Complete Works of Theocritus

by Theocritus

  Your voice is poppy, but your ways – they pass my power to show.

  MILON

  Μίλων%%̂̓Η καλὰς ἄμμι ποέων ἐλελήθει βοῦκος ἀοιδάς.

  ὡς εὖ τὰν ἰδέαν τᾶς ἁρμονίας ἐμέτρησεν.

  ὤμοι τῶ πώγωνος, ὃν ἀλιθίως ἀνέφυσα. 40

  θᾶσαι δὴ καὶ ταῦτα τὰ τῶ θείω Λιτυέρσα.

  [38] Marry, ’twas no ‘prentice hand after all. Mark how cunningly he shaped his tune! Alackaday what a dolt was I to get me a beard! But come hear this of the divine Lityerses:

  Δάματερ πολύκαρπε πολύσταχυ, τοῦτο τὸ λᾷον

  εὔεργόν τ᾽ εἴη καὶ κάρπιμον ὅττι μάλιστα.

  Σφίγγετ᾽ ἀμαλλοδέται τὰ δράγματα, μὴ παριών τις

  εἴποι: ‘σύκινοι ἄνδρες, ἀπώλετο χοὗτος ὁ μισθός.’ 45

  ᾿Ες βορέην ἄνεμον τᾶς κόρθυος ἁ τομὰ ὔμμιν

  ἢ ζέφυρον βλεπέτω: πιαίνεται ὁ στάχυς οὑτῶς.

  σῖτον ἀλοιῶντας φεύγειν τὸ μεσαμβρινὸν ὕπνον:

  ἐκ καλάμας ἄχυρον τελέθει τημόσδε μάλιστα.

  ἄρχεσθαι δ᾽ ἀμῶντας ἐγειρομένω κορυδαλλῶ, 50

  καὶ λήγειν εὕδοντος, ἐλινῦσαι δὲ τὸ καῦμα.

  εὐκτὸς ὁ τῶ βατράχω παῖδες βίος: οὐ μελεδαίνει

  τὸν προπιεῖν ἐγχεῦντα: πάρεστι γὰρ ἄφθονον αὐτῷ.

  κάλλιον ὦπιμελητὰ φιλάργυρε τὸν φακὸν ἕψειν:

  μή τι τάμῃς τὰν χεῖρα καταπρίων τὸ κύμινον. 55

  [42] (sings) Demeter, Queen of fruit and ear, bless O bless our field;

  Grant our increase greatest be that toil therein may yield.

  Grip tight your sheaves, good Binders all, or passerby will say

  ‘These be men of elder-wood; more wages thrown away.’

  ‘Twixt Northwind and Westwind let straws endlong be laid;

  The breeze runs up the hollow and the ear is plumper made.

  For Threshers, lads, the noontide nap’s a nap beside the law.

  For noontide’s the best tide for making chaff of straw;

  But Reapers they are up wi’ the lark, and with the lark to bed;

  To rest the heat o’ the day, stands Reapers in good stead.

  And ’tis O to be a frog, my lands, and live aloof from care!

  He needs no drawer to his drink; ’tis plenty everywhere.

  Fie, fie, Sir Steward! Better beans, an’t please ye, another day;

  Thou’lt cut thy finger, niggard, a-splitting caraway.

  ταῦτα χρὴ μοχθεῦντας ἐν ἁλίῳ ἄνδρας ἀείδειν,

  τὸν δὲ τεὸν βουκαῖε πρέπει λιμηρὸν ἔρωτα

  μυθίσδεν τᾷ ματρὶ κατ᾽ εὐνὰν ὀρθρευοίσᾳ.

  [56] That’s the sort o’ song for such as work i’ the sun; but the starveling love-ditty o’ thine, Bucaeus, would make brave telling to thy mammy abed of a morning.

  IDYLL XI. Κύκλωψ

  IDYLL XI. THE CYCLOPS

  Theocritus offers a conolatio amoris to his friend the poet-physician Nicias of Miletus, with whom he studied under the physician Erasistratus. After a brief introduction by way of stage-direction, he tells him the song the Cyclops sang to his love the sea-nymph. Metrical and grammatical considerations make it probable that the poem was an early one; it may well be anterior to The Distaff. There is ‘tragic irony’ in the Cyclops’ reference to his eye when speaking of singeing his beard, and also in his mention of the possible advent of a stranger from overseas.

  οὐδὲν πὸτ τὸν ἔρωτα πεφύκει φάρμακον ἄλλο

  Νικία οὔτ᾽ ἔγχριστον, ἐμὶν δοκεῖ, οὔτ᾽ ἐπίπαστον,

  ἢ ταὶ Πιερίδες: κοῦφον δέ τι τοῦτο καὶ ἁδὺ

  γίνετ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀνθρώποις, εὑρεῖν δ᾽ οὐ ῥᾴδιόν ἐστι.

  γινώσκειν δ᾽ οἶμαί τυ καλῶς ἰατρὸν ἐόντα 5

  καὶ ταῖς ἐννέα δὴ πεφιλάμενον ἔξοχα Μοίσαις.

  οὕτω γοῦν ῥάιστα διᾶγ᾽ ὁ Κύκλωψ ὁ παρ᾽ ἁμῖν,

  ὡρχαῖος Πολύφαμος, ὅκ᾽ ἤρατο τᾶς Γαλατείας,

  ἄρτι γενειάσδων περὶ τὸ στόμα τὼς κροτάφως τε.

  ἤρατο δ᾽ οὐ μάλοις οὐδὲ ῥόδῳ οὐδὲ κικίννοις, 10

  ἀλλ᾽ ὀρθαῖς μανίαις, ἁγεῖτο δὲ πάντα πάρεργα.

  πολλάκι ταὶ ὄιες ποτὶ ταὐλίον αὐταὶ ἀπῆνθον

  χλωρᾶς ἐκ βοτάνας: ὁ δὲ τὰν Γαλάτειαν ἀείδων

  αὐτόθ᾽ ἐπ᾽ ἀιόνος κατετάκετο φυκιοέσσας

  ἐξ ἀοῦς, ἔχθιστον ἔχων ὑποκάρδιον ἕλκος 15

  Κύπριδος ἐκ μεγάλας, τό οἱ ἥπατι πᾶξε βέλεμνον.

  ἀλλὰ τὸ φάρμακον εὗρε, καθεζόμενος δ᾽ ἐπὶ πέτρας

  ὑψηλᾶς ἐς πόντον ὁρῶν ἄειδε τοιαῦτα.

  [1] It seems there’s no medicine for love, Nicias, neither salve nor plaster, but only the Pierian Maids. And a gentle medicine it is and sweet for to use upon the world, but very hard to find, as indeed one like you must know, being both physician and well-belov’d likewise of the Nine. ’Twas this, at least, gave best comfort to my countryman the Cyclops, old Polyphemus, when he was first showing beard upon cheek and chin and Galatea was his love. His love was no matter of apples, neither, nor of rosebuds nor locks of hair, but a flat frenzy which recked nought of all else. Time and again his sheep would leave the fresh green pasturage and come back unbidden to the fold, while their master must peak and pine alone upon the wrack-strown shore a-singing all the day long of Galatea, sick at heart of the spiteful wound the shaft of the great Cyprian had dealt him. Nevertheless he found the medicine for it, and sitting him down upon an upstanding rock looked seawards and sang:

  Ω λευκὰ Γαλάτεια, τί τὸν φιλέοντ᾽ ἀποβάλλῃ;

  λευκοτέρα πακτᾶς ποτιδεῖν, ἁπαλωτέρα ἀρνός, 20

  μόσχω γαυροτέρα, σφριγανωτέρα ὄμφακος ὠμᾶς.

  φοιτῇς δ᾽ αὖθ᾽ οὑτῶς, ὅκκα γλυκὺς ὕπνος ἔχῃ με,

  οἴχῃ δ᾽ εὐθὺς ἰοῖσ᾽, ὅκκα γλυκὺς ὕπνος ἀνῇ με,

  φεύγεις δ᾽ ὥσπερ ὄις πολιὸν λύκον ἀθρήσασα.

  ἠράσθην μὲν ἔγωγα τεοῦς κόρα, ἁνίκα πρᾶτον 25

  ἦνθες ἐμᾷ σὺν ματρὶ θέλοισ᾽ ὑακίνθινα φύλλα

  ἐξ ὄρεος δρέψασθαι, ἐγὼ δ᾽ ὁδὸν ἁγεμόνευον.

  παύσασθαι δ᾽ ἐσιδών τυ καὶ ὕστερον οὐδέ τί πᾳ νῦν

  ἐκ τήνω δύναμαι: τὶν δ᾽ οὐ μέλει, οὐ μὰ Δί᾽ οὐδέν.

  [19] O Galatea fair and white, white as curds in whey,

  Dapper as lamb a-frisking, wanton as calf at play,

  And plum o’ shape as ruddying grape, O why deny thy lover?

  O soon enow thou’rt here, I trow, when sweet sleep comes me over,

  But up and gone whe
n sleeping’s done – O never flees so fast

  Ewe that doth spy gray wolf anight, as thou when slumber’s past.

  My love of thee began, sweeting, when thou – I mind it well –

  Wast come a-pulling luces wi’ my mother on the fell;

  I showed ye where to look for them, and from that hour to this

  I’ve loved ye true; but Lord! to you my love as nothing is.

  γινώσκω χαρίεσσα κόρα, τίνος ὥνεκα φεύγεις: 30

  ὥνεκά μοι λασία μὲν ὀφρῦς ἐπὶ παντὶ μετώπῳ

  ἐξ ὠτὸς τέταται ποτὶ θὥτερον ὦς μία μακρά,

  εἷς δ᾽ ὀφθαλμὸς ἔπεστι, πλατεῖα δὲ ῥὶς ἐπὶ χείλει.

  ἀλλ᾽ οὗτος τοιοῦτος ἐὼν βοτὰ χίλια βόσκω,

  κἠκ τούτων τὸ κράτιστον ἀμελγόμενος γάλα πίνω: 35

  τυρὸς δ᾽ οὐ λείπει μ᾽ οὔτ᾽ ἐν θέρει οὔτ᾽ ἐν ὀπώρᾳ,

  οὐ χειμῶνος ἄκρω: ταρσοὶ δ᾽ ὑπεραχθέες αἰεί.

  συρίσδεν δ᾽ ὡς οὔτις ἐπίσταμαι ὧδε Κυκλώπων,

  τὶν τὸ φίλον γλυκύμαλον ἁμᾷ κἠμαυτὸν ἀείδων

  πολλάκι νυκτὸς ἀωρί. τρέφω δέ τοι ἕνδεκα νεβρὼς 40

  πάσας μηνοφόρως καὶ σκύμνως τέσσαρας ἄρκτων.

  [30] O well I wot pretty maid, for why thou shun’st me so,

  One long shag eyebrow ear t o ear my forehead o’er doth go,

  And but one eye beneath doth lie, and the nose stands wide on the lip;

  Yet be as I may, still this I say, I feed full a thousand sheep,

  And the milk to my hand’s the best i’ the land, and my cheese ’tis plenty alsó;

  Come summer mild, come winter wild, my cheese-racks ever o’erflow.

  And, for piping, none o’ my kin hereby can pipe like my piping,

  And of thee and me, dear sweet-apple, in one song oft I sing,

  Often at dead of night. And O, there’s gifts in store for thee,

  Eleven fawns, all white-collárs, and cosset bear’s cubs four for thee.

  ἀλλ᾽ ἀφίκευσο ποθ᾽ ἁμέ, καὶ ἑξεῖς οὐδὲν ἔλασσον,

  τὰν γλαυκὰν δὲ θάλασσαν ἔα ποτὶ χέρσον ὀρεχθεῖν.

  ἅδιον ἐν τὤντρῳ παρ᾽ ἐμὶν τὰν νύκτα διαξεῖς.

  ἐντὶ δάφναι τηνεῖ, ἐντὶ ῥαδιναὶ κυπάρισσοι, 45

  ἔστι μέλας κισσός, ἔστ᾽ ἄμπελος ἁ γλυκύκαρπος,

  ἔστι ψυχρὸν ὕδωρ, τό μοι ἁ πολυδένδρεος Αἴτνα

  λευκᾶς ἐκ χιόνος ποτὸν ἀμβρόσιον προΐητι.

  τίς κα τῶνδε θάλασσαν ἔχειν καὶ κύμαθ᾽ ἕλοιτο;

  [42] O leave it be, the blue blue sea, to gasp an ‘t will o’ the shore,

  And come ye away to me, to me; I’ll lay ye’ll find no ill store.

  A sweeter night thou’lt pass i’ the cave with me than away i’ the brine;

  There’s laurel and taper cypress, swart ivy and sweet-fruit vine,

  And for thy drinking the cool watér woody Etna pours so free

  For my delight from his snow so white, and a heav’nly draught it be.

  Now who would choose the sea and his waves, and a home like this forgo?

  αἰ δέ τοι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ δοκέω λασιώτερος ἦμεν, 50

  ἐντὶ δρυὸς ξύλα μοι καὶ ὑπὸ σποδῷ ἀκάματον πῦρ.

  καιόμενος δ᾽ ὑπὸ τεῦς καὶ τὰν ψυχὰν ἀνεχοίμαν

  καὶ τὸν ἕν᾽ ὀφθαλμόν, τῶ μοι γλυκερώτερον οὐδέν.

  ὤμοι, ὅ τ᾽ οὐκ ἔτεκέν μ᾽ ἁ μάτηρ βραγχί᾽ ἔχοντα,

  ὡς κατέδυν ποτὶ τὶν καὶ τὰν χέρα τευς ἐφίλασα, 55

  αἰ μὴ τὸ στόμα λῇς, ἔφερον δέ τοι ἢ κρίνα λευκὰ

  ἢ μάκων᾽ ἁπαλὰν ἐρυθρὰ πλαταγώνι᾽ ἔχοισαν.

  ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν θέρεος, τὰ δὲ γίνεται ἐν χειμῶνι,

  ὥστ᾽ οὐκ ἄν τοι ταῦτα φέρειν ἅμα πάντ᾽ ἐδυνάθην.

  νῦν μὰν ὦ κόριον, νῦν αὐτόγα νεῖν κε μάθοιμι, 60

  αἴκά τις σὺν ναῒ πλέων ξένος ὧδ᾽ ἀφίκηται,

  ὡς εἰδῶ, τί ποθ᾽ ἁδὺ κατοικεῖν τὸν βυθὸν ὔμμιν.

  [50] But if so be the master o’ t too shag to thy deeming show,

  There’s wood in store, and on the floor a fire that smoulders still,

  And if thou would’st be burning, mayst burn my soul an thou will,

  Yea, and the dear’st of all my goods, my one dear eye. O me!

  That I was not born with fins to be diving down to thee,

  To kiss, if not thy lips, at least hey hand, and give thee posies

  Of poppies trim with scarlet rim or snow-white winter-roses!

  And if a stranger a-shipboard come, e’en now, my little sweeting,

  E’en now to swim I’ll learn of him, and then shall I be weeting

  Wherefore it be ye folk o’ the sea are so life to be living below.

  ἐξένθοις Γαλάτεια καὶ ἐξενθοῖσα λάθοιο

  ὥσπερ ἐγὼ νῦν ὧδε καθήμενος οἴκαδ᾽ ἀπενθεῖν.

  ποιμαίνειν δ᾽ ἐθέλοις σὺν ἐμὶν ἅμα καὶ γάλ᾽ ἀμέλγειν

  καὶ τυρὸν πᾶξαι τάμισον δριμεῖαν ἐνεῖσα.

  ἁ μάτηρ ἀδικεῖ με μόνα, καὶ μέμφομαι αὐτᾷ:

  οὐδὲν πήποχ᾽ ὅλως ποτὶ τὶν φίλον εἶπεν ὑπέρ μευ,

  καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἆμαρ ἐπ᾽ ἆμαρ ὁρεῦσά με λεπτὸν ἐόντα.

  φασῶ τὰν κεφαλὰν καὶ τὼς πόδας ἀμφοτέρως μευ 70

  σφύζειν, ὡς ἀνιαθῇ, ἐπεὶ κἠγὼν ἀνιῶμαι.

  [63] Come forth and away, my pretty fay, and when thou comest, O

  Forget, as he that sitteth here, they ways again to go;

  Feed flock wi’ me, draw milk wi’ me, and if ‘t my darling please,

  Pour rennet tart the curds to part and set the good white cheese.

  ’Tis all my mother’s doing; she sore to blame hath bin;

  Never good word hath spoke you o’ me, though she sees me waxing so thin.

  I’ll tell her of throbbing feet, I’ll tell her of aching eyne;

  I am fain that misery be hers sith misery be mine.

  ὦ Κύκλωψ Κύκλωψ, πᾷ τὰς φρένας ἐκπεπότασαι;

  αἴκ᾽ ἐνθὼν θαλάρως τε πλέκοις καὶ θαλλὸν ἀμάσας

  ταῖς ἄρνεσσι φέροις, τάχα κα πολὺ μᾶλλον ἔχοις νῶν.

  τὰν παρεοῖσαν ἄμελγε. τί τὸν φεύγοντα διώκεις; 75

  εὑρησεῖς Γαλάτειαν ἴσως καὶ καλλίον᾽ ἄλλαν.

  πολλαὶ συμπαίσδέν με κόραι τὰν νύκτα κέλονται,

  κιχλίζοντι δὲ πᾶσαι, ἐπεί κ᾽ αὐταῖς ὑπακούσω

  δῆλον ὅ τ᾽ ἐν τᾷ γᾷ κἠγώ τις φαίνομαι ἦμεν.

  [72] O Cyclops, Cyclops, where be your wits gone flying? />
  Up, fetch you loppings for your lambs, or go a withy-plying;

  The wearier’s oft the wiser man, and that there’s no denying.

  Milk the staying, leave the straying, chase not them that shy;

  Mayhap you’ll find e’en sweeter Galateans by and by.

  There’s many a jill says ‘Come an you will and play all night wi’ me,’

  And he laugh I hear when I give ear is soft and sweet as can be;

  E’en I, ’tis plain, be somebody, ashore, if not ‘I the sea.

  οὕτω τοι Πολύφαμος ἐποίμαινεν τὸν ἔρωτα 80

  μουσίσδων, ῥᾷον δὲ διᾶγ᾽ ἢ εἰ χρυσὸν ἔδωκεν.

  [80] Thus did Polyphemus tend his love-sickness with music, and got more comfort thereout than he could have had for any gold.

  IDYLL XII. Ἀίτης

  IDYLL XII. THE BELOVED

  The Greeks sometimes exalted friendship to a passion, and such a friendship doubtless inspired this fine poem. Theocritus acknowledges his indebtedness to the Ionian lyrists and elegists by using their dialect. The passage rendered here in verse contains what at first sight looks like a mere display of learning, but has simply this intention: ‘Our love will be famous among so remote a posterity that the very words for it will be matter for learned comment.’

  ῎Ηλυθες ὦ φίλε κοῦρε τρίτῃ σὺν νυκτὶ καὶ ἀοῖ;

  ἤλυθες: οἱ δὲ ποθεῦντες ἐν ἤματι γηράσκουσιν.

  ὅσσον ἔαρ χειμῶνος, ὅσον μᾶλον βραβίλοιο

  ἅδιον, ὅσσον ὄις σφετέρας λασιωτέρα ἀρνός,

  ὅσσον παρθενικὴ προφέρει τριγάμοιο γυναικός, 5

  ὅσσον ἐλαφροτέρη μόσχου νεβρός, ὅσσον ἀηδὼν

  συμπάντων λιγύφωνος ἀοιδοτάτη πετεηνῶν,

  τόσσον ἔμ᾽ εὔφρανας τὺ φανείς, σκιερὰν δ᾽ ὑπὸ φαγὸν

  ἀελίου φρύγοντος ὁδοιπόρος ἔδραμον ὥς τις.

  εἴθ᾽ ὁμαλοὶ πνεύσειαν ἐπ᾽ ἀμφοτέροισιν ῎Ερωτες 10

  νῶιν, ἐπεσσομένοις δὲ γενοίμεθα πᾶσιν ἀοιδά.