Ibykos Fragment 286 Translation

Ibykos Fragment 286, circa 564 BCE
loose translation by Michael R. Burch

Come spring, the grand
apple trees stand
watered by a gushing river
where the maidens’ uncut flowers shiver
and the blossoming grape vine swells
in the gathering shadows.

Unfortunately
for me
Eros never rests
but like a Thracian tempest
ablaze with lightning
emanates from Aphrodite;
the results are frightening―
black,
bleak,
astonishing,
violently jolting me from my soles
to my soul.

Originally published by The Chained Muse

Ibykos, also spelled Ibycus, was an ancient Greek lyric poet. Ibykos was included in the canonical list of melic poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria. Originally from Rhegium in Magna Graecia, Ibykos is believed to have moved to Samos during the reign of the tyrant Polykrates (c. 538-522 BCE).