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| Jean de Saint Igny Sense of taste 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Peter Lely Self-portrait (conjectured) 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
The Moon has veil'd her Silver Light,
The Pleiades have left the Sky;
It's now the silent Noon of Night,
The Love-sworn Hour is past; yet I
Alone, deserted, pining lie!
– John Addison, 1735
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| Anonymous French artist Seated draped woman 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Karl Dujardin Study of a young man 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Domenico Piola Allegory of nobility 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
The Pleiads now no more are seen,
Nor shines the silver moon serene,
In dark and dismal Clouds o'ercast;
The love appointed Hour is past:
Midnight usurps her sable Throne,
And yet, alas! I lie alone.
– Francis Fawkes, 1760
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| Leendert van der Cooghen Standing man 1656 drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Sigismondo Caula Standing woman 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Domenico Gargiulo Man carrying a large object 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Charles Le Brun Design for a caryatid 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
The weeping Pleiads wester,
And the moon is under seas;
From bourn to bourn of midnight
Far sighs the rainy breeze:
It sighs from a lost country
To a land I have not known;
The weeping Pleiads wester,
And I lie down alone.
– A.E. Housman, 1893
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| attributed to Aniello Falcone Standing soldier 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Bartolomeo Guidobono Young woman playing the lute 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| Johan Liss Youth playing the lute early 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
Tonight I've watched
The moon and then
the Pleiades
go down
The night is now
half-gone; youth
goes; I am
in bed alone.
– Mary Barnard, 1958
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| attributed to Carlo Cignani Seated youth 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
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| attributed to Jan Lievens Sleeping woman 17th century drawing Morgan Library, New York |
The four translations were all made from the same few lines of ancient Greek, attributed to Sappho. They appear together in The Oxford Book of Classical Verse in Translation, edited by Adrian Poole and Jeremy Maule (Oxford University Press, 1995)
I am grateful for the careful reproductions from the Morgan Library