Nature
Book IX, 86
Translated by W. R. Paton (1916–18) · From The Greek Anthology (Loeb, vol. III, 1917)
An omnivorous, crawling, lickerish mouse, seeing in the house an oyster with its lips open, had a bite at its flesh-like wet beard. Immediately the house of shell closed tightly with a clap owing to the pain, and the mouse, locked in the prison from which there was no escape, compassed for himself death and the tomb.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Byzantium, Antiphilus of. “Book IX, 86.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/antiphilus/26/.
Chicago
Byzantium, Antiphilus of. “Book IX, 86.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/antiphilus/26/.
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