Fragments Addressed by Clearchus H. To Aldi
Πωτριε
Πωτριε φιφτεεν κενξ
π. 43
Ἰ ἁυε σατ ἑρε ἁρριε ἰν μι ἀρμχαιρ
(πύτνηβυς, πύτνηβυς)1
ὐατχινγ θε στιλλ Ηουνδ ἀνδ θε κιδ
ὐιθ θε δαρκ ἁιρ
ὑιχ θε ὐινδ ὀφ μι ὐπραισεδ ὐοικε
τορε λικε ἀ γρεεν ματτεδ μεσς
(Ὠ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι)2
ὀφ ὐετ κοβυεβς ἀνδ σεαυεεδ ἀτ τυιλιγτ,
βυτ τὁυγ Ἰ γρεατλιε δελιγτεδ
(ἠράμαν μὲν ἐγὼ σέθεν, Ἀλδί, πάλαι πότα)3
ἰν θησε ἀνδ θε Ἐζρα ὑισκέρς
τἁτ ὑιχ σετς με νιρεστ το ὐεεπινγ
(ὁ δὲ Κλέαρχος εἶπε)4
ἰς θε κλασσικαλ ῥυθμ ὀφ θε ραρε σπεεχες,
Ὠ θε ὐνσπωκεν σπεεχες
Ἑλλενικ.
Translation:
Poetry
Poetry fifteen cents
p. 43
I have sat here happy in my armchair
(putneybus, putneybus)1
watching the still Hound and the kid
with the dark hair
which the wind of my upraised voice
tore like a green matted mess
(O men of Athens)2
of yet cobwebs and seaweed at twilight,
but though I greatly delighted
(I loved thee once, Aldi, long ago.)3
in these and the Ezra whiskers
that which sets me nearest to weeping
(As Clearchus said.)4
is the classical rhythm of the rare speeches,
O the unspoken speeches
Hellenic.
NOTES.
- A vehicle conducting passengers from Athens, the capital of Greece, to the temple of the winds, which stands in a respectable suburb.
- Rendered by Butler, "O God! O Montreal!"
- Sappho!!!!!!
- Xenophon's Anabasis.