Fr. 178
ἠὼς οὐδὲ πιθοιγὶς ἐλάνθανεν οὐδ' ὅτε δούλοις
ἦμαρ Ὀρέστειοι λευκὸν ἄγουσι χόες·
Ἰκαρίου καὶ παιδὸς ἄγων ἐπέτειον ἁγιστύν,
Ἀτθίσιν οἰκτίστη, σὸν φάος, Ἠριγόνη,
5 ἐς δαίτην ἐκάλεσσεν ὁμηθέας, ἐν δέ νυ τοῖσι
ξεῖνον ὃς Α[ἰ]γύπτῳ καινὸς ἀνεστρέφετο
μεμβλωκὼς ἴδιόν τι κατὰ χρέος· ἦν δὲ γενέθλην
Ἴκιος, ᾧ ξυνὴν εἶχον ἐγὼ κλισίην
οὐκ ἐπιτάξ, ἀλλ' αἶνος Ὁμηρικός, αἰὲν ὁμοῖον
10 ὡς θεός, οὐ ψευδής, ἐς τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει.
καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θρηϊκίην μὲν ἀπέστυγε χανδὸν ἄμυστιν
ζωροποτεῖν, ὀλίγῳ δ' ἥδετο κισσυβίῳ.
τῷ μὲν ἐγὼ τάδ' ἔλεξα περιστείχοντος ἀλείσου
τὸ τρίτον, εὖτ' ἐδάην οὔνομα καὶ γενεήν·
15 ʿἦ μάλ' ἔπος τόδ' ἀληθές, ὅ τ' οὐ μόνον ὕδατος αἶσαν,
ἀλλ' ἔτι καὶ λέσχης οἶνος ἔχειν ἐθέλει.
τὴν ἡμεῖς— οὐκ ἐν γ[ὰ]ρ ἀρυστήρεσσι φορεῖται
οὐδέ μιν εἰς ἀτ[ενεῖ]ς ὀφρύας οἰνοχόων
αἰτήσεις ὁρόω[ν] ὅτ' ἐλεύθερος ἀτμένα σαίνει—
20 βάλλωμεν χαλεπῷ φάρμακον ἐν πόματι,
Θεύγενες· ὅσσ[α] δ' ἐμεῖο σ[έ]θεν πάρα θυμὸς ἀκοῦσαι
ἰχαίνει, τάδε μοι λ[έ]ξον [ἀνειρομέν]ῳ·
Μυρμιδόνων ἑσσῆνα τ[ί πάτριον ὔ]μμι σέβεσθαι
Πηλέα, κῶς Ἴκῳ ξυν[ὰ τὰ Θεσσαλι]κά,
25 τεῦ δ' ἕνεκεν γήτειον ιδ[. .]υτ[. . . .]ρτον ἔχουσα
ἥρωος κα[θ]όδου πα[ῖς
εἰδότες ὡς ἐνέπου[σιν
κείνην ἣ περὶ σὴν [
οὔθ' ἑτέρην ἔγνωκα· τ[
30 οὔατα μυθεῖσθαι βουλομέν[οις ἀνέχων’.
τ[αῦτ'] ἐμέθεν λέξαντο[ς
‘τρις μάκαρ, ἦ παύρων ὄλβιός ἐσσι μέτα,
ναυτιλίης εἰ νῆιν ἔχεις βίον· ἀλλ' ἐμὸς αἰών
κύμασιν αἰθυίης μᾶλλον ἐσῳκίσατο
notes
vocabulary
translation
Fr. 178
He did not miss the day of the opening of the jars, nor thε day when
the pitchers of Orestes bring a happy day for slaves;
and while celebrating the yearly festival of the child of Ikarios—
your day, Erigone, who are most pitiable to Attic women—
he invited congenial friends to the feast, and among them5
now a new person, who was lately staying in Egypt,
having come on some personal business. He was by
birth an Ician, and with him I shared a couch—
not by pre-arrangement: rather the Homeric proverb
is not false, that the god always leads like to like.10
For he too hated to drink unmixed wine with his mouth wide
open in large Thracian gulps, but enjoyed the small cup.
To him I said these things, as the beaker was going around
for a third time, when I had learned his name and birth:
"This saying is indeed very true that wine needs its15
share not just of water, but also of conversation.
That is something not brought around in ladles,
and you won't ask for it by looking at the stern
brows of the cupbearers, at a time when the freeman fawns on the slave—
so let us throw some into the harsh drink like a drug,20
Theogenes: there are things that my heart longs to hear
from you. Tell me all, in response to my questions.
Why is it the custom of your country to worship Peleus, the king
of the Myrmidons? How much does Icus have in common with Thessaly?
On account of what ... holding an onion . . .25
the descent(?) of the hero . . .
. . . . .
hold ears at the ready for those who want to tell a story30
I myself having said these things. . ."
"Thrice-blessed one, truly you are blessed as few are
if you lead a life ignorant of seafaring; but my life
is more at home in the waves than that of a seagull ..."