Sappho Translation

Not just a hero

I see a god
the one who is permitted
to be near you—he

listens with such care and intimacy
to your lips as they softly
speak, the welcoming

laughter that triggers my
heart to race. When I see
you, I stutter

as if I forgot all words;
I’m burning inside and
I am blinded by the flames

seeing nothing, only
listening to the pulse
of my own ears

my whole body,
trembling as I drip
with nervous sweat

I turn a sick pale color
like dry grass during a harsh winter
it’s at these times I feel as I can shake the hand of death.