Meleager's Cicada Poem

#poem  #meleager #Greekanthology #cicada #greekpoetry 

Meleager's Cicada Poem

Written in the frist Century BCE

ἀχηεις τέττιξ, δροσεραῖς σταγόνεσσι μεθυσθείς,

ἀγρονόμαν μέλπεις μοῦσαν ἐρημολάλον.

ἄκρα δ᾿ ἐφεζόμενος πετάλοις, πριονώδεσι κώλοις.

αἰθίοπι κλάζεις χρωτὶ μέλισμαλύρας.

ἀλλά, φίλος, θθέγγου τι νέον δενδρώδεσι

παίγνιον, ἀντῳδὸν Πανὶ κρέκων κέλαδον,

ὄφρα φυγὼν τὸν Ἔρωτα, μεσηβρινὸν ὕπνον

ἐνθάδ᾿ ὑπὸ σκιερᾷ κεκλιμένος πλατάνῷ

Clear sounding Cicada drunken with dewy drops

Rural music you sing chattering in the wilderness

and sitting upon on the edge of leaves with saw shaped limbs

with your sunburnt body you shriek lyre like melody

but friend speak some new song for the woodland spirits

a response to pan's striking noise

that fleeing Eros noon tide sleep I will catch 

here under the shade of the elm lying down.

As well as being a lovely poem there is a beautiful variety of dative forms from all declensions in this poem and note that it is also a request for the Cicada to sing so that the woodland spirits will protect him from Pan .

paypal.me/JulieVaux

Dative Spirit Matthew Chapter 5 Verse 3 some notes

DATIVE SPIRIT

MATTHEW Ch. 5 Verse 3

μακαριοι οἱ πτωχοι τῷ πνευματι

Blessed (are) the poor in spirit for theirs is the realm of the heavens

The parallel section in Luke 6. 20 – 23 omits pneumati

Now πνευματι is dative rather than genitive. Why?

Greek can use dative without a preposition.

This could be a dative of place, cause, means, or respect.

Matthew stresses poverty of spirit but the other kind of poverty is meant as well.

As a matter of style the use of the dative also contrasts with the genitive forms in the secondary subordinate clause.

Was Jesus bilingual in Greek? Could the minor differences between verses from Gospel to Gospel reflect jesus speaking first in Greek or Aramaic depending on his audience and then repeating himself in the other language?

However the primary message is the important one.

BLESSED ARE THE POOR

and it is a lovely example of the dative form too!

ANACREON I care not for ...

A Poem By ANACREON
From the Greek Anthology book 11 47

Οὔ μοι μέλει τὰ Γύγεω,

τοῦ Σαρδίων ἄνακτος,

οὔθ̓ αἱρέει με χρυσός,

οὐκ αἰνέω τυράννους.

Ἐμοὶ μέλει μύροισι

καταβρέχειν ὑπήνην.

Ἐμοὶ μέλει ῥόδοισι

καταστέφειν κάρηνα.

Τὸ σήμερον μέλει μοι.

τὸ δ̓ αὔριον τίς οἶδεν; 

A Literal translation you can tidy up.  

Notice  the use of dative with melei 

Not to me  is a concern or care (so I care not reads better in English)  for the  ta = things = wealth of Gyges

 of Sardis (wealthy city in Asia Minor)  the anax or ruler 

nor does take (captive) me GOLD

  not  I praise tyrants.

 I care to drench my beard with scent

 I care to garland / crown my head with roses.  

Garland is often translated as crown because a "Crown" for many ancient rulers was a band of flowers or metal on the head.

  I care for today 

and tomorrow who knows?