Humanitext Reader

Moschus · Fragments §5.1-5.8

The Chain of Unrequited Love and Its Moral

Passage 2 of 4 · Greek

Summary

A chain of unrequited love involving Pan, Echo, a Satyr, and Lyda is described, leading to the moral lesson that one should love those who love them in order to be loved in return.

§5.1Ἤρατο Πὰν Ἀχῶς τᾶς γείτονος, ἤρατο δ’ Ἀχὼ §5.2σκιρτατᾶ Σατύρω, Σάτυρος δ’ ἐπεμήνατο Λύδᾳ. §5.3ὡς Ἀχὼ τὸν Πᾶνα, τόσον Σάτυρος φλέγεν Ἀχώ, §5.4καὶ Λύδα Σατυρίσκον· Ἔρως δ’ ἐσμύχετ’ ἀμοιβᾷ. §5.5ὅσσον γὰρ τήνων τις ἐμίσεε τὸν φιλέοντα, §5.6τόσσον ὁμῶς φιλέων ἠχθαίρετο, πάσχε δ’ ἃ ποίει. §5.7ταῦτα λέγω πᾶσιν τὰ διδάγματα τοῖς ἀνεράστοις· §5.8στέργετε τὼς φιλέοντας, ἵν’ ἢν φιλέητε φιλῆσθε.
Pan loved Echo, his neighbor, and Echo loved the skipping Satyr, and the Satyr was mad for Lyda. As Echo [inflamed] Pan, so much did the Satyr inflame Echo, and Lyda the little Satyr; and Love smoldered in reciprocity. For as much as any of them hated the one who loved, so much, loving, was he likewise hated, and suffered what he did. I speak these lessons to all those who do not love: love those who love you, so that, if you love, you may be loved in turn.

Notes

  1. §5.3φλέγεν — The verb φλέγω (here in the imperfect φλέγεν) is transitive, meaning 'to burn, inflame'. The subject is the beloved (the one who inflames the other with passion) and the object is the lover. Thus, the Satyr (nominative) inflamed Echo (accusative), meaning Echo loved the Satyr. In the preceding ὡς clause and the following καὶ clause, the same verb (ἔφλεγε) is omitted by ellipsis, creating a symmetrical structure: 'as Echo [inflamed] Pan' and 'Lyda [inflamed] the little Satyr.'
  2. §5.6ἃ ποίει — The antecedent of the relative pronoun ἅ (neuter plural accusative) is omitted, meaning 'suffered what he/she was doing'. It describes the reciprocal suffering of love, where each character suffers the exact same pain of rejection from their beloved as they themselves inflict upon their own lover (i.e., ἐμίσεε).
  3. §5.8τὼς φιλέοντας — The Doric accusative plural form, corresponding to the Attic τοὺς φιλοῦντας. It is a substantival use of the participle meaning 'those who love [you],' serving as the direct object of the imperative στέργετε ('love!').

Cite this passage

Moschus, Fragments §5.1-5.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0035.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:5.1-5.8

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