Sappho and Catullus: Sexual Politics

It seems to me that man is equal to the gods that is, whoever sits opposite you
and, drawing nearer, savours, as you speak,
the sweetness of your voice


and the thrill of your laugh, which have so stirred the heart
in my own breast, that whenever I catch
sight of you, even if for a moment,
then my voice deserts me


and my tongue is struck silent, a delicate fire
suddenly races underneath my skin,
my eyes see nothing, my ears whistle like
the whirling of a top


and sweat pours down me and a trembling creeps over
my whole body, I am greener than grass;
at such times I seem to be no more than
a step away from death;


but all can be endured since even a pauper....

Read more...Is the Poem Complete or Fragmentary?

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