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59

Κατθνάσκει Κυθέρἠ, ἄβροσ Ἄδωνισ, τί κε θεῖμεν,
Καττύπτεσθε κόραι καὶ κατερείκεσθε χίτωνασ. [transcription]

Gentle Adonis is dying, O Cythera, what shall we do?
Beat your breasts, O maidens, and rend your garments.

Gentle Adonis wounded lies, dying, dying.
What message, O Cythera, dost thou send?
Beat, beat your white breasts, O ye weeping maidens,
And in wild grief your mourning garments rend.

Quoted by Hephaestion and presumed to be written by Sappho from a passage in Pausanias.

The reverbrating beat of the repetitions of the letter k is very remarkable.