Translation of a Latin phrase to ancien Greek

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Notörious Ben
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Translation of a Latin phrase to ancien Greek

Post by Notörious Ben »

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here, so thank you for welcoming me around this forum.

I came by because I would need a translation of a Latin phrase to ancien Greek, OR another quote that would be close to the latin one if somebody knows about it. That's a sentence I've been obsessed by from years now: TEMPUS EDAX RERUM, "time destroys everything", by Ovid in his "Metamorphoses".

Is this phrase after some other Greek sentence, as Ovid mostly used a bridge between both cultures? If it's not the case, could someone give me an idea of a equivalent phrase in Greek?

Thank you in advance, everyone, and sorry for my poor English skills as well as my bad knowledges of Latin and Greek languages' history.


Regards,


B.

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jeidsath
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Re: Translation of a Latin phrase to ancien Greek

Post by jeidsath »

Here is Ovid:
Tempus edax rerum, tuque, invidiosa vetustas,
omnia destruitis, vitiataque dentibus aevi
paulatim lenta consumitis omnia morte.
And here is the translation of Maximus Planudes in the 13th century (not really ancient Greek, and I've removed the line breaks, because I think it might be prose, but can't really tell):
Ὦ χρόνε πανδαμάτορ, καὶ σύ, φθονερὸν γῆρας, ὡς ἅπαντα καθαιρεῖτε, καὶ πάντα, τοῖς ὀδοῦσι λυμαινόμενα τοῦ αἰῶνος, κατὰ μικρὸν μέλανι θανάτῳ ἐξαναλίσκετε!
The equivalent of "Tempus edax rerum" here is "Ὦ χρόνε πανδαμάτορ." The Latin means something like "O Time, devourer of all things." The Greek means "O Time, all-subduer."

This Greek epithet of time is very old. Here is Simonides (5th/6th century B.C.):

"ὁ πανδαμάτωρ ἀμαυρώσει χρόνος"

Maybe others can comment on whether Ovid is in fact translating Simonides here.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

Markos
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Re: Translation of a Latin phrase to ancien Greek

Post by Markos »

Notörious Ben wrote:...could someone give me an idea of a equivalent phrase in Greek?
τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ from the Song of Seikilos is close. "Time demands the tax/end."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RjBePQV4xE

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