Cleis Poem by Sappho

Cleis

Rating: 3.0


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
tr. Barnard

Cleis
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Uriah Hamilton 12 May 2005

what sunlight, what youthfulness, what tenderness does not exude from my beloved Sappho?

6 0 Reply
Latha Govindasamy 07 June 2016

Very impressive poem. The poet's daughter must have real golden flower. Very beaitifully knitted multiple topics and brought out the poem like a capsule form!

3 0 Reply
Emma Brooks 20 October 2016

I agree

0 0
Sayeed Abubakar 31 July 2013

What a touchy poem! I am utterly touched by the language of a lovely mother.

3 0 Reply
Emma Brooks 20 October 2016

I have to do a report on Sappho and this poem really helps

2 0 Reply
Dr Antony Theodore 30 October 2020

a purple ribbon looped in the hair was thought to be high style indeed You do not need any hairdress. fine poem. tony

0 0 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 26 February 2020

very impression and loving poem written- a girl whose hair is yellower than torchlight should wear no headdress but fresh flowers// superb

0 0 Reply
Britte Ninad 26 February 2020

a girl whose hair is yellower than torchlight should wear no headdress but fresh flowers Beautiful poem

1 0 Reply
Michael Morgan 05 December 2019

yellower than WHAT? This is divine. No wonfer she lives.

2 0 Reply
Michael Morgan 05 December 2019

Misunderstood. She is talking to one of her 'girls' leaving to be married. Reference to the daughter is incidental

1 0 Reply
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