Sunday, February 05, 2017

 

The Dark One

Greek Anthology 11.13 (by Ammianus; tr. W.R. Paton with his note):
Dawn after dawn goes by, and then, when we take no heed shall come the Dark One. Melting some of us, roasting some and puffing out others,1 he shall bring us all to the same pit.

1 i.e. killing us by consumption, fever or dropsy.

ἠὼς ἐξ ἠοῦς παραπέμπεται, εἶτ᾿, ἀμελούντων
    ἡμῶν, ἐξαίφνης ἥξει ὁ πορφύρεος,
καὶ τοὺς μὲν τήξας, τοὺς δ᾿ ὀπτήσας, ἐνίους δὲ
    φυσήσας, ἄξει πάντας ἐς ἓν βάραθρον.
The same, tr. F.A. Wright:
Dawn follows Dawn, until the Dark One come
To drive us scattered to our Common Home.
    Heedless we play, while Water, Wasting, Fire,
To this one and to that he gives for Doom.
Commentary by Francesca Ricciuti, Gli epigrammi di Ammiano, pp. 10-12.



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