Quid valle permutem Sabina?

Nostine rivi delicias mei?
Nostine risus? lenibus hic aqvis
Per saxa per silvas vagatur
Blandiloqvos iterans susurros.

O saepe qvestu te memori nimis
Desideravi, flumen amabile,

Qvae murmur emittis canorum
Ante alias mihi grata lymphas

Altricis extra limina villulae :
Mellitiores nonne favonii
In valle suspirant paterna?
Nonne viget per avita tesqva
Florum venustas gratior? o mihi
Lux si resurgat laeta, puertiae
Qvae prima subrisit beatae,

Famam et opes fatuasqve gazas

Ultro resignem qvas fugiens dies
Fastidienti cumqve profuderit.
Sic inter incertos timores,

Cara soror, qvibus aegra semper

Vitae impeditur semita, limpidos
Si qvando amati fluminis ad sinus
Annosqve delapsos revertor,

Pectora dum malesanus angor

Deserta torqvet, mensqve doloribus
Langvet supremis, nil nisi liminum
Spes certa caelestum refecit
Corda suo lacerata morsu.

A. H.

Done into English by Will Shakspeare.

Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;
But wonder on, till truth makes all things plain.
This man is Pyramus, if you would know;
This beauteous lady Thisby is, certain.

This man, with lime and roughcast, doth present
Wall,—that vile wall that did these lovers sunder.
And through wall's chink, poor souls, they are content
To whisper; at the which let no man wonder.
This man, with lantern, dog, and bush of thorn,
Presenteth moonshine; for, if you will know,
By moonshine did these lovers think no scorn

To meet at Ninus' tomb, there, there to woo.
This grisly beast, which by name lion hight,
The trusty Thisby, coming first by night,
Did scare away, or rather did affright.
And as she fled, her mantle she did fall;
Which lion vile. with bloody mouth did stain:
Anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and tall,
And finds his trusty Thisby's mantle slain.
Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade,
He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast;
And, Thisby tarrying in mulberry shade,

His dagger drew, and died. For all the rest,
Let lion, moonshine, wall, and lovers twain,
At large discourse, while here they do remain.

Pyramus.

Sweet Moon, I thank thee for thy sunny beams;
I thank thee, Moon, for shining now so bright:

Ἐκ τῆς ἐλεεινοτάτης κωμῳδίας, ἐν ᾗ Πυραμοῦ καὶ Θίσβης οικτρότατα παθήματα διηγεῖται ὁ ποιητής. Παράβασις.

"

Ὦ θεώμενοι, τάχ ̓ ἴσως θαυμάσεσθε τὴν θέαν. ἀλλ ̓ ἔτ ̓, ἔστ ̓ ἂν πάντα φράσῃ ταληθές, θαυμάζετε. ἄνδρα τόνδε Πυραμὸν ὄντ ̓ ἴστ ̓, ἢν βούλησθ' εἰδέναι, Θίσβη γὰρ παῖς καλλιπρόσωπος δήλη 'στ' ἐκεινηΐ. ἀνὴρ δ' οὔμπλεως χάλικος καὶ πηλοῦ μιμήσεται τεῖχος τοὐπίτριπτον, ἐραστὰ διεῖργον τω δύο. τώδε γὰρ τείχους δι ̓ ὀπῆς ἀσμένως τρισαθλίω νῦν πρὸς ἀλλήλω ψιθυρίζουσ ̓ ἃ μηδεὶς θαυμάσῃ. ἄνδρα κεῖνον δ', ὃς κύν ̓ ἰπνόν τ ̓ ἔχει κακάνθης βάτον, σελήνης πρόσωπον ὁρᾶτ ̓ ἦν γὰρ βούλησθ ̓ εἰδέναι, τω δύ ̓ οὐκ αἰδεῖσθον ἐραστὰ Σεληναίας σέλας εἰς Νίνου τύμβον προαπαντώντε καὶ παίζοντ ̓ ἐκεῖ. θηρίον τόδ' αὖ χαροπόν, λέονθ ̓ ὃν κικλήσκομεν, Θίσβην πιστήν ἐρχομένη δ ̓ ἡ παῖς νυκτὸς ἔφθασεν ἐξέπληξ ̓ εἴτ ̓ οὖν ἐφόβησ ̓ ὧδε γὰρ τρανῶς ἐρῶ. φεύγουσαν δὲ θοιμάτιον λανθάνει πίπτον χαμαί, χώ λέων γνάθοις ἀκάθαρτος χραίνει μιαιφόνοις. καν τῷδ ̓ ἡδὺς ὑψικόμας μειρακίσκος προσμολὼν κτάμενον εὗρε θοιμάτιον Θίσβης πιστῆς Πυραμός. φασγάνῳ δὲ τῷ φοβερῷ τῷ φονῶντι φασγάνῳ φλᾷ φλογωπὸν φοιταλέος φοινίαν φίλην φρένα. εἶτα, Θίσβη γὰρ παρέμεινεν μόρου σκιᾶς υπο, ἔγχος εἵλκυσ ̓ εἶτ ̓ ἔθανεν. τἄλλα δ ̓ οὖν πάνθ ̓ ὡς ἔχει, ἡ σελήνη, τω δύ ̓ ἐραστά, τὸ τεῖχος, χώ λέων, οἴδ ̓ ἀφηγείσθων τάδ', ἕως ἐνθαδὶ μένουσ ̓ ἔτι.

Ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς κωμωδίας λείψανον.

Π. Δῖα Σελήνη, σὲ δὲ μαρμαρυγῆς ἄγαμαι τῆς ἡλιοειδούς. ἄγαμαι δῆτ ̓, ὦ δια Σελήνη, σελαγεῖς σέλας ούνεκα λαμπρόν

For by thy gracious golden glittering streams,
I trust to taste of truest Thisby's sight.
But stay-O spite!

But mark-poor knight,

What dreadful dole is here?
Eyes, do you see?

How can it be?

O dainty duck! O dear!
Thy mantle good,

What, stained with blood?
Approach, ye furies fell!

O fates, come, come!
Cut thread, and thrum!

Quail, crush, conclude, and quell!

The Beautiful is Hard.

Before the Dardan's raptured eyes
When strove the Three for beauty's prize,
The umpire's doubting gaze declared:
To judge the Beautiful is hard.

And when to Sparta's court he sailed,
And in his fatal suit prevailed,
The lover's trembling sigh declared:
To win the Beautiful is hard.

And when in battle's fevered strife
He lost his wealth, his bride, his life,
The warrior's dying groan declared:
To keep the Beautiful is hard.

S. A.

ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῖς σοῖς χρυσορύτοισιν χλιδανοῖς χαρίεσσι ρεέθροις
ὄσσων Θίσβης τῆς πιστοτάτης πίστις πάρα πάγχυ πάσασθαι.
στὰρ οὐχὶ μενεῖς ; φεῦ τῆς ὕβρεως
ὦ δύσμορ ̓ ἐράστ', οὐχὶ κατόψει;
τί τόδ ̓ αὖ φοβερὸν φρικώδες ὁρᾶν ;
ἢ τήνδε θέαν λεύσσετον, ὄμματε ;
πῶς δέ, νεόττιον,

ὦ νηττάριον, τάδ ̓ ἂν εἴη;
τὸ δ ̓ ἀμώμητον στάζειν αἵματι
σὴν ἀμπεχόνην. ἐπιχαιρέκακοι
δεῦρ ̓ ἴτ ̓ Ερινύες· ἔλθετε Μοῖραι
τέμνετε λήνεα, τέμνετε πηνία
κείρετε καίνετε

κακθλίβετε, κατα πεπαύσθω.

R. S.

Χαλεπὰ τὰ καλά.

Κύπριν, Αθηναίην, Ηρην Πάρις εἶδε βραβεύσων,
εὗρε δ' ἰδων κρίνειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.
εἶτ ̓ ἔμολεν Σπάρτην Ελένης δι ̓ ἔρωτα, τὸ δ ̓ εὐθὺς
εὗρε μολὼν κλέπτειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.
ἐν δὲ τέλει πλοῦτόν τ ̓ ὀλέσας ἄλοχόν τε βίον τε
εὗρε θανὼν σώζειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.

C. T. C.