Death & Dying

Book VIII, 156: On Naucratius, the Brother of Basil the Great

by Gregory of Nazianzus 4th century AD (Paton’s date)

Translated by W. R. Paton (1916–18) · From The Greek Anthology (Loeb, vol. II, 1917)

Death & Dying

Naucratius was once freeing his fishing-net from a sunken rock in the roaring eddies of the river. The net he did not free, but was caught himself. Tell me, O Word, how the net landed the fisherman Naucratius, an example of pure life, instead of fish. As I conjecture, both grace and death came to him from the water.

This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.

MLA

Nazianzus, Gregory of. “Book VIII, 156: On Naucratius, the Brother of Basil the Great.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/gregory-nazianzus/161/.

Chicago

Nazianzus, Gregory of. “Book VIII, 156: On Naucratius, the Brother of Basil the Great.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/gregory-nazianzus/161/.

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