by Theocritus
ὦ μάλοισιν ῎Ερωτες ἐρευθομένοισιν ὁμοῖοι,
βάλλετέ μοι τόξοισι τὸν ἱμερόεντα Φιλῖνον,
βάλλετ᾽, ἐπεὶ τὸν ξεῖνον ὁ δύσμορος οὐκ ἐλεεῖ μευ.
καὶ δὴ μὰν ἀπίοιο πεπαίτερος, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες 120
‘αἰαῖ” φαντὶ “Φιλῖνε, τό τοι καλὸν ἄνθος ἀπορρεῖ.’
μηκέτι τοι φρουρέωμες ἐπὶ προθύροισιν ῎Αρατε,
μηδὲ πόδας τρίβωμες: ὁ δ᾽ ὄρθριος ἄλλον ἀλέκτωρ
κοκκύζων νάρκαισιν ἀνιαραῖσι διδοίη,
εἷς δ᾽ ἀπὸ τᾶσδε φέριστε Μόλων ἄγχοιτο παλαίστρας,
ἄμμιν δ᾽ ἁσυχία τε μέλοι γραία τε παρείη,
ἅτις ἐπιφθύζοισα τὰ μὴ καλὰ νόσφιν ἐρύκοι.
[115] O come ye away, ye little Loves like apples red-blushing,
From Byblis’ fount and Oecus’ mount that is fair-haired Dion’s joy,
Come shoot the fair Philinus, shoot me the silly boy
That flouts my friend! Yet after all, the pear’s o’er-ripe to taste,
And the damsels sigh and the damsels say ‘Thy bloom, child, fails thee fast’;
So let’s watch no more his gate before, Aratus o’ this gear,
But ease our aching feet, my friend, and let old chanticleer
Cry ‘shiver’ to some other when he the dawn shall sing;
One scholar o’ that school’s enough to have met his death i’ the ring.
’Tis peace of mind, lad, we must find, and have a beldame nigh
To sit for us and spit for us and bid all ill go by.”
τόσσ᾽ ἐφάμαν: ὁ δέ μοι τὸ λαγωβόλον, ἁδὺ γελάσσας
ὡς πάρος, ἐκ Μοισᾶν ξεινήιον ὤπασεν εἶμεν.
χὡ μὲν ἀποκλίνας ἐπ᾽ ἀριστερὰ τὰν ἐπὶ Πύξας 130
εἷρφ᾽ ὁδόν, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ τε καὶ Εὔκριτος ἐς Φρασιδάυω
στραφθέντες χὡ καλὸς ᾿Αμύντιχος ἔν τε βαθείαις
ἁδείας σχοίνοιο χαμευνίσιν ἐκλίνθημες
ἔν τε νεοτμάτοισι γεγαθότες οἰναρέοισι.
[128] So far my song; and Lycidas, with a merry laugh as before, bestowed the crook upon me to be the Muses’ pledge of friendship, and so bent his way to the left-hand and went down the Pyxa road; and Eucritus and I and pretty little Amyntas turned in at Phrasidamus’s and in deep greenbeds of fragrant reeds and fresh-cut vine-strippings laid us rejoicing down.
πολλαὶ δ᾽ ἁμὶν ὕπερθε κατὰ κρατὸς δονέοντο 135
αἴγειροι πτελέαι τε: τὸ δ᾽ ἐγγύθεν ἱερὸν ὕδωρ
Νυμφᾶν ἐξ ἄντροιο κατειβόμενον κελάρυζε.
τοὶ δὲ ποτὶ σκιαραῖς ὀροδαμνίσιν αἰθαλίωνες
τέττιγες λαλαγεῦντες ἔχον πόνον: ἁ δ᾽ ὀλολυγὼν
τηλόθεν ἐν πυκιναῖσι βάτων τρύζεσκεν ἀκάνθαις. 140
ἄειδον κόρυδοι καὶ ἀκανθίδες, ἔστενε τρυγών,
πωτῶντο ξουθαὶ περὶ πίδακας ἀμφὶ μέλισσαι.
πάντ᾽ ὦσδεν θέρεος μάλα πίονος, ὦσδε δ᾽ ὀπώρας.
ὄχναι μὲν πὰρ ποσσί, παρὰ πλευραῖσι δὲ μᾶλα
δαψιλέως ἁμῖν ἐκυλίνδετο: τοὶ δ᾽ ἐκέχυντο 145
ὄρπακες βραβίλοισι καταβρίθοντες ἔραζε:
[135] Many an aspen, many an elm bowed and rustled overhead, and hard by, the hallowed water welled purling forth of a cave of the Nymphs, while the brown cricket chirped busily amid the shady leafage, and the tree-frog murmured aloof in the dense thornbrake. Lark and goldfinch sang and turtle moaned, and about he spring the bees hummed and hovered to and fro. All nature smelt of the opulent summer-time, smelt of the season of fruit. Pears lay at our feet, apples on either side, rolling abundantly, and the young branches lay splayed upon the ground because of the weight of their damsons.
τετράενες δὲ πίθων ἀπελύετο κρατὸς ἄλειφαρ.
νύμφαι Κασταλίδες Παρνάσιον αἶπος ἔχοισαι,
ἆρά γέ πᾳ τοιόνδε Φόλω κατὰ λάινον ἄντρον
κρατῆρ᾽ ῾Ηρακλῆι γέρων ἐστήσατο Χείρων; 150
ἆρά γέ πᾳ τῆνον τὸν ποιμένα τὸν ποτ᾽ ᾿Ανάπῳ,
τὸν κρατερὸν Πολύφαμον, ὃς ὤρεσι νᾶας ἔβαλλε,
τοῖον νέκταρ ἔπεισε κατ᾽ αὐλία ποσσὶ χορεῦσαι,
οἷον δὴ τόκα πῶμα διεκρανάσατε Νύμφαι
βωμῷ πὰρ Δάματρος ἀλῳάδος; ἇς ἐπὶ σωρῷ 155
αὖθις ἐγὼ πάξαιμι μέγα πτύον, ἁ δὲ γελάσσαι
δράγματα καὶ μάκωνας ἐν ἀμφοτέραισιν ἔχοισα.
[147] Meanwhile we broke the four-year-old seal from off the lips of the jars, and O ye Castalian Nymphs that dwell on Parnassus’ height, did ever the aged Cheiron in Pholus’ rocky cave set before Heracles such a bowlful as that? And the mighty Polypheme who kept sheep beside the Anapus and had at ships with mountains, was it for such nectar he footed it around his steading – such a draught as ye Nymphs gave us that day of your spring by the altar of Demeter o’ the Threshing-floor? of her, to wit, upon whose cornheap I pray I may yet again plant the great purging-fan while she stands smiling by with wheatsheaves and poppies in either hand.
IDYLL VIII. Βουκολιασταὶ Δάφνις καὶ Μενάλκας
IDYLL VIII. THE SECOND COUNTRY SINGING-MATCH
The characters of this shepherd-mime are the mythical personages Daphnis the neatherd and Menalcas the shepherd, and an unnamed goatherd who play umpire in their contest of song. After four lines by way of stage-direction, the conversation opens with mutual banter between the two young countrymen, and leads to a singing-match with pipes for the stakes. Each sings four alternate elegiac quatrains and an envoy of eight hexameters. In the first three pairs of quatrains Menalcas sets the theme and Daphnis takes it up. The first pair is addressed to the landscape, and contains mutual compliments; the remainder deal with love. The last pair of quatrains and the two envoys do not correspond in theme. The resemblance of most of the competing stanzas has caused both loss and transposition in the manuscripts. From metrical and linguistic considerations the poem is clearly not the work of Theocritus.
Δάφνιδι τῷ χαρίεντι συνήντετο βουκολέοντι
μᾶλα νέμων, ὡς φαντί, κατ᾽ ὤρεα μακρὰ Μενάλκας.
ἄμφω τώγ᾽ ἤστην πυρροτρίχω, ἄμφω ἀνάβω,
ἄμφω συρίσδεν δεδαημένω, ἄμφω ἀείδεν.
πρᾶτος δ᾽ ὦν ποτὶ Δάφνιν ἰδὼν ἀγόρευε Μενάλκας: 5
‘μυκητᾶν ἐπίουρε βοῶν Δάφνι, λῇς μοι ἀεῖσαι;
φαμί τυ νικασεῖν, ὅσσον θέλω αὐτὸς ἀείδων.’
τὸν δ᾽ ἄρα χὡ Δάφνις τοιῷδ᾽ ἀπαμείβετο μύθῳ:
‘ποιμὴν εἰροπόκων ὀίων συριγκτὰ Μενάλκα,
οὔποτε νικασεῖς μ᾽, ο
ὐδ᾽ εἴ τι πάθοις τύγ᾽ ἀείδων.’ 10
[1] Once on a day the fair Daphnis, out upon the long hills with his cattle, met Menalcas keeping his sheep. Both had ruddy heads, both were striplings grown, both were players of music, and both knew how to sing. Looking now towards Daphnis, Menalcas first ‘What, Daphnis,’ cries he, ‘thou watchman o’ bellowing kine, art thou willing to sing me somewhat? I’ll warrant, come my turn, I shall have as much the better of thee as I choose.’ And this was Daphnis’ answer: ‘Thou shepherd o’ woolly sheep, thou mere piper Menalcas, never shall the likes of thee have the better of me in song, strive he never so hard.’
MENALCAS
Μενάλκας
χρῄσδεις ὧν ἐσιδεῖν; χρῄσδεις καταθεῖναι ἄεθλον;
Δάφνις
χρῄσδω τοῦτ᾽ ἐσιδεῖν, χρῄσδω καταθεῖναι ἄεθλον.
Μενάλκας
καὶ τίνα θησεύμεσθ᾽, ὅτις ἁμῖν ἄρκιος εἴη;
Δάφνις
μόσχον ἐγὼ θησῶ: τὺ δὲ θὲς ἰσομάτορα ἀμνόν.
Μενάλκας
οὐ θησῶ ποκα ἀμνόν, ἐπεὶ χαλεπὸς ὁ πατήρ μευ 15
χἁ μάτηρ, τὰ δὲ μᾶλα ποθέσπερα πάντ᾽ ἀριθμεῦντι.
Δάφνις
ἀλλὰ τί μὰν θησεῖς; τί δὲ τὸ πλέον ἑξεῖ ὁ νικῶν;
Μενάλκας
σύριγγ᾽ ἃν ἐπόησα καλὰν ἐγὼ ἐννεάφωνον,
λευκὸν κηρὸν ἔχοισαν, ἴσον κάτω, ἶσον ἄνωθεν,
ταύταν κατθείην, τὰ δὲ τῶ πατρὸς οὐ καταθησῶ. 20
Δάφνις
ἦ μάν τοι κἠγὼ σύριγγ᾽ ἔχω ἐννεάφωνον.
λευκὸν κηρὸν ἔχοισαν, ἴσον κάτω, ἶσον ἄνωθεν.
πρώαν νιν συνέπαξ᾽: ἔτι καὶ τὸν δάκτυλον ἀλγέω
τοῦτον, ἐπεὶ κάλαμός με διασχισθεὶς διέτμαξεν.
Μενάλκας
ἀλλὰ τίς ἄμμε κρινεῖ; τίς ἐπάκοος ἔσσεται ἁμέων; 25
Δάφνις
τῆνον πῶς ἐνταῦθα τὸν αἰπόλον ἢν καλέσωμες;
ᾧ ποτὶ ταῖς ἐρίφοις ὁ κύων ὁ φάλαρος ὑλακτεῖ.
[11] Then will ‘t please you look hither? Will’t please you lay a wage?
DAPHNIS
Aye, that it will; I’ll look you and lay you, too.
MENALCAS
And what shall our wage be? what shall be sufficient for us?
DAPHNIS
Mine shall be a calf, only let yours be that mother-tall fellow yonder.
MENALCAS
He shall be no wage of mine. Father and mother are both sour as can be, and tell the flock to head every night.
DAPHNIS
Well, but what is’t to be? and what’s the winner to get for’s pains?
MENALCAS
Here’s a gallant nine-stop pipe I have made, with good white beeswax the same top and bottom; this I’m willing to lay, but I’ll not stake what is my father’s.
DAPHNIS
Marry, I have a nine-stop pipe likewise, and it like yours hath good white beeswax the same top and bottom. I made it t’other day, and my finer here sore yet where a split reed cut it for me. (each takes a pipe)
MENALCAS
But who’s to be our judge? who’s to do the hearing for us?
DAPHNIS
Peradventure that goatherd yonder, if we call him; him wi’ that spotted flock-dog a-barking near by the kids.
χοἱ μὲν παῖδες ἄυσαν, ὁ δ᾽ αἰπόλος ἦνθ᾽ ἐπακοῦσαι.
χοἱ μὲν παῖδες ἄειδον, ὁ δ᾽ αἰπόλος ἤθελε κρίνειν.
πρᾶτος δ᾽ ὦν ἄειδε λαχὼν ἰυκτὰ Μενάλκας, 30
εἶτα δ᾽ ἀμοιβαίαν ὑπελάμβανε Δάφνις ἀοιδάν.
βουκολικάν: οὕτω δὲ Μενάλκας ἄρξατο πρᾶτος.
[28] So the lads holla’d, and the goatherd came to hear them, the lads sang and the goatherd was fain to be their judge. Lots were cast, and ’twas Menalcas Loud-o’-voice to begin the country-song and Daphnis to take him up by course. Menlacas thus began:
MENALCAS
Μενάλκας
῎Αγκεα καὶ ποταμοί, θεῖον γένος, αἴ τι Μενάλκας
πήποχ᾽ ὁ συριγκτὰς προσφιλὲς ᾆσε μέλος,
βόσκοιτ᾽ ἐκ ψυχᾶς τὰς ἀμνάδας: ἢν δέ ποκ᾽ ἔνθῃ 35
Δάφνις ἔχων δαμάλας, μηδὲν ἔλασσον ἔχοι.
[33] Ye woods and waters, wondrous race, lith and listen of your grace;
If e’er my son was your delight feed my lambs with all your might;
And if Daphnis wend this way, make his calves as fat as they.
DAPHNIS
Δάφνις
κρᾶναι καὶ βοτάναι, γλυκερὸν φυτόν, αἴπερ ὁμοῖον
μουσίσδει Δάφνις ταῖσιν ἀηδονίσι,
τοῦτο τὸ βουκόλιον πιαίνετε: κἤν τι Μενάλκας
τεῖδ᾽ ἀγάγῃ, χαίρων ἄφθονα πάντα νέμοι. 40
Μενάλκας
ἔνθ᾽ ὄις, ἔνθ᾽ αἶγες διδυματόκοι, ἔνθα μέλισσαι
σμήνεα πληροῦσιν, καὶ δρύες ὑψίτεραι,
ἔνθ᾽ ὁ καλὸς Μίλων βαίνει ποσίν: αἰ δ᾽ ἂν ἀφέρπῃ,
χὡ ποιμὴν ξηρὸς τηνόθι χαἱ βοτάναι.
[37] Ye darling wells and meadows dear, sweets o’ the earth, come lend an ear;
If like the nightingales I sing, give my cows good pasturing;
And if Menalcas e’er you see, fill his block and make him glee.
MENALCAS
Δάφνις
παντᾷ ἔαρ, παντᾷ δὲ νομοί, παντᾷ δὲ γάλακτος 45
οὔθατα πλήθουσιν, καὶ τὰ νέα τρέφεται,
ἐνθ᾽ ἁ καλὰ παῖς ἐπινίσσεται: αἰ δ᾽ ἂν ἀφέρπῃ,
χὡ τὰς βῶς βόσκὡν χαἱ βόες αὐότεραι.
[45] Where sweet Milon trips the leas there’s fuller hives and loftier trees;
Where’er those pretty footings fall goats and sheep come twinners all;
If otherwhere those feet be gone, pasture’s lean and shepherd lone.
DAPHNIS
Where sweet Naïs comes a-straying there the green meads go a-maying;
Where’er her pathway lies along, there’s springing teats and growing young;
If otherwhere her gate be gone, cows are dry and herd fordone.
MENALCAS
Μενάλκας
ὦ τράγε, τᾶν λευκᾶν αἰγῶν ἄνερ, ὧ βάθος ὕλας
μυρίον, （ὦ σιμαὶ δεῦτ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ὕδωρ ἔριφοι:） 50
ἐν τήνῳ γὰρ τῆνος: ἴθ᾽ ὦ κόλε καὶ λέγε: Μίλων,
ὁ Πρωτεὺς φώκας καὶ θεὸς ὢν ἔνεμε.
[49] Buck-goat, husband of the she’s, hie to th’ wood’s infinities –
Nay, snubbies, hither to the spring; this errand’s not for your running; –
Go buck, and “Fairest Milon” say, “a god kept seals once on a day.”
DAPHNIS
[Daphnis’ reply is lost]
&n
bsp; MENALCAS
Δάφνις
μή μοι γᾶν Πέλοπος, μή μοι χρύσεια τάλαντα
εἴη ἔχειν, μηδὲ πρόσθε θέειν ἀνέμων:
ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τᾷ πέτρᾳ τᾷδ᾽ ᾁσομαι, ἀγκὰς ἔχων τυ, 55
σύννομα μᾶλ᾽ ἐσορῶν, τὰν Σικελὰν ἐς ἅλα.
[53] I would not Pelops’ tilth untold nor all Croesus’ coffered gold,
Nor yet t’ outfoot the storm-wind’s breath, so I may sit this rock beneath,
Pretty pasture-mate, wi’ thee, and gaze on the Sicilian sea.
DAPHNIS
Δάφνις
δένδρεσι μὲν χειμὼν φοβερὸν κακόν, ὕδασι δ᾽ αὐχμός,
ὄρνισιν δ᾽ ὕσπλαγξ, ἀγροτέροις δὲ λίνα,
ἀνδρὶ δὲ παρθενικᾶς ἁπαλᾶς πόθος. ὦ πάτερ ὦ Ζεῦ,
οὐ μόνος ἠράσθην: καὶ τὺ γυναικοφίλας. 60
[57] Wood doth fear the tempest’s ire, water summer’s drouthy fire,
Beasts the net and birds the snare. Man the love of maiden fair;
Not I alone lie under ban; Zeus himself’s a woman’s man.
ταῦτα μὲν ὦν δι᾽ ἀμοιβαίων οἱ παῖδες ἄεισαν:
τὰν πυμάταν δ᾽ ᾠδὰν οὑτῶς ἐξᾶρχε Μενάλκας.
[61] So far went the lads’ songs by course. Now ’twas the envoy, and Menalcas thus began:
MENALCAS
Φεἰδευ τᾶν ἐρίφων, φείδευ λύκε τᾶν τοκάδων μευ,
μηδ᾽ ἀδίκει μ᾽, ὅτι μικκὸς ἐὼν πολλαῖσιν ὁμαρτέω.
ὦ Λάμπουρε κύον, οὕτω βαθὺς ὕπνος ἔχει τυ; 65
οὐ χρὴ κοιμᾶσθαι βαθέως σὺν παιδὶ νέμοντα.
ταὶ δ᾽ ὄιες, μηδ᾽ ὔμμες ὀκνεῖθ᾽ ἁπαλᾶς κορέσασθαι
ποίας: οὔτι καμεῖσθ᾽, ὅκκ᾽ αὖ πάλιν ἅδε φύηται.
[63] Spare, good Wolf, the goats you see, spare them dam and kid for me;
If flock is great and flockman small, is’t reason you should wrong us all?
Come, White-tail, why so sound asleep? Good dogs wake when boys tend sheep.