Sappho and Catullus: Sexual Politics

That man to me seems equal to a god
that man, if I'm allowed to say it, seems superior to the gods
who, sitting opposite you, continually
sees and hears you

sweetly laughing; making me unhappy because all
the senses have been ripped from me, for as soon as
I see you, Lesbia, nothing is left to me
of speech in my mouth

but my tongue is numb, a thin flame
flows down my limbs, with a din of their own
my ears ring, my two eyes covered
by night.

Leisure, Catullus, is your downfall
in leisure you exalt and become over-excited:
leisure before now has destroyed both kings
and prosperous cities.

Read more...Josephine Balmer's Translation 

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