Death & Dying

On Charidas of Cyrene (Mackail)

by Callimachus c. 310 – c. 240 BC

Translated by J. W. Mackail (1890) · From Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology (1890)

Death & Dying

Does Charidas in truth sleep beneath thee? If thou meanest the son of Arimmas of Cyrene, beneath me. O Charidas, what of the under world? Great darkness. And what of the resurrection? A lie. And Pluto? A fable; we perish utterly. This my tale to you is true; but if thou wilt have the pleasant one of the Samian, I am a large ox in Hades.

This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.

MLA

Callimachus. “On Charidas of Cyrene (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/callimachus/77/.

Chicago

Callimachus. “On Charidas of Cyrene (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/callimachus/77/.

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