Nature
Idyll XIX: Love Stealing Honey (Lang)
Translated by Andrew Lang (1880) · From Theocritus, Bion and Moschus rendered into English Prose (Macmillan, 1889)
The thievish Love,—a cruel bee once stung him, as he was rifling honey from the hives, and pricked his finger-tips all; then he was in pain, and blew upon his hand, and leaped, and stamped the ground. And then he showed his hurt to Aphrodite, and made much complaint, how that the bee is a tiny creature, and yet what wounds it deals! And his mother laughed out, and said, ‘Art thou not even such a creature as the bees, for tiny art thou, but what wounds thou dealest!’
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Codex Note
This little piece is but doubtfully ascribed to Theocritus. The motif is that of a well-known Anacreontic Ode. The idyl has been translated by Ronsard.
Cite this poem
MLA
Theocritus. “Idyll XIX: Love Stealing Honey (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theocritus/156/.
Chicago
Theocritus. “Idyll XIX: Love Stealing Honey (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theocritus/156/.
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