ANACREON
Translated by G. Theodoridis
© 2005
All Rights Reserved
Ἀνακρέων
(563-478BC)
Gorgeous Sandals
(aka Odd Sandals)
(Ed 15/73)
Today, Eros, of the golden locks used a
purple ball to make me play
with a child.
A girl, wearing gorgeous sandals.
But she, born in beautiful Lesbos,
looked at me, found
fault with my
hair – it’s grey, you see!-
and
turned from me to gawk at some other child,
Another girl.
*******
Ο Χρυσομάλλης Έρως.
Σήμερα ο χρυσομάλλης Έρως μου πέταξε μια
Κόκκιινη μπάλλα.
Έτσι για να παίξω μ᾽ένα κοριτσάκι
Που φορούσε ομορφοστολισμένα σανδάλια.
Αλ´όμως αυτή ήταν απ´την ομορφοστολισμένη Μυτιλήνη!
Λεσβία!
Με κοιτάζει λοιπόν,
Το κοριτσάκι αυτό
Πάνω-κάτω, πάνω-κάτω!
Και,
Βρήσκει το κακό!
Τα μαλλιά μου!
(είναι κάτασπρα, βλέπετε)
Με κοροιδεύει λοιπόν
Και,
Τέλος στρέφει τα γλυκά της ματάκια και τα καρφώνει
Σ᾽ ένα άλλο
Κοριτσάκι!
—————
Prayer to Dionysius
(ED2/72)
Please, Dionysius!
Leader of all, whose friends are the omnipotent
Eros and the blue-eyed
Nymphs and the rosy
Aphrodite
and whose compass
is the high peaks of mountains.
Please, be kind enough to come to me and
hear my plea with a smile:
Go, God, go to Cleovoulos and counsel him well.
make him
accept my love!
—————-
Water and wine
(Ed75)
I
Boy! Bring water and bring wine
and bring garlands of flowers
that I may do a round or two with Eros
II
Boy! bring here a cup!
and
Boy! mix ten cups of water to five of wine
and
Boy! let me not shut my lips but let me drink
and drink and rage like
a frenzied Bacchus with
impunity.
III
Come, friends! let’s not shout and scream
like Scythian drunks
but
let us study our wine, friends
and
accompany its drinking with beautiful songs
——————
The Greek text may be read here
