to the small poem and the quiet voice within

sappho | meets basho on the narrow road north

sappho-petrich

Image of Sappho by Orlay Petrich Soma, 1855

SAPPHO (625. B.C.)
(Meets Bashō (1644) on the Narrow Road North)

Like a sweet-apple
turning red
high
on the tip
of the topmost branch.

Forgotten by pickers.
Not forgotten—
they couldn’t reach it.

[Translated from the Greek by Julia Dubnoff]

Again love, the limb-loosener, rattles me
bittersweet,
irresistible,
a crawling beast.

[Translated from the Greek by Julia Dubnoff]

1 Comment

  1. Bill

    A striking beauty.

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