Theocritus · Idylls §19.1-19.8

Eros Stung by a Bee and Aphrodite's Reproof

Passage 27 of 44 · Greek

Summary

Eros gets stung by a bee while robbing a honeycomb and complains to his mother Aphrodite, who points out that Eros himself is just like a bee, being tiny but causing great wounds.

§19.1τὸν κλέπταν πότʼ Ἔρωτα κακὰ κέντασε μέλισσα §19.2κηρίον ἐκ σίμβλων συλεύμενον, ἄκρα δὲ χειρῶν §19.3δάκτυλα πάνθʼ ὑπένυξεν.

Once a bee severely stung the thief Eros, as he was robbing a honeycomb from the hives, and pricked all the very tips of his fingers.

ὁ δʼ ἄλγεε καὶ χέρʼ ἐφύση §19.4καὶ τὰν γᾶν ἐπάταξε καὶ ἅλατο, τᾷ δʼ Ἀφροδίτᾳ §19.5δεῖξεν τὰν ὀδύναν καὶ μέμφετο, ὅττί γε τυτθὸν §19.6θηρίον ἐστὶ μέλισσα καὶ ἁλίκα τραύματα ποιεῖ.

He was in pain and blew on his hand, and stamped the ground and leaped, and to Aphrodite showed his pain and complained that indeed so tiny a beast is the bee, and yet what huge wounds it makes.

§19.7χἁ μάτηρ γελάσασα· τί δʼ;

And his mother laughed and said: "What?

οὐκ ἴσος ἐσσὶ μελίσσαις;

Are you not equal to the bees?

§19.8ὡς τυτθὸς μὲν ἔφυς, τὰ δὲ τραύματα χἁλίκα ποιεῖς.

Since you are tiny indeed, and yet what huge wounds you make!"

Notes

19.1κακὰ — Adverbial use of the neuter plural accusative of κακός, modifying the verb κέντασε ("stung"), meaning "badly" or "painfully".
19.2συλεύμενον — Present middle participle, masculine accusative singular, modifying the direct object of the main clause, τὸν κλέπταν Ἔρωτα ("the thief Eros"). It is used circumstantially to indicate time ("while robbing").
19.5ὅττί γε — The conjunction ὅτι (here written ὅττί) introducing an indirect statement or a causal clause after the verb of complaining (μέμφετο), reinforced by the particle γε. Here translated as introducing the content of his complaint ("that indeed...").
19.8ὡς — Causal conjunction ("since" or "because"), explaining the ground for the comparison made by Aphrodite between Eros and the bees.

Cite this passage

Theocritus, Idylls §19.1-19.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0005.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:19.1-19.8

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