by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE)

Anacreons Ode concerning himselfe
 (Sung text for setting by H. Lawes)
 Matches original text
Language: Greek (Ελληνικά) 
Our translations:  ENG
Λέγουσιν αἱ γυναῖκες·
«Ἀνάκρεον, γέρων εἶ,
λαβὼν ἔσοπτρον ἄθρει
κόμας μὲν οὐκ ἔτ᾽ οὔσας,
ψιλὸν δέ σευ μέτωπον.»
ἐγὼ δὲ τὰς κόμας μέν,
εἴτ᾽ εἰσὶν εἴτ᾽ ἀπῆλθον,
οὐκ οἶδα· τοῦτο δ᾽ οἶδα,
ὡς τῷ γέροντι μᾶλλον
πρέπει τὸ τερπνὰ παίζειν,
ὅσῳ πέλας τὰ Μοίρης.

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Note on Transliterations

Composition:

    Set to music by Henry Lawes (c1595 - 1662), "Anacreons Ode concerning himselfe", published 1655 [ voice and continuo ], from The Second Book of Ayres, and Dialogues, no. 39, Confirmed with The Second Book of Ayres and Dialogues, for One, Two, and Three, by Henry Lawes, John Playford, London 1655, Page 39.

Text Authorship:

  • by Anacreon (c582BCE - c485BCE), "Εις εαυτον", appears in Odes, no. 11

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Lawrence Sisk) , "On himself", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • ENG English [singable] (John Berkenhead, Sir)
  • FRE French (Français) (Ernest Falconnet) , "Sur lui-même", first published 1847


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 11
Word count: 44