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

Παράβασις.

τω

Ὦ θεώμενοι, τάχ ̓ ἴσως θαυμάσεσθε τὴν θέαν. ἀλλ ̓ ἔτ ̓, ἔστ ̓ ἂν πάντα φράσῃ τἀληθές, θαυμάζετε. ἄνδρα τόνδε Πυραμὸν ὄντ ̓ ἴστ ̓, ἣν βούλησθ ̓ εἰδέναι, Θίσβη γὰρ παῖς καλλιπρόσωπος δήλη 'στ ̓ ἐκεινηΐ. ἀνὴρ δ ̓ οὔμπλεως χάλικος καὶ πηλοῦ μιμήσεται τεῖχος τοὐπίτριπτον, ἐραστὰ διεῖργον τὼ δύο. τώδε γὰρ τείχους δι ̓ ὀπῆς ἀσμένως τρισαθλίω νῦν πρὸς ἀλλήλω ψιθυρίζουσ'· ἃ μηδεὶς θαυμάσῃ. ἄνδρα κεῖνον δ ̓, ὃς κύν ̓ ἰπνόν τ ̓ ἔχει κἀκάνθης βάτον, σελήνης πρόσωπον ὁρᾶτ ̓· ἦν γὰρ βούλησθ ̓ εἰδέναι, τὼ δύ ̓ οὐκ αἰδεῖσθον ἐραστὰ Σεληναίας σέλας εἰς Νίνου τύμβον προαπαντῶντε 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, χὠ λέων γνάθοις ἀκάθαρτος χραίνει μιαιφόνοις. κὰν τῷδ ̓ ἡδὺς ὑψικόμας μειρακίσκος προσμολὼν κτάμενον εὗρε θοιμάτιον Θίσβης πιστῆς Πυραμός. φασγάνῳ δὲ τῷ φοβερῷ τῷ φονῶντι φασγάνω φλᾷ φλογωπὸν φοιταλέος φοινίαν φίλην φρένα. εἶτα, Θίσβη γὰρ παρέμεινεν μόρου σκιᾶς ὑπο, ἔγχος εἵλκυσ ̓ εἶτ ̓ ἔθανεν. τἄλλα δ ̓ οὖν πάνθ ̓ ὡς ἔχει, ἡ σελήνη, τὼ δύ ̓ ἐραστά, τὸ τεῖχος, χώ λέων, οἶδ ̓ ἀφηγείσθων τάδ', ἕως ἐνθαδὶ μένουσ ̓ ἔτι.

Ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς κωμωδίας λείψανον.

Π. Δῖα Σελήνη, σὲ δὲ μαρμαρυγῆς ἄγαμαι τῆς ἡλιοειδοῦς. ἄγαμαι δῆτ ̓, ὦ δια Σελήνη, σελαγεῖς σέλας οἵνεκα λαμπρόν ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῖς σοῖς χρυσορύτοισιν χλιδανοῖς χαρίεσσι ρεέθροις ὄσσων Θίσβης τῆς πιστοτάτης πίστις πάρα πάγχυ πάσασθαι.

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!

SHAKESPEARE.

B

The Beautiful is Hard.

EFORE 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.

Κύπριν, Αθηναίην, Ἥρην Πάρις εἶδε βραβεύσων,
εὗρε δ' ἰδὼν κρίνειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.
εἶτ ̓ ἔμολεν Σπάρτην Ἑλένης δι ἔρωτα, τὸ δ ̓ εὐθὺς
εὗρε μολὼν κλέπτειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.
ἐν δὲ τέλει πλοῦτόν τ ̓ ὀλέσας ἄλοχόν τε βίον τε
· εὗρε θανῶν σώζειν ὡς χαλέπ ̓ ἦν τὰ καλά.

3

C. T. C.

Omnia Pulchra difficilia.

I boni, sic litigantes intuens Paris deas Infit, Ad diiudicandum difficilia Pulchra sunt. Di boni, Spartae laborans in Lacaena coniuge Sic susurrat, Ad parandum difficilia Pulchra sunt. Di boni, vitam cruentam vulneratus evomens Sic gemiscit, Ad tuendum difficilia Pulchra sunt.

F

K.

NOW

The Land of the Sun.

and myrtle

ye the land where the cypress Are emblems of deeds that are done in their

clime;

Where the rage of the vulture, the love of the turtle,
Now melt into sorrow, now madden to crime?

Know ye the land of the cedar and vine,

Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine;
Where the light wings of zephyr, oppressed with perfume,
Wax faint o'er the gardens of Gúl in her bloom;
Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit,
And the voice of the nightingale never is mute;

Where the tints of the earth, and the hues of the sky,
In colour though varied, in beauty may vie,

And the purple of ocean is deepest in dye;
Where the virgins are soft as the roses they twine,
And all, save the spirit of man, is divine?

'Tis the clime of the East-'tis the land of the Sun; Can he smile on such deeds as his children have done? Oh, wild as the accents of lovers' farewell

Are the hearts which they bear, and the tales which they tell.

BYRON.

The Lion and the Unicorn.

HE lion and the unicorn

Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All round the town.

Some gave him white bread;
Some gave him brown;
Some gave him plum-cake,
And sent him out of town.

GAMMER GURTON.

Solis Regio.

OSTIN qvae regio miscet myrteta cupressis,
Indicio populi qvalia facta sui;

Vulture qva sceleris furor est immanior, et qva
Solvitur in gemitus turturis instar amor?
Nostin laeta cedris late iuga, laeta Lyaeo,

Qva cum perpetuo flore perenne iubar;
Qva zephyri errantis suaves rosa verna per hortos
Quamlibet admissam tardat odore fugam ;
Pomiferae decus est ubi citrus olivaqve silvae,
Mutaqve non umqvam vox, Philomela, tua est;
Qva, cum terrarum color alter et alter Olympi,
Maior, in ambiguo est, gloria cedat utri;
Qva rubet oceani clarissima purpura; qvaqve
Multa rosis virgo textile nectit opus,

Nectit, et ipsa rosis est mollior: omniaqve, unam
Excipias animi vim modo, plena Deo?

Haec regio est Orientis ; et haec gratissima Phoebo:
Num spectat populi blandior ausa sui?

Heu, ut amatorum vox illa novissima, dirum est
Qvodqve solent animo volvere, qvodqve loqvi.

Grande Certamen.

Ἐμάχονθ ̓ ὁ λέων χὡ μουνόκερως
περὶ τοῦ στεφάνου

καὶ μουνόκερων ὁ μὲν ἀντίδικος
περὶ πᾶν ἔκιζ' ἄστυ διώκων·
ὁ δὲ δωρηθεὶς ἄρτοις λευκοῖς,

φαιοῖς δ ̓ ἑτέροις, ποπάνοις τ ̓ ἄλλοις
μυριοκάρποις

οὕτως ἔκδημος ἐπέμφθη.

K.

H. T.