Some time ago I was reading a book about the poetry of AE Housman and it included an epigram from the Greek Anthology by -I think-Leonidas of Tarentum, with the thought of there being thousands of years before you're born and thousands after you die-the vita brevis idea.
Can anyone pinpoint the epigram please and if possible give a link to the original greek?
Thanks
Half remembered Greek epigram
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Hello !
The reference is Anthologia Graeca, VII, 472. Here is the original Greek :
μυρίος ἦν, ὤνθρωπε, χρόνος πρὸ τοῦ, ἄχρι πρὸς ἠῶ ἦλθες, χὡ λοιπὸς μυρίος εἰς ἀΐδην. τίς μοῖρα ζωῆς ἐπιλείπεται, ἢ ὅσον ὅσσον στιγμὴ καὶ στιγμῆς εἴ τι χαμηλότερον; μικρή σευ ζωὴ τεθλιμμένη· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὴ ἡδεῖ’, ἀλλ’ ἐχθροῦ στυγνοτέρη θανάτου. ἐκ τοίης ὥνθρωποι ἀπηκριβωμένοι ὀστῶν ἁρμονίης ὑψοῦντ’ ἠέρα καὶ νεφέλας· ὦνερ, ἴδ’ ὡς ἀχρεῖον, ἐπεὶ περὶ νήματος ἄκρον εὐλὴ ἀκέκριστον λῶπος ἐφεζομένη· οἷον τὸ † ψαλάθριον ἀπεψιλωμένον, οἷον πολλῷ ἀραχναίου στυγνότερον σκελέτου. ἠοῦν ἐξ ἠοῦς ὅσσον σθένος, ὦνερ, ἐρευνῶν εἴης ἐν λειτῇ κεκλιμένος βιοτῇ· αἰὲν τοῦτο νόῳ μεμνημένος ἄχρις ὁμιλῇς ζῴοις ἐξ οἵης ἡρμόνισαι καλάμης.
The crux means that the word ψαλάθριον is not found elsewhere and is of doubtful meaning. Maybe the text is corrupted there (I cannot scan this line properly).
The reference is Anthologia Graeca, VII, 472. Here is the original Greek :
μυρίος ἦν, ὤνθρωπε, χρόνος πρὸ τοῦ, ἄχρι πρὸς ἠῶ ἦλθες, χὡ λοιπὸς μυρίος εἰς ἀΐδην. τίς μοῖρα ζωῆς ἐπιλείπεται, ἢ ὅσον ὅσσον στιγμὴ καὶ στιγμῆς εἴ τι χαμηλότερον; μικρή σευ ζωὴ τεθλιμμένη· οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὴ ἡδεῖ’, ἀλλ’ ἐχθροῦ στυγνοτέρη θανάτου. ἐκ τοίης ὥνθρωποι ἀπηκριβωμένοι ὀστῶν ἁρμονίης ὑψοῦντ’ ἠέρα καὶ νεφέλας· ὦνερ, ἴδ’ ὡς ἀχρεῖον, ἐπεὶ περὶ νήματος ἄκρον εὐλὴ ἀκέκριστον λῶπος ἐφεζομένη· οἷον τὸ † ψαλάθριον ἀπεψιλωμένον, οἷον πολλῷ ἀραχναίου στυγνότερον σκελέτου. ἠοῦν ἐξ ἠοῦς ὅσσον σθένος, ὦνερ, ἐρευνῶν εἴης ἐν λειτῇ κεκλιμένος βιοτῇ· αἰὲν τοῦτο νόῳ μεμνημένος ἄχρις ὁμιλῇς ζῴοις ἐξ οἵης ἡρμόνισαι καλάμης.
The crux means that the word ψαλάθριον is not found elsewhere and is of doubtful meaning. Maybe the text is corrupted there (I cannot scan this line properly).