Death & Dying
Epigram IX: The Death of Cleonicus (Lang)
Translated by Andrew Lang (1880) · From Theocritus, Bion and Moschus rendered into English Prose (Macmillan, 1889)
Man, husband thy life, nor go voyaging out of season, for brief are the days of men! Unhappy Cleonicus, thou wert eager to win rich Thasus, from Coelo-Syria sailing with thy merchandise,—with thy merchandise, O Cleonicus, at the setting of the Pleiades didst thou cross the sea,—and didst sink with the sinking Pleiades!
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Theocritus. “Epigram IX: The Death of Cleonicus (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theocritus/177/.
Chicago
Theocritus. “Epigram IX: The Death of Cleonicus (Lang).” Translated by Andrew Lang. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theocritus/177/.
Read this poem with the Codex →