Housman Epitaph Part 1

[auctor]

ἀλλ’ ἐδαφοι γ’ ἐφυγον γης, πιπτει δ’ οὐρανος. ἠδη μισθοφορειτ’ αἰνως. ἠλθετε και θανετε. [/size]
a variation on
Epitaph to an Army of Mercenaries
A E Housman

... not too sure about ending the pentameter with a short, but I think Zenodotos does in his 'A Statue of Love' (among others).

Paul McK

[whiteoctave]

a fine man to translate, PM. it is a shame you have to shift tenses in the first line, and the pause in sense lies at the third diaeresis rather than within the third foot itself. i like the last line, the final short of which is fine.

~D

[auctor]

Thank you for your considered reply, ~D.
I can tinker a wee bit, making both verbs in line 1 imperfects (albeit unaugmented) and so shift the phrase ending to the normal caesura. I'm not a competent enough dialectician to be comfortable with unaugmented imps!

γης ἐδαφοι φευγον και πιπτεν δ’ οὐρανος. ἠδη ... κτλ