The Brothers Poem

ἀλλ’ ἄϊ θρύλησθα Χάραξον ἔλθην
νᾶϊ σὺν πλήαι. τὰ μὲν̣ οἴο̣μα̣ι Ζεῦς
οἶδε σύμπαντές τε θέοι · σὲ δ’ οὐ χρῆ
ταῦτα νόησθαι,
ἀλλὰ καὶ πέμπην ἔμε καὶ κέλεσθαι
πόλλα λί̣σσεσθαι̣ βασί̣λ̣η̣αν Ἤ̣ραν
ἐξίκεσθαι τυίδε σάαν ἄγοντα
νᾶα Χάραξον
κἄμμ’ ἐπεύρην ἀρτ̣έ̣μεας. τὰ δ’ ἄλλα
πάντα δαιμόνεσσ̣ιν ἐπι̣τ̣ρόπωμεν·
εὔδιαι γ̣ὰρ̣ ἐκ μεγάλαν ἀήτα̣ν̣
αἶψα πέ̣λ̣ο̣νται.
τῶν κε βόλληται βασίλευς Ὀλύμπω
δαίμον’ ἐκ πόνων ἐπάρωγον ἤδη
περτρόπην, κῆνοι μ̣άκαρες πέλονται
καὶ πολύολβοι·
κἄμμες, αἴ κε τὰν κεφάλα̣ν ἀέρρ̣η
Λάρι̣χος καὶ δή ποτ’ ἄνη̣ρ γένηται,
καὶ μάλ’ ἐκ πόλλαν βαρ̣υθυ̣μίαν̣ κεν
αἶψα λύθειμεν. ⊗

Page 4

1	ἄϊ Aeol for ἀεί, always
	θρύλημι to chatter, to keep talking about (Aeol. form of the 2nd sg. pres. act. ind.)
	Χάραξος (ὁ) Charaxos, Sappho's brother
	ἔλθην (aor. act. inf. from ἔρχομαι) to come or go. Obbink suggests this infinitive expresses a wish (that C. should come). Ferrari prefers to maintain the past tense of the aorist (that C. has arrived). Langseth argues for "that C. has left," a reading that maintains the tense and best fits the poem's narrative.¹
2	ναῦς (ἡ) ship (dat. sg.)
	σύν + dat. with
	πλήος, α, ον Aeol. for πλέως, full (dat. sg. fem.)
	οἴομαι I believe (a parenthetical aside)
	Ζεύς, Διός (ὁ) Zeus
3	οἶδα to know (3rd sg.)
	σύμπας, -πασα, -παν all together, as a whole
	θεός (ὁ) god
	χρή + acc. + inf. it is necessary (for x to do y)
4	ταῦτα these things (acc. pl. neut.)
	νόημι to think about (pres. mid. inf.)
5	καί also
	πέμπω to send (pres. act. inf., depending on σέ...χρή in v. 3)
	κέλομαι to command, urge, tell (pres. mid. inf., also depending on σέ...χρή in v. 3)
6	πόλλα (adverbial) often, many times
	λίσσομαι to pray to + acc.
	βασίληα (ἡ) queen
	Ἥρα (ἡ) Hera
7	ἐξικνέομαι to arrive, reach (aor. mid. inf.)
	τυίδε (to) here
	σάος, α, ον safe and sound (acc. sg. fem. modifying νᾶα, ship)
	ἄγω to lead, drive, guide (pres. act. partic. modifying Χάραξον). Note the interlocked word order.
9	κἄμμε = καί + ἄμμε Aeol. for ἡμέας, us (acc.)
	ἐπεύρην Aeol. for ἐφευρίσκειν, to find (pres. act. inf.)
	ἀρτεμής, ές safe and sound (acc. pl.)
	τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντα everything else (acc. pl. neut.)
10	δαίμων, ονος (ὁ) god (dat. pl.) For the ending, see Smyth 250 D 2.
	ἐπιτρόπωμεν Aeol. for ἐπιτρέπωμεν, Let us entrust, turn over (hortatory subjunctive)
11	εὐδία (ἡ) fair weather
	ἐκ + gen. from, out of
	μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα great (gen. pl. masc.)
	ἀήτης (ὁ) wind, gale (gen. pl.)
12	αἶψα quickly
	πέλομαι to come into existence (here); to become, be (as in v. 15)
13	τῶν κε those of whom / whomever, a partitive genitive based on κῆνοι in v. 15: They are blessed, those of whom the king of the gods wishes a helper god to divert from suffering.²
	βόλλομαι to wish, will, be willing
	βασίλευς (ὁ) king, i.e. Zeus
	Ὄλυμπος (ὁ) Mt. Olympus, home of the gods
14	πόνος (ὁ) trouble, distress, suffering
	ἐπαρωγός (ὁ) helper; in apposition with δαίμονα, a helper god, or god as a helper
	ἤδη already, now
15	περτρόπην Aeol. for περιτρέπειν, to divert, turn away from (pres. act. inf.; τῶν...κῆνοι acts as the direct object, attracted to the case of their own clause)
	κῆνος, α, ον Aeol. for ἐκεῖνος that person
	μάκαρ, μάκαιρα, μάκαρ blessed, fortunate
16	πολύολβος, ον very wealthy, rich in blessings
17	κἄμμες = καί + ἄμμες Aeol. for ἡμεῖς, We also (the subject of λύθειμεν in v. 20)
	αἴ (Aeol. for εἰ, if ) + κε introduces a future more vivid condition, with subjunctives in the protasis and an optative (+ κεν) in the apodosis: If Larichos lifts... and becomes... we may be freed.... See Smyth 2323-2326.
	κεφαλή (ἡ) head
	ἀέρρω Aeol. for ἀείρω, to lift, raise up (3rd sg. pres. act. subj.). The expression " to lift up his head" has archaic parallels with our own idiom, meaning to have pride in oneself. The idea here seems to be that Larichos should be proud of his aristocratic roots.³
18	Λάριχος (ὁ) Larichos, Sappho's brother
	ποτέ at some time, ever
	ἀνήρ (ὁ) man (as in, a grown man, a gentleman, a man of status)
	γίγνομαι to become (3rd sg. aor. mid. subj.)
19	μάλ’ ... πόλλαν very great
	βαρυθυμία (ἡ) heaviness of heart, heart break, depression (gen. pl.)
20	λύθειμεν (1st pl. aor. pass. opt. from λύω) we may be freed. An optative in the apodosis expresses a wish.

¹ Dirk Obbink, 2014, “Two New Poems by Sappho.” Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik 189: 42. Franco Ferrari, 2014, “Sappho and Her Brothers, and Other Passages from the First Book,” Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik 192: 4. Joshua Langseth, forthcoming, 20.

² For τῶν, see Ferrari 3. For κε, see Obbink 44.

³Langseth, forthcoming, 3.

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