Is the day long,
O Lesbian maiden,
And the night endless
In thy lone chamber
In Mitylene?

All the bright day,
Until welcome evening
When the stars kindle
Over the harbour,
What tasks employ thee?

Passing the fountain
At golden sundown,
One of the home-going
Traffickers, hast thou
Thought of thy lover?

Nay, but how far
Too brief will the night be,
When I returning
To the dear portal
Hear my own heart beat!