PaginePale rose leaves have fallen
by Sappho
Translated by Bliss Carman (1904) · From Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics, XVII
Pale rose leaves have fallen
In the fountain water;
And soft reedy flute-notes
Pierce the sultry quiet.
But I wait and listen,
Till the trodden gravel
Tells me, all impatience,
It is Phaon’s footstep.
This poem and this translation are in the public domain. Source text: Project Gutenberg.