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Sulpicia: a woman poet from ancient Rome
My heart and soul will stay behind, although I’m gone
I came across these poems that can be said to be the oldest surviving poems by a woman, earlier these were attributed
to poet Tibillus. Sulpicia was thought to be during the reign of Augustus(63BC). What I liked about the poems is it's freshness and lack of pretence, she is a natural. More in the line of teenage love, despite the fact that these poems are thousands of years old it is more like around us!!. Some of these lines are charmingly innocent, I am glad that I came across these on the net (this here is a translation by Jon Corelis). Sulpicia must have been an amazing girl!!
Love has come at last, and such a love as I
should be more shamed to hide than to reveal.
Cytherea, yielding to my Muse’s prayers,
has brought him here and laid him in my arms.
Venus has kept her promise. Let people talk, who never
themselves have found such joys as now are mine.
I wish that I could send my tablets to my love
unsealed, not caring who might read them first.
The sin is sweet, to mask it for fear of shame is bitter.
I’m proud we’ve joined, each worthy of the other
My hateful birthday’s come, which must be spent in gloom
in the boring countryside -- without Cerinthus!
What’s nicer than the city? What girl would want some cabin,
and the chilly river of Aretium’s fields?
Now do stay put, Messalla; you try too hard to please me:
trips, my uncle, are not always welcome.
My heart and soul will stay behind, although I’m gone,
since you won’t let me act as I would wish.
Guess what? -- that gloomy trip is off your girl’s mind.
We’re going to spend my birthday now in Rome!
Now all of us can celebrate that birthday here,
a piece of unexpected luck for you!
Do you feel loving care, Cerinthus, for your girl,
since fever now torments her wearied limbs?
Ah, I would not wish to live through this disease
unless I knew you also wished it too;
for what good would it do me to live through this disease,
if you can bear my troubles with calm heart?
I scribbled this the other day (might have to do with Inception !!)
Mind
Where thoughts repose
and clamor for consideration,
where memories dwell
and dreams weave little worlds,
senses take it bow
whims put to its place.
Tidy master tolerates no mutiny.
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Love has come at last, and such a love as I
should be more shamed to hide than to reveal.
Cytherea, yielding to my Muse’s prayers,
has brought him here and laid him in my arms.
Venus has kept her promise. Let people talk, who never
themselves have found such joys as now are mine.
I wish that I could send my tablets to my love
unsealed, not caring who might read them first.
The sin is sweet, to mask it for fear of shame is bitter.
I’m proud we’ve joined, each worthy of the other
My hateful birthday’s come, which must be spent in gloom
in the boring countryside -- without Cerinthus!
What’s nicer than the city? What girl would want some cabin,
and the chilly river of Aretium’s fields?
Now do stay put, Messalla; you try too hard to please me:
trips, my uncle, are not always welcome.
My heart and soul will stay behind, although I’m gone,
since you won’t let me act as I would wish.
Guess what? -- that gloomy trip is off your girl’s mind.
We’re going to spend my birthday now in Rome!
Now all of us can celebrate that birthday here,
a piece of unexpected luck for you!
Do you feel loving care, Cerinthus, for your girl,
since fever now torments her wearied limbs?
Ah, I would not wish to live through this disease
unless I knew you also wished it too;
for what good would it do me to live through this disease,
if you can bear my troubles with calm heart?
I scribbled this the other day (might have to do with Inception !!)
Mind
Where thoughts repose
and clamor for consideration,
where memories dwell
and dreams weave little worlds,
senses take it bow
whims put to its place.
Tidy master tolerates no mutiny.
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