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Theocritus · Epigrams §1.1-1.6

Offerings to the Muses and Apollo

Passage 1 of 25 · Greek

Summary

The poet dedicates roses and thyme to the Muses of Helicon, and laurel along with a goat sacrifice to Pythian Apollo.

§1.1τὰ ῥόδα τὰ δροσόεντα καὶ ἁ κατάπυκνος ἐκείνα §1.2ἕρπυλλος κεῖται ταῖς Ἑλικωνιάσι, §1.3ταὶ δὲ μελάμφυλλοι δάφναι τὶν Πύθιε Παιάν, §1.4δελφὶς ἐπεὶ πέτρα τοῦτό τοι ἀγλάισε.
The dewy roses and that thick-growing wild thyme lie dedicated to the Heliconian Maidens, and the dark-leaved laurels to you, Pythian Paean, since the Delphic rock made this your splendid ornament.
§1.5βωμὸν δʼ αἱμαξεῖ κεραὸς τράγος οὗτος ὁ μαλός, §1.6τερμίνθου τρώγων ἔσχατον ἀκρεμόνα.
And this horned white goat shall stain your altar with blood, nibbling the topmost twig of a terebinth tree.

Notes

  1. 1.2κεῖται — The verb is in the singular form κεῖται despite having multiple subjects: τὰ ῥόδα (neuter plural) and ἕρπυλλος (feminine singular). This may be because the offerings are treated as a collective unit, or it represents an instance of the schema Pindaricum.
  2. 1.3τὶν — The Doric dialect form of the second-person singular personal pronoun in the dative case (equivalent to Attic σοί). It indicates the recipient of the offering ('to you').
  3. 1.4ἀγλάισε — Aorist of the verb ἀγλαΐζω (to make splendid, to honor). The subject δελφὶς πέτρα (the Delphic rock) made 'this' (τοῦτο, referring to the laurel) a splendid ornament for you (τοι, dative).

Cite this passage

Theocritus, Epigrams §1.1-1.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0005.tlg002.humanitext-grc2:1.1-1.6

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