Mythology & Folklore
Book XIV, 24: Enigma
Translated by W. R. Paton (1916–18) · From The Greek Anthology (Loeb, vol. V, 1918)
Thou seest me... Dionysus. A double womb bore me, and my father presides over memory. He first generated me, a merciless creature carrying a beast, and having slain the dear son of my sister, the fawn, I no longer carry a beast, but the sky, and sea, and earth, and the holy company of the gods ever imperishable.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Codex Note
Answer: Obscure, but there is in the last lines evidently a reference to a “panther,” which, on losing its last syllable (ther = beast), becomes pan (the universe).
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Greek Anthology). “Book XIV, 24: Enigma.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-greek-anthology/825/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Greek Anthology). “Book XIV, 24: Enigma.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-greek-anthology/825/.
Read this poem with the Codex →