by Moschus (flourished 150 BCE)
Translation by Andrew Lang (1844 - 1912)
Would that my father had taught me the...
Language: English after the Greek (Ελληνικά)
Would that my father had taught me the craft of a keeper of sheep, For so in the shade of the elm-tree, or under the rocks on the steep, Piping on reeds I had sat, and had lulled my sorrow to sleep.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Theocritus, Bion and Moschus. Rendered into English Prose with an Introductory Essay by A. Lang, M. A., Lately Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, London, MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1896, page 210. A note below the poem says "For the translations in verse I have to thank Mr. Ernest Meyers."
Text Authorship:
- by Andrew Lang (1844 - 1912), "Idyl IX" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Moschus (flourished 150 BCE) [text unavailable]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "Would that my father", published 1927 [ voice and flute with optional cello ], from Three Idylls from the Greek Anthology, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-04-23
Line count: 6
Word count: 42