Ephemera (Buck)/Lesbos
LESBOS
Upon the bosom of this sun-kissed sea, beneath fair skies, caressed by gentle southern winds perfumed like enamored sighings, lies the Isle of Dreams.
Its marble cliffs, bright with anemone, fragrant with myrtle, rest like glorious temples on the blue waters. On the flowered grass among the olive groves or shadowed by the pines where lapping waves caress the sandy shore, virgins and youths, inspired with beauty, walk singing, hand in hand.
In the bright cities, laughter fills the air, mingling with pulsing music and fresh voices. From the altars of the sanctuaries, thin filaments of incense waver out, diffusing through the sunlight.
There Sappho lives to sing of love. There young Larichus, white-limbed and beautiful, pours from the glittering wine cups crimson libations to the gods. And over all, the breath of desire floats like a perfumed cloud.