phoebus Daphnen, & Gnofida Bacchus amavit;
Nec norat lyricos illa, vel illa modos.

At mihi Pegafides blandiffima carinina dictant;
Jam canitur toto nomen in orbe meum.
Nec plus Alcaeus, confors patriaeque lyraeque,

Laudis habet, quamvis grandius ille fonet.
Si mihi difficilis formam natura negavit

Ingenio formae damna rependo meae.

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Sum brevis; at nomen, quod terras impleat omnes,

Eft mihi; menfuram nominis ipfa fero. Candida fi non fum, placuit Cepheïa Perfeo

Andromede, patriae fufca colore fuae:

Et variis albae junguntur faepe columbae,
Et niger a viridi turtur, amatur ave.
Si, nifi quae facie poterit te digna videri,

Nulla futura tua eft; nulla futura tua eft.

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At me cum legeres, etiam formofa videbar;

Unam jurabas ufque decere loqui.
Cantabam, memini (meminerunt omnia amantes)

Ofcula cantanti tu mihi rapta dabas.

Haec quoque laudabas: omnique a parte placebam,

Sed tum praecipue, cum fit amoris opus.

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Would you with ivy wreath your flowing hair,
Not Bacchus' felf with Phaon could compare :
Yet Phœbus lov'd, and Bacchus felt the flame;
One Daphne warm'd, and one the Cretan dame:
Nyinphs that in verfe no more could rival me,
Than ev❜n thofe Gods contend in charms with thee. 30
The Mufes teach me all their fofeft lays,"
And the wide world refounds with Sappho's praife.
Tho' great Alcæus more fublimely fings,
And ftrikes with bolder rage the founding ftrings,
No lefs renown attends the moving lyre,
Which Venus tunes, and all her loves infpire;
To me what nature has in charms deny'd,
Is well by wit's more lafting flames fupply'd.
Tho' fhort my ftature, yet my name extends
To heav'n itself, and earth's remoteft ends.
Brown as I am, an Ethiopian dame
Infpir'd young Perfeus with a gen'rous flame;
Turtles and doves of diff'ring hues unite,

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And gloffy jet is pair'd with fhining white.

If to no charins thou wilt thy heart resign,

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But fuch as merit, fuch as equal thine,

By none, alas! by none thou canst be mov'd,
Phaon alone by Phaon must be lov'd!
Yet once thy Sappho could thy cares employ,
Once in her arms you center'd all your joy:
No time the dear remembrance can remove,
For oh! how vaft a memory has love?
My mufic, then, you could for ever hear,
And all my words were mufic to your ear.
You ftopp'd with kiffes my enchanting tongue,
And found my kiffes fweeter than my fong.

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Tunc te plus folito lafcivia nostra juvabat,
Crebraque mobilitas, aptaque verba joco;
Quique, ubi jam amborum fuerat confufa voluptas,
Plurimus in laffo corpore languor erat.
Nunc tibi Sicelides veniunt nova praeda puellae;
Quid mihi cum Lefbo? Sicelis effe volo.
At vos erronem tellure remittite noftrum,
Nifiades matres, Nifiadefque nurus.

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

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Tu quoque quae montes celebras, Erycina, Sicanos, (Nam tua fum) vati confule, diva, tuae.

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An gravis inceptum peragit fortuna tenorem?
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 danna pudore tulit.
Factus inops agili peragit freta coerula remo:
Quafque male amifit, nunc male quaerit opes:

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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.

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

Cui colar infelix? aut cui placuiffe laborem?

Ille mihi cultûs unicus auctor abest.

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In all I pleas'd, but most in what was beft;

And the laft joy was dearer than the reft.

Then with each word, each glance, each motion fir'd,

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You ftill enjoy'd, and yet you still defir'd,
'Till all diffolving in the trance we lay,
And in tumultuous raptures dy'd away.
The fair Sicilians now thy foul inflame;
Why was I born, ye Gods, a Lefbian dame?
But ah beware, Sicilian nymphs! nor boaft
That wand'ring heart which I fo lately loft;
Nor be with all thofe 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 afhes drank my early tears:
My brother next, neglecting wealth and fame
Ignobly burn'd in a deftructive flame:
An infant daughter late my griefs encreas'd,
And all a mother's cares diftract my breaft:
Alas, what more could fate itself impofe,
But thee, the laft and greatest of my woes?
No more my robes in waving purple flow,
Nor on my hand the fparkling di'monds glow;
No more my locks in ringlets curl'd diffufe
The coftly sweetness of Arabian dews,
Nor braids of gold the varied treffes bind,
That fly diforder'd with the wanton wind:
For whom fhould Sappho ufe fuch arts as these?
He's gone, whom only fhe defir'd to please!

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Molle meum levibus cor est violabile telis;

Et femper caufa eft, cur ego femper amem.
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 & Marti poffe placere fuo.

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O nec adhuc juvenis, nec jam puer! utilis aetas!
O decus, atque aevi gloria magna tui!
Huc ades, inque finus, formofe, relabere noftros: 105
Non ut ames oro, verum ut amare finas.
Scribimus, & lacrymis oculi rorantur obortis:
Afpice, quam fit in hoc multa litura loco.
Si. tam certus eras hinc ire, modeftius iffes,
Et modo dixiffes: Lefbi puella, vale.
Non tecum lacrymas, non ofcula fumma tulifti:

Denique non timui, quod dolitura fui..
Nil de te mecum eft, nifi tantum injuria: nec tu,

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Admoneat quod te, pignus amantis habes. Non, mandata dedi; neque enim mandata dediffem Ulla, nifi ut nolles immemor effe mei.

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