by Meleager of Gadara (flourished 1st century BCE)
Translation by Dudley Fitts (1903 - 1968)
ἀτρέμας, ὦ ξένε, βαῖνε: παρ᾽ εὐσεβέσιν...
Language: Greek (Ελληνικά)
ἀτρέμας, ὦ ξένε, βαῖνε: παρ᾽ εὐσεβέσιν γὰρ ὁ πρέσβυς εὕδει, κοιμηθεὶς ὕπνον ὀφειλόμενον, Εὐκράτεω Μελέαγρος, ὁ τὸν γλυκύδακρυν Ἔρωτα καὶ Μούσας ἱλαραῖς συστολίσας Χάρισιν ὃν θεόπαις ἤνδρωσε Τύρος Γαδάρων θ᾽ ἱερὰ χθών κῶς δ᾽ ἐρατὴ Μερόπων πρέσβυν ἐγηροτρόφει. ἀλλ᾽ εἰ μὲν Σύρος ἐσσί, Σαλάμ: εἰ δ᾽ οὖν σύ γε Φοῖνιξ, Ναίδιος: : εἰ δ᾽ Ἕλλην, Χαῖρε: τὸ δ᾽ αὐτὸ φράσον.
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Note on TransliterationsText Authorship:
- by Meleager of Gadara (flourished 1st century BCE), no title, Epigram 7.419 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, a translation by Dudley Fitts (1903 - 1968) ; composed by Geoffrey Bush.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2023-07-25
Line count: 8
Word count: 59
The Poet's Epitaph
Language: English after the Greek (Ελληνικά)
Quietly O Stranger pass by: here sleeps an old man Cradled with the holy dead in the common silence: Meleagros: Eukrates' son: who joined in song Sweet crying Love with the Muses and smiling Graces: Him divine Tyre and Gadara's sacred land Sheltered till manhood: but his old age was nursed by lovely Kos of the Meropes. And now O friend Shalam if you are a Syrian: If Phonikian, Naidios: But if Greek: Farewell! Farewell! and give me back the same.
Text Authorship:
- by Dudley Fitts (1903 - 1968) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in Greek (Ελληνικά) by Meleager of Gadara (flourished 1st century BCE), no title, Epigram 7.419
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Geoffrey Bush (1920 - 1998), "The Poet's Epitaph", 1964 [ baritone and piano ], from Seven Greek Love Songs, no. 7, Confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2019-09-16
Line count: 10
Word count: 81