Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus

Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus

Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus theocritus QEOKRITOU EGKWMION EIS PTOLEMAION ejk Dio;" ajrcwvmesqa kai; ej" Diva lhvgete Moi'sai, ajqanavtwn to;n a[riston, ejph;n/† ajeivdwmen ajoidai'": ajndrw''n d j au\ Ptolemai'o" ejni; prwvtoisi legevsqw kai; puvmato" kai; mevsso": o} ga;r proferevstato" ajndrw'n. h{rwe", toi; provsqen ajf j hJmiqevwn ejgevnonto, 5 rJevxante" kala; e[rga sofw'n ejkuvrhsan ajoidw'n: aujta;r ejgw; Ptolemai'on ejpistavmeno" kala; eijpei'n uJmnhvsaim j: u{mnoi de; kai; ajqanavtwn gevra" aujtw'n. [Idan ej" poluvdendron ajnh;r uJlatovmo" ejlqwvn paptaivnei, pareovnto" a[dhn, povqen a[rxetai e[rgou: 10 tiv prw'ton katalevxw; ejpei; pavra muriva eijpei'n oi|si qeoi; to;n a[riston ejtivmhsan basilhvwn. ejk patevrwn oi|o" me;n e[hn televsai mevga e[rgon 76 1 Mou'sai Pap.Ant. 2 ajoidh'" Pap.Ant. 4 proferevstero" l 5 aJ[miqevwn Pap.Ant. (probably) 9 ejnqwvn K 11 pra¸ton l THE ENCOMIUM OF PTOLEMY From Zeus let us begin and, Muses, cease with Zeus, best of the immortal ones, whenever we raise our voices in song.1 But of men let Ptolemy be named in the first place, at the end, and in the middle, for he is the greatest of men. The heroes, who in former times were descended from demigods, performed marvelous deeds and found skilled poets to honor them. I, however, who understand the art of praise, would hymn Ptolemy: hymns are the reward even of the immortals themselves. When he goes to richly forested Ida, the woodcutter (10) gazes around to see where he should start his task in the midst of such plenty; what shall I first set down, for countless to record are the honors that the gods have bestowed upon the best of kings? 77 1. Text is uncertain at the end of the sentence. Lageivda" Ptolemai'o", o{te fresi;n ejgkatavqoito boulavn, a}n oujk a[llo" ajnh;r oi|ov" te noh'sai. 15 th'non kai; makavressi path;r oJmovtimon e[qhken ajqanavtoi", kaiv oiJ cruvseo" qrovno" ejn Dio;" oi[kwi devdmhtai: para; d j aujto;n j Alevxandro" fivla eijdwv" eJdriavei, Pevrsaisi baru;" qeo;" aijolomivtra". ajntiva d j JHraklh'o" e{dra kentaurofovnoio 20 i{drutai stereoi'o tetugmevna ejx ajdavmantoˇ: e[nqa su;n a[lloisin qaliva" e[cei Oujranivdhisi, caivrwn uiJwnw'n periwvsion uiJwnoi'sin, o{tti sfewn Kronivdh" melevwn ejxeivleto gh'ra", ajqavnatoi de; kaleu'ntai eJoi; nevpode" gegaw'te". 25 a[mfw ga;r provgonov" sfin oJ kartero;" JHrakleivda", ajmfovteroi d j ajriqmeu'ntai ej" e[scaton JHraklh'a. tw' kai; ejpei; daivthqen i[oi kekorhmevno" h[dh nevktaro" eujovdmoio fivla" ej" dw'mj ajlovcoio, tw'i me;n tovxon e[dwken uJpwlevniovn te farevtran, 30 78 / Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus 14 Lageivda" Geier: Lagivda" codd. o{te Ziegler: o{ka codd. 17 qrovno" Bergk: dovmo" codd. 19 aiolomi]trh"Pap.Ant.-mitrai" Non. 20 ajntiva q j l 24 Kronivda" vTr 25 eJoi; Heinsius: qeoi; codd. 30 farevtrhn LWAU From his ancestors what a man for bringing to completion a mighty deed was Ptolemy, son of Lagos, whenever he laid down in his heart a plan, the like of which no other man could have conceived. Him the father made equal in honor even to the blessed immortals, and a golden throne is built for him in the house of Zeus; beside him, kindly disposed, sits Alexander , the god of the dancing diadem, who brought destruction to the Persians. (20) Facing them is established the seat of centaurslaying Heracles, fashioned from solid adamant; there he joins in feasting with the heavenly ones and rejoices exceedingly in the grandsons of his grandsons, for the son of Kronos has removed old age from their limbs, and his very own descendants are called immortal. Both2 have as ancestor the mighty son of Heracles, and both trace their family back in the end to Heracles. Therefore, whenever, now having drunk his fill of fragrant nectar, he leaves the feast for the home of his loving wife, (30) to one he gives his bow and the quiver that hangs Encomium of Ptolemy Philadelphus / 79 2. I.e., Alexander and Ptolemy I. tw'i de; sidavreion skuvtalon kecaragmevnon o[zoi": oi} d j eij" ajmbrovsion qavlamon leukosfuvrou {Hbaˇ o{pla kai; aujto;n a[gousi geneihvtan Dio;" uiJovn...