Thursday, July 18, 2024

Mourning the loss of a friend: Antye, Greek Anthology 7.490

 

Name: Antye

Date:    3rd century BCE

Region:    Tegea [modern Greece]

Citation: Greek Anthology 7.490

 I mourn for the maiden Antibia.

Because of her beauty and wisdom

Many suitors flocked to her father’s home for her,

But cursed Fate keeps all hope at bay.

 παρθένον Ἀντιβίαν κατοδύρομαι, ἇς ἐπὶ πολλοὶ

νυμφίοι ἱέμενοι πατρὸς ἵκοντο δόμον,

κάλλευς καὶ πινυτᾶτος ἀνὰ κλέος: ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ πάντων

ἐλπίδας οὐλομένα Μοῖρ᾽ ἐκύλισε πρόσω.


 Virginem Antibiam deploro, quam propter multi

Sponsi desiderantes, ad patris venerunt domum,

Ob pulchritudinem & prudentiam inclytam; sed omnium

Spem damnosa mors subverti prius.

Translated into Latin by Christian Wolf [1735]

 

 

Antye [4th century BCE, Modern Greece] was one of the famous “earthly Muses,” a group of nine women poets revered by classical Greek and Roman authors. Little is known about her, but it generally agreed that she was from Tegea [modern Greece] and lived during the 3rd century BCE. Numerous poems of hers were preserved in the Greek Anthology.

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