The songs of Bilitis : $b Translated from the Greek : A new rendering in English with notes and comment
| Language | en |
|---|---|
| First published | 2025-08-07 |
| Rights | Public domain in the USA. |
| Gutenberg ID | #76646 |
Description
"The Songs of Bilitis: Translated from the Greek" by Pierre Louÿs is a collection of erotic poetry published in 1894. Louÿs presented these lesbian love poems as ancient Greek works by Bilitis, a courtesan and contemporary of Sappho, complete with fabricated scholarly apparatus including a fictional archaeologist's discovery. The pseudotranslation initially deceived experts before being exposed as Louÿs's original creation. The poems trace three phases of life—from childhood innocence through passionate same-sex love to melancholy reflection—blending sensuality with classical style while openly celebrating lesbian sexuality. (This is an automatically generated summary.)