Kevin Wald: Lyric Experiment


One difficulty with reading the ancient Greek lyric poets (aside 
from the fact that they inexplicably wrote all of their verse in
Greek) is that their songs exist in such incomplete form; not only
are the lyrics often fragmentary, but the tunes that they originally
went with are completely gone. 

There is an obvious solution to this problem. We modern-type people
have plenty of suitable tunes lying around; let us then employ them
in the service of our lyric forerunners, so that their songs may 
once again sing.

As an attempt in this direction, I present the following. It is 
simply ten or eleven fragments from the collected love lyrics of 
Sappho of Mytilene, assembled, translated, and accompanied by a 
tune (and spoken refrain) of a more recent vintage (a love song 
originally sung by the famed bard Toni Basil). Enjoy.   

=================================================================

     (Oh, Mika, you're so fine,
     You're so fine you blow my mind!
     Hey Mika! Hey Mika!) * 2 

Hey Mika!
You take a sprig of dill, and weave it through your hair;
The Graces get a thrill to see a flower there,
'Cause though Gyrinno's fair, you've got a better bod, Mika.

I tremble with desire and my mouth is going dry,
My flesh is all afire, and I think I'm gonna die
To see you with that guy -- he's lucky as a god, Mika!

   Oh, Mika, Aphrodita on her dappled throne
   Is asking who I'd want, if I asked her, for my own.
   Oh, Mika, Mnasidika, maiden adyphone,
   Of gals like you, Mika,
   Beneath the sun, Mika, none, Mika, has half your art, Mika . . .

Hey Mika!
Remember all those days, we didn't miss a shrine.
You put on all your leis, beside me wearing mine,
And on the softest bed we would both recline, Mika.

I needn't touch the clouds, with you to be caressed.  
Your Penthelisian crowd? Please give those gals a rest,     
And lay your sleeping head on a tender girlfriend's breast, Mika!  

   Oh, Mika, Aphrodita on her dappled throne
   Is asking who I'd want, if I asked her, for my own.
   Oh, Mika, Mnasidika, maiden adyphone,
   Of gals like you, Mika,
   Beneath the sun, Mika, none, Mika, has half your art, Mika . . .

[Repeat Refrain]
[Repeat Chorus a zillion times . . .]