Living

Fragment XII (Lang)

by Bion of Smyrna fl. c. 100 BC

Translated by Andrew Lang (1880) · From Theocritus, Bion and Moschus rendered into English Prose (Macmillan, 1889)

Living

Mild goddess, in Cyprus born,—thou child, not of the sea, but of Zeus,—why art thou thus vexed with mortals and immortals? Nay, my word is too weak, why wert thou thus bitterly wroth, yea, even with thyself, as to bring forth Love, so mighty a bane to all,—cruel and heartless Love, whose spirit is all unlike his beauty? And wherefore didst thou furnish him with wings, and give him skill to shoot so far, that, child as he is, we never may escape the bitterness of Love.

This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.

MLA

Smyrna, Bion of. “Fragment XII (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/bion/29/.

Chicago

Smyrna, Bion of. “Fragment XII (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/bion/29/.

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