Sappho's "Ode to Jealousy": a Sanskrit Translation from the Ancient Greek Original

In her famous Ode to Jealousy (fragment 31 Voigt), the lyrical speaker, a woman, observes another female talking with a man and laughing pleasantly. This fills her with an erotic desire manifested in a somatic reaction whose symptoms are described in vivid detail. Even though love is never explicitly mentioned in the poem as the cause of the physical reaction, this interpretation seems to me as seductive as the scene itself and I therefore (maybe uncritically) espouse it.

I propose a Sanskrit translation which you can read below in two forms: with and without Sandhis. In both versions, I report the Greek original above each translated stanza.

Unfortunately, we do not possess the whole poem, thus my translation (as the text itself) ends abruptly at the beginning of a sentence.

For my (freer) Italian translation, click here:

https://manage.wix.com/dashboard/58ff1ec7-436f-422b-a271-0378eb2288da/blog/c2620dd9-1739-4dea-95ef-0645bafb24e0/edit

Version with Sandhis

Φαίνεταί μοι κῆνος ἴσος θέοισιν

ἔμμεν᾽ ὤνηρ, ὄττις ἐνάντιός τοι

ἰσδάνει καὶ πλάσιον ἆδυ φωνεί-

σας ὐπακούει

प्रतिभाति मे देवसमानोय:

पुरुषोयुष्मदभिमुखमसन्नम्मासित:

त्वांश्रृणोति मधुरस्वारं निर्मोक्षयन्तीम्

καὶ γελαίσας ἰμέροεν, τό μ᾽ ἦ μὰν

καρδίαν ἐν στήθεσιν ἐπτόαισεν,

ὠς γὰρ ἔς σ᾽ ἴδω βρόχε᾽ ὤς με φώνη-

σ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἒν ἔτ᾽ εἴκει

मनोहरञ्च हसनम्

येनास्पन्दयत मदअन्तरेमदअन्त:कारणम्।

यत्क्षणेचेक्षे त्वामल्पकालमपि शब्द एकोSप्यवक्तव्योमया

ἀλλὰ κὰδ μὲν γλῶσσα ἔαγε, λέπτον

δ᾽ αὔτικα χρῷ πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμακεν,

ὀππάτεσσι δ᾽ οὐδὲν ὄρημμ᾽, ἐπιβρό-

μεισι δ᾽ ἄκουαι

बभञ्ज मे तु जिह्वा,

सद्यश्चाग्निरुपससर्प त्वचोमे सूक्ष्म:,

लोचनाभ्यांतथा किञ्चिद्द्रष्टुमसमर्थाहम्,

गुञ्जतश्च श्रोत्रे

ψῦχρα δ᾽ ἴδρως κακχέεται, τρόμος δὲ

παῖσαν ἄγρει, χλωροτέρα δὲ ποίας

ἔμμι, τεθνάκην δ᾽ ὀλίγω ’πιδεύης

φαίνομ’ ἔμ᾽ αὔτᾳ·

हिमस्वेदेन च वृष्टा,

प्रकम्पनम् च गृह्णाति मांसमपूर्णाम्,

अकस्माच्च तृणाद्हरिततरी बभूव,

मम्रे प्रायशसिति लक्ष्यते मे मनसि।

ἀλλὰ πὰν τόλματον, ἐπεί κ[†]

परन्तु सर्वम् मया दुर्भाग्यया सहनीयम् …

Version without Sandhis

Φαίνεταί μοι κῆνος ἴσος θέοισιν

 ἔμμεν᾽ ὤνηρ, ὄττις ἐνάντιός τοι

 ἰσδάνει καὶ πλάσιον ἆδυ φωνεί-

 σας ὐπακούει

प्रतिभाति मे देव-समान: य:

पुरुष: युष्मत्-अभिमुखम् आसन्नम् आसित:

त्वां शृणोति मधुरस्वारं निर्मोक्षयन्तीम्

καὶ γελαίσας ἰμέροεν, τό μ᾽ ἦ μὰν

καρδίαν ἐν στήθεσιν ἐπτόαισεν,

ὠς γὰρ ἔς σ᾽ ἴδω βρόχε᾽ ὤς με φώνη-

σ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἒν ἔτ᾽ εἴκει

मनोहरम् च हसनम् 

येन अस्पन्दयत मत्-अन्तरे मत्-अन्त:कारणम्।

यत्क्षणे च ईक्षे त्वां आल्पकालम्-अपि, शब्द: एकः-अपि अवक्तव्य: मया,

ἀλλὰ κὰδ μὲν γλῶσσα ἔαγε, λέπτον

δ᾽ αὔτικα χρῷ πῦρ ὐπαδεδρόμακεν,

ὀππάτεσσι δ᾽ οὐδὲν ὄρημμ᾽, ἐπιβρό-

μεισι δ᾽ ἄκουαι

बभञ्ज मे तु जिह्वा,

सद्यस् च अग्नि: उपससर्प त्वच: मे सूक्ष्म:,

लोचनाभ्याम् तथा किञ्चित् द्रष्टुं असमर्था अहम्,

गुञ्जत: च श्रोत्रे

ψῦχρα δ᾽ ἴδρως κακχέεται, τρόμος δὲ

παῖσαν ἄγρει, χλωροτέρα δὲ ποίας

ἔμμι, τεθνάκην δ᾽ ὀλίγω ’πιδεύης

φαίνομ’ ἔμ᾽ αὔτᾳ·

हिम-स्वेदेन च वृष्टा अहम्

प्रकम्पनम् च गृह्णाति माम् समपूर्णाम्,

अकस्मात् च तृणात् हरिततरी बभूव,

मम्रे प्रायशस् इति लक्ष्यते मे मनसि।

ἀλλὰ πὰν τόλματον, ἐπεί κ[†]

परन्तु सर्वम् तु मया दुर्भाग्यया सहनीयम् …