Religion
To the Delphian Apollo (Mackail)
Translated by J. W. Mackail (1890) · From Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology (1890)
Eunomus the Locrian hangs up this brazen grasshopper to the Lycorean god, a memorial of the contest for the crown. The strife was of the Lyre, and Parthis stood up against me: but when the Locrian shell sounded under the plectrum, a lyre-string rang and snapped jarringly; but ere ever the tune halted in its fair harmonies, a delicate-trilling grasshopper seated itself on the lyre and took up the note of the lost string, and turned the rustic sound that till then was vocal in the groves to the strain of our touch upon the lyre; and therefore, blessed son of Leto, he does honour to thy grasshopper, seating the singer in brass upon his harp.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Silentiary, Paul the. “To the Delphian Apollo (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/paulus-silentiarius/85/.
Chicago
Silentiary, Paul the. “To the Delphian Apollo (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/paulus-silentiarius/85/.
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