P H A O N. 4^7 



kiffes as ever. — In fhort, Phaon, thou art fo beautiful, 

 that — I am afraid it will go very ill with me. — [She 

 breaks off a twig from a blooming citron-trt-e 9 and holds it 

 before his mouth. 



Phaon.] May the Graces turn their backs upon 

 me, if I undenftand thee ! 



Sappho.] I thought I fpoke plain enough. — Then, 

 lovely Phaon, J cannot long refrain myfelf. — But as 

 beautiful gentlemen as thou — have been my daily 

 companions ever iince I have been here. There are no 

 lefs than feven of them ; and always the one more fair, 

 more fweet, more tender, more rofy-cheeked, more 

 fpiritlefs, more infignificant, more empty, more fop- 

 piili than the other. And only think, that I am obliged 

 to hear them, for feven tedious moons, the whole day 

 long, buzzing about me ; muft bear their fenfelefs flat- 

 teries, their eternal monotonous chirpings, their thought™ 

 lefs magpye-chatter, and — dare neither bind my eyes, 

 nor flop my ears, nor run away from them — and all 

 this, beautiful Phaon, in punifhment for my having 

 been fo fllly a thing as to precipitate myfelf from the 

 leucadian rock out of mere impatience at thy having fo 

 little foul. I allure thee, that my condition would be 

 worfe than a place in Tartarus, were it not that every 

 feventh day, the hoary Neflor, and the aged Simoni- 

 des, and the wife Solon, and fome other fuch charm- 

 ing people, have been permitted to vilit me, and alle- 

 viate my fufferings. 



Phaon q/ide.~\ This drives me almoit diffracted. 



Sappho.] Thou canfl: not imagine how much this 

 old homerical Neflor has gained upon my heart ! That 

 is a man with whom the hours fly like minutes ! If 



there 



