And we will be publishing it in the next issue which should hit the 'net on June 1st.
I thought it was especially good. If you have any others, I’d be proud to take a look at them
Woo-hoo!
I’ll take a look through my notebooks and see what I find.
“To Gongyla” — by [symbol]Sapjw[/symbol] Sappho
[symbol]Tuide moi nuktoV, kelomai s¢, [/symbol]’[symbol]apelqe,
Goggula brodanqi, laboisa Ludan
paktin[/symbol]· [symbol]ai se dhute poqoV tiV[/symbol] ’[symbol]ammoV
[/symbol]’[symbol]amfipotatai
tan kalan[/symbol]· ’[symbol]a gar katagwgiV auta
[/symbol]’[symbol]eptoais¢ [/symbol]’[symbol]idoisan, [/symbol]’[symbol]egw de cairw.
kai gar auta dh pot¢ [/symbol]’[symbol]ememfoman tan
Kuprogenhan[/symbol]·[symbol]
[/symbol]’[symbol]aV [/symbol]’[symbol]aramai mh carin [/symbol]’[symbol]abfephn moi
touto twpoV, [/symbol]’[symbol]alla se, tan malista
bollomai qnatan katidhn gunaikwn
[/symbol]’[symbol]ay palin [/symbol]’[symbol]elkhn.[/symbol]
Tyide moi nyktos, kelomai s’, apelthe,
Gongyla brodanthi, laboisa Lydan
paktin; ai se dêyte pothos tis ammos
amphipotatai
tan kalan a gar katagôgis auta
eptoais’ idoisan, egô de chairô.
kai gar auta dê pot’ ememphoman tan
Kyprogenêan;
as aramai mê charin abpherên moi
touto tôpos, alla se, tan malista
bollomai thnatan katidên gynaikôn
aps palin elkên.
*Come hither tonight, I pray, my rosebud Gongyla,
and with your Lydian lyre;
surely a desire of my heart
ever hovers about your lovely self;
for the sight of your very robe thrills me,
and I rejoice that it is so.
Once on a day, I too found fault
with the Cyprus-born*—
whose favor I pray these words may lose me not,
but rather bring me back again
the maiden whom of all womankind
I desire the most to see.*
*Aphrodite.
Sorry, I made a couple mistakes in the transliteration.
The first word in the first line should read: Tuide.
The fourth word in the third line should read: dêute.
This poem comes “from a second-century papyrus” (Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1231.15). I found it in J. M. Edmonds’s Lyra Graeca, vol. 1, p. 216-217.
Here’s another translation, by Paul Roche:
*Come back to me, Gongyla, here tonight,
You, my rose, with your Lydian lyre.
There hovers forever around you delight:
A beauty desired.
Even your garment plunders my eyes.
I am enchanted: I who once
Complained to the Cyprus-born goddess,
Whom I now beseech
Never to let this lose me grace
But rather bring you back to me:
Amongst all mortal women the one
I most wish to see. *
Then there’s this more recent example of lesbian poetry:
*Kiss me
Among the bearded barley
Lightly
Beside the green, green grass
Swing, swing
Swing those spinning steps
You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress, oh
Kiss me
Beneath the milky twilight
Lead me
Out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band
And make the fireflies dance…
Silver moon’s sparkling…
So kiss me.
Meet me
Beside the broken treehouse
Swing me
Upon its hanging tire
Bring, bring
Bring your flowered hat
We’ll take the trail marked on your father’s map, oh
Kiss me
Beneath the milky twilight
Lead me
Out on the moonlit floor
Lift your open hand
Strike up the band
And make the fireflies dance…
Silver moon’s sparkling…
So kiss me.*
(I’m doing this from memory, so I may not have it exactly right.)
In a good, normal world, you’d be able to look over at W sometime while you’re walkin along and grin and say, “You know, I have such a crush on you! Don’t worry, you don’t have to reciprocate - just wanted to let you know.” And then move on. I know you’d never do it. She’d probably be flattered though, even if she is straight.
Depends a bit on where your community is. Perhaps if it’s in SF, sure, it would be fine to publish.
I’m confused as to how one can have such a huge amount of feelings for someone without knowing all that much about them.
Sometimes it’s just better to let things be, as changing the nature of a relationship can often have unwanted effects., which can put one into quite an emotional slump, if you catch my drift.
I spent four torturous years trying to convince this woman I adored that I was the one for her.
I did the poetry thing too. Scribbled a whole book full.
We became good friends. Then best friends. She kept saying no. I kept saying yes. Finally she said ‘Maybe’.
We will be celebrating our third anniversary together this June. It’s not a perfect relationship. But it’s better than anything I imagined.
Not that I’m trying to give you false hope. There were times where I was absolutely crushed. (To the point of being suicidal sometimes, no kidding.) But I guess you can never tell what will happen. My thoughts would be - tell her, be prepared for the consequences, don’t regret it. You WILL live through it.
Lunatic13, I’m an associate editor of Teemings, and the poem was passed on to me as well. All I can say is holy freakin’ Toledo! That is one outstanding piece of writing.
I do wish you all the best with W, too. I really do. Where your relationship will go, I do not know–I’m not good at giving advice on relationships. But wherever the two of you end up, I sincerely hope it is in a place that makes both of you happy.
JillGat: In a good, normal world I wouldn’t be so damned shy, and I would have said something long ago (and in a perfect world W. would’ve responded with a whispered “me too” and a kiss)
handy yes. thank you. helpful as always.
seeing Persephone on the preview: A sincere thank-you. 
Yeah. I definitely understand that. 
**
I dunno. Me & W., it seems more and more hopeless. Seems like I should just give it up.
I might tell her now, just because it is so hopeless now, and taking initiative after it’s too late for anything to happen would be so typically stupid-me. Our college’s spring break is coming up, and I won’t see W. for about 10 days. I’m thinking I might send her an e-mail and finally confess; I’d close with something along the lines of “…and if you want you can just ignore this, and I’ll never bring up the subject in real life if it really freaks you out that much.” And I would. If avoiding me makes her happy, I’d do that for her, I’d relieve her of the burden of having to know me.
::sigh:: Oh, it’s just been a tumultuous week, and a very tumultuous today. I think I’m probably just going to mope tonight, try not to think about it at all this weekend, eventually chicken out and NOT tell her, then brood over that for the next several months.
Thanks to everyone for your advice and concern.