Death & Dying
Book XIII, 23
Translated by W. R. Paton (1916–18) · From The Greek Anthology (Loeb, vol. V, 1918)
Ho passer by; even if thou art in haste give ear a moment to the grief of Botrys that passeth measure. An old man now of four-score years, he buried his boy of nine, a child already speaking with some skill and wisdom. Alas for thy father and alas for thee, dear son of Botrys; with how many joys untasted hast thou perished!
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Codex Note
Paton’s metre label: ‘Tetrameters, composed of complete trimeters with the addition of a final basis, followed by imperfect trimeters’.
Cite this poem
MLA
Samos, Asclepiades of. “Book XIII, 23.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/asclepiades/36/.
Chicago
Samos, Asclepiades of. “Book XIII, 23.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/asclepiades/36/.
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