§1.5v## Fol. 5 verso
ὡριστερὸς μὲν λευκὸς ὡς ὕδρου γαστήρ, ὁ δ’ ἡλιοπλὴξ ὃς τὰ [π]ολλὰ γυμνοῦται.
"The left side is white like the belly of a water-snake, but the sun-struck side is for the most part bare.
τίς δ’ οἶκος οὗπερ οὐ[κ] ἐγὼ παρὰ φλιῇ;
And what house is there where I am not by the door-post?
τίς δ’ οὔ με μάντις ἢ τίς οὐ θυτὴρ ἕλκει;
And what prophet or what sacrificer does not draw me?
καὶ Πυθίη γὰρ ἐν δάφνῃ μὲν ἵδρυται, δάφνην δ’ ἀείδει καὶ δάφνην ὑπέστρωται.
For indeed the Pythia is seated in laurel, and she sings of laurel and has laurel spread under her.
ὤφρων ἐλαίη, τοὺς δὲ παῖδας οὐ Βράγχος τοὺς τῶν Ἰώνων, οἷς ὁ Φοῖβος ὠ[ργίσθη, δάφνῃ τε κρούων κἤπος οὐ τό[νῳ τρανε]ῖ δὶς ἢ τρὶς ε[ἰ]πὼν ἀρτεμέας ἐποίη[σε;
Foolish olive, did not Branchus, for the children of the Ionians, with whom Phoebus was angry, striking them with laurel and singing a song, not in a loud tone, twice or thrice, make them whole?
[κ]ἠγὼ μὲν ἢ’πὶ δαῖτας ἢ’ς χορὸν φ[οι]τέω τὸν Πυθαϊστήν, γίνομαι δὲ κἄεθλον, οἱ Δωριῆς δὲ Τεμπόθεν με τέμνουσιν ὀρέων ἀπ’ ἄκρων καὶ φέρουσιν ἐς Δελφούς, ἐπὴν τὰ τὠπόλλωνος ἱρὰ γίνηται.
And I indeed go either to feasts or to the Pythaist chorus, and I also become a prize, and the Dorians cut me from Tempe, from the highest mountains, and carry me to Delphi, whenever the sacred rites of Apollo take place.
ὤφρων ἐλα[ί]η, πῆμα δ’ οὐχὶ γινώσκω, οὐδ’ οἶδ’ ὁκ[οίη]ν οὑλαφηφόρος κάμπτει, ἁ[γν]ὴ γάρ εἰμι· κοὺ πατεῦσί μ’ ἄνθρωποι, ἱρὴ γάρ εἰμι· σοὶ δὲ χὠπόταν νεκρὸν μέλλωσι καίειν ἢ [τά]φ[ῳ] περιστέλλει[ν αὐτοί τ’ ἀνεστέψ[αντο χ]ὐπὸ τὰ πλεῦρα τοῦ μὴ πνέοντ[ος κὴπ]ιτὰξ ὑπ[έσ]τ[ρωσαν. ” ἡ μὲν τάδ’ αὐ〈χ〉εῦ[σ’]· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀπήμ[υνε μάλ’ ἀτρεμαίως ἡ τεκοῦσα τὸ χρῖμ[α· “ὦ πάντ’ ἄκυθε τῶν ἐμῶν τόκ[ων δάφνη, ἐν τῇ τελευτῇ κύκνος [ὥς τις ἡδίω ἤεισας·
Foolish olive, I do not know trouble, nor do I know what kind of way the corpse-bearer bends, for I am pure; and men do not trample me, for I am sacred; but for you, whenever they are about to burn a corpse or wrap it in a grave, they themselves crown themselves, and under the ribs of the breathless one they spread you underneath." She indeed boasted of these things; but the one who gave birth to the oil warded her off very calmly: "O laurel, completely unhidden from all my offspring, at your end, like some swan, you have sung more sweetly; did you not understand that this belongs to me?
οὐ [συν]ῆκά μοι μ[ετὸν τούτων; ἐγὼ μὲν ἄνδρας οὓς Ἄρη[ς ἀπόλλυσι σὺν ἔκ τε πέμπω χὐ[πὸ.
I indeed send forth the men whom Ares destroys, and along with them...
. . . . . . . . . τῶν ἀριστέων οἳ κα. . . ν. . . . . . . .
...of the best men who...
[ἐγὼ δ]ὲ λευκὴν ἡνίκ’ ἐς τάφον τήθην φέρο[υσι] παῖδες ἢ γέροντα Τιθωνόν, αὐτο[ῖς ὁ]μαρτέω κἠπὶ τὴν ὁδὸν κεῖμαι, [ἀρκ]ε[ῦσα] πλεῖον ἢ σὺ τοῖς ἀγινεῦσιν ἐκ τῶν σε Τεμπέων.
And I, when children carry a white grandmother to the grave, or the aged Tithonus, I accompany them and lie on the road, helping more than you do to those who carry you from Tempe.
ἀλλ’ ὅτευ γὰρ ἐμνήσθης, καὶ τοῦτο κὠς ἄεθλον οὐκ ἐγὼ κρέσσων σεῦ;
But as for what you mentioned, even in that as a prize, am I not better than you?
καὶ γ[ὰ]ρ 〈ὡ〉γὼν οὑν Ὀλυμπίῃ μέζων ἢ’ν το[ῖ]σι Δελφοῖς· ἀλλ’ ἄριστον ἡ σωπή.
For indeed the contest in Olympia is greater than those in Delphi; but silence is best.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὔτε χρηστὸν οὔτε σε γρύζω ἀπηνὲς οὐδέν, ἀλλ’ ἄ[λ]ηθες ὄρνιθες [ἐ]ν τοῖσ[ι] φύλλοις ταῦτα τινθυρίζουσαι πάλαι κάθηνται κωτίλ[οι]ς [ὁμηρ]εῦσαι.
I indeed say nothing good nor anything harsh to you, but it is true that birds among the leaves, whispering these things, have long been sitting as talkative companions.
“τίς δ’ εὗρε δάφνην;
'Who discovered the laurel?
γαῖα [τήν γ’ ἐφίτυ]σ[εν, §1.5r## Fol. 5 recto
ὡς πρῖνον, ὡς δρῦν, ὡς κύπειρον, ὡς ὕλην.
The earth planted it, like a holm-oak, like an oak, like a galingale, like wood.
τίς δ’ εὗρ’ ἐλαίην;
But who discovered the olive?
Παλλάς, ἦμος ἤ[ρ]ιζ[ε τῷ φυκιοίκῳ κἠδίκαζεν ἀρχαῖος ἀνὴρ ὄφις τὰ νέρθεν ἀμφὶ τῆς Ἀκτῆς.
Pallas, when she disputed with the one who dwells in the seaweed, and the ancient serpent-man judged Acte from below.
ἓν ἡ δάφνη πέπτωκε.
One fall for the laurel.
τῶν δ’ ἀειζώων τίς τὴν ἐλαίην, τίς δὲ [τ]ὴν δάφνην τιμᾷ;
And of the ever-living gods, who honors the olive, and who the laurel?
δάφνην Ἀπόλλων, ἡ δὲ Παλλὰς ἣν εὗρεν.
Apollo the laurel, and Pallas the one she discovered.
ξυνὸν τόδ’ αὐταῖς, θεοὺς γὰρ οὐ διακρίνω.
This is common to them, for I do not judge among the gods.
τ[ίς] τῆς δάφνης ὁ καρπός;
What is the fruit of the laurel?
ἐς τί χρήσωμαι;
For what shall I use it?
μήτ’ ἔσθε μήτε πῖνε μήτ’ ἐπιχρίσῃς.
Neither eat nor drink nor anoint yourself with it.
ὁ τῆς δ’ ἐλαίης ἕαδε πόλλ’, ἔσω μάσταξ ὡς ἔ[νθεσι]ν καλεῦσιν, ἂν δὲ τὸ χρῖμα ἐν [ῇ, κο]λυμβά[ς], ἣν ἐπα[ῦρε] χὠ Θησεύς.
But that of the olive is much pleasing, as food in the mouth as they call it, and if the oil is in it, it becomes a pickled olive, which even Theseus enjoyed.
[τὸ δ]εύ[τερ]ον τίθημι τῇ δάφνῃ πτῶμα.
I deal a second fall to the laurel.
τεῦ γὰρ [τὸ] φύλλον οἱ ἱκέται προτείν[ο]υσι;
For whose leaf do the suppliants stretch out?
τὸ τῆς ἐλαίης.
That of the olive.
τὰ τρί’ ἡ δάφνη κεῖται.
Three falls, the laurel lies low.
φεῦ τῶν ἀτρύτων οἷα κωτιλίζουσι· λαιδρὴ κορώνη, κῶς τὸ χεῖλος οὐκ ἀλγεῖς;
Alas for the bird-cries of the tireless babblers; insolent crow, how does your lip not ache?
[τεῦ γ]ὰρ τὸ πρέμνον Δήλιοι φυλάσσουσι;
For whose trunk do the Delians guard?
[τὸ τ]ῆς ἐλαίης, ἣ κ[αθεῖσ]ε τὴν Λητώ. . . . . . .
That of the olive, which gave rest to Leto.
ὣς εἶπε, τῇ δ’ ὁ θυμὸς ἀμφὶ τῇ ῥήσει ἤλγησε, μέζον δ’ ἢ τὸ πρόσθεν ἢ[σχαλλ]εν.
Thus she spoke, and her heart at the speech ached, and she was vexed more than before.
[φεῦ] φεῦ, τὸ λοιπὸν εικο. εστονουτ. . . . ατα. . . . . ς ἣ χύτ’ εἶχε. . . τρ. . . . να ἔλεξεν, ἦν γὰρ οὐκ ἄπωθε τῶν δένδρων· οὐκ, ὦ τάλαιναι, παυσόμεσθα, μὴ λίην γεν〈ώ〉μεθ’ ἐχθραί;
[Fragment] [Fragment] Another tree spoke, for she was not far from the trees: "Shall we not, wretched ones, cease, lest we become too hostile?
μὴ λέγωμεν ἀλλήλας ἄνολβα· ναὶ. . . . ἀλλὰ ταῦτ’ ὀ. . μ. να.
Let us not speak of each other unhappy things...
τὴν δ’ ἄγρι[ο]ς φανεῖσα ταῦρος ἡ δάφνη ἔβλεψε καὶ τάδ’ εἶπεν· “ὦ κακὴ λώβη, ὡς δὴ μί’ ἡμέων καὶ σὺ μή με ποιῆσαι εὔστεκτον· ᾖ γὰρ γειτονεῦσ’ ἀποπνίγεις. . . . . . . §1.6v## Fol. 6 verso
. . . ἀ]οιδὸς ἐς κέρας τεθύμωται.
But the laurel, looking with the eyes of a wild bull, glared at her and spoke: "O evil pest, as if you were indeed one of us, do not make me suffocated; for by neighboring you choke me."...the singer is angered to the horn.
τὴν ξένην ἀνακρίνει ἣν δοῦλον εἶναί φησι καὶ παλίμπρητον.
He questions the foreign woman whom he says is a slave and twice-sold.
Ἔφεσον ὅθεν πῦρ οἱ τὰ μέτρα μέλλοντες τὰ χωλὰ τίκτειν μὴ μαθῶς ἐναύονται. §1.6r## Fol.
Ephesus, from where those who are about to give birth to lame measures kindle their fire, not foolishly.
6 recto
λαλοῦσ[ι. . . .
They speak...
Ἰαστὶ καὶ Δωριστὶ καὶ τὸ σύμμικτον.
in Ionian and Dorian and the mixed tongue.