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by Meleager of Gadara (flourished 1st century BCE)
Translation by Dudley Fitts (1903 - 1968)

ἓν τόδε, παμμήτειρα θεῶν, λίτομαί σε,...
Language: Greek (Ελληνικά) 
Chosen for Diff
ἓν τόδε, παμμήτειρα θεῶν, λίτομαί σε, φίλη Νύξ,
ναὶ λίτομαι, κώμων σύμπλανε, πότνια Νύξ,
εἴ τις ὑπὸ χλαίνῃ βεβλημένος Ἡλιοδώρας
θάλπεται, ὑπναπάτῃ χρωτὶ χλιαινόμενος,
κοιμάσθω μὲν λύχνος: ὁ δ᾽ ἐν κόλποισιν ἐκείνης
ῥιπτασθεὶς κείσθω δεύτερος Ἐνδυμίων.

About the headline (FAQ)

Show a transliteration: DIN | ISO 843

Note on Transliterations

Text Authorship:

  • by Meleager of Gadara (flourished 1st century BCE), no title, Epigram 5.165 [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.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2023-07-25
Line count: 6
Word count: 36

A Curse
Language: English  after the Greek (Ελληνικά) 
Chosen for Diff
This thing I pray, dearest Night.
Mother of all the gods:
This thing only I pray, holy propitious Night:
If another man lies with her now: if another
Close clasped beneath her cloak, is touching her - 
Heliodora, Heliodora, the sweet despair of sleep - 
Then the lights go out! Let his heavy eyes fail him!
Let him fall asleep locked in her arms, a second Endymion!
This thing I pray, dearest Night,
This thing only I pray, holy propitious Night.

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 5.165
    • Go to the text page.

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), "A Curse", 1964 [ baritone and piano ], from Seven Greek Love Songs, no. 3, 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: 79

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