1805.] Epigrams, Fragments^ l£c.from the Greek 



125 



merits of the poet who had fofiened their 

 unmufical tongue, and brought it to a 

 fiandard of viry fiipeiior elegance and 

 melody. They erefted a tomb for him 

 near the temple of Helen in the fubuib 

 Sefrius, fo called from the fepulchre of Hercare worn cheeks with tears bedevvM, 



When the wind refounding high 

 Blufter'd from the northern Iky, 

 Vv'hen the waves in ftronger tide 

 Difh'd agalnft the Vf fiel's fide. 



Sebrus ihe hero, one of'tlie mofV honour 

 able places in the city, from its neigh- 

 bourhood to the grove of plane-trtes in 

 which the firit of tlieir games were cele- 

 brated. In the " Anthologia" we find 

 him menti'ned as *' the poet ot the 

 Graces, the finger of hymeiieals." In 

 the epigrammatic ftyle, the traveller is 

 warned, wlien pafling by his tomb, " not 

 to judge of man by a ftone ; for that very 

 monument, fo mean and little, contains 

 the bones of a mort noble poet, the favou- 

 rite of the Mules.'" " Two continents 

 (lays Antipatei) contend for the honour 

 of hl.^ birth. Many are the nitiue lanris 

 of the poets."' Yet in another epigram, 

 which is one of thofe made on the ftatues 

 in the Gymrafuim nnd Hippodrome at 

 Conttantir.ople, Alcman is mentioned as 

 one of the more ignoble potts, and his 

 head the only one that is not crowned with 

 ivy-buds. Fiom the remotcnefs of the 

 age of this poem from that in which he 

 lived, it is probable that ignorance, and 

 not malice, was the ground of this milJre- 

 ptefcntation. 



Sitnmiides, the poet of Cea, the friend 

 of Hipparchus and of Pauianias, and 

 finally of Hieio king of Syracufe, at 

 whofe Couit he died, h of a much later 

 date, his birth being fixed to the 55th 

 Olympiad. The univerfal voice of anti- 

 quity has taught us to connefl his name 

 with every thing that is tender and mourn, 

 ful ;* but mod of the exifting f| ecimens 

 of his woiks are of too grave and moral 

 a c:ift to merit precifely this title ; and 

 there are not v.'aniirg fome of a latirical 

 nature, which appeir almoff inconli()ent 

 •with ttiecharafler which is generally attri- 

 buted to him. A very fpiri^cd tranflation 

 in profe of his moft celebrated poem of 

 the latter delcription may be met with in 

 the " Speftaior;" ard I have aheady, in 

 the courfe of thef'e eflctys, given fpecimens 

 of his more ferious coinpofiiions. One of 

 a yet difftnnt ftamp remains, which 

 feems mure amply to jultitv the prai'e of 

 f ftnefs and melancholy affioned him by 

 the anc'ent writers. The ftory of Danse, 

 on which it Is founded, is too well known 

 to need any defcription here. 



• Mttflius Lacrymis Simcnidcia, Catull. 



Her fleeping infant Danae view'd. 



And, trembling fliU witii new alarms. 



Around him caft a mother's arms. 



" My cliilJ, what woes does Dai-.ae weep ? 



tut thy young limbs are wrapt in flcep. 



In that: poor nook all fad and dark. 



While lightnings play around our bark. 



Thy quiet bofom only knows 



The heavy figh of deep repofe. 



The howling wind, the raging fea, 



No terror can excite in thee ; 



The angry furges wake no care 

 That burft above thy long deep hair ; 

 But couldft thou feel what i deplore. 

 Then would 1 bid thee f.eep the more. 



" Sleep on, fwect boy I fliU be the deep! 

 (Oh could I lull my woes aflcep !) 

 Jove, let thy mighty hand o'erthrow 

 Ths baffled malice of my foe ; 

 And may this child, in future years. 

 Avenge his mother's wrongs and tears I" 



How different is the charafler given us 

 of the impetuous and enthufiaftic Iby- 

 cus 1* and how completely the only tiag- 

 ment which we pcffels of his writings 

 correfponds with the iir.piefiion which the 

 univtrrfal voire ot antiquity has m3(;e on 

 our minds re!'pc£\ing bun ! How well is 

 the vehemence and lire of his poetry re- 

 prefented to us in the few words by which 

 Athenaeus introduces him to our atten- 

 tion : Kai Pi;'"''; ^E "l£uxiJj Boa Kal xs- 



'^Hff i-ih Site KuS'fflViui, Sec. 



What time foft zephyrs of the balmy May 

 Firft o'er (he rich Cydonian gardens play, 

 (Immortal gardens, where the Cretan fair, 

 'Midlt blooming bow'rs prrpetual fragrance 



Ihare !) 

 With warmer hues the blufhin? apples glow, 

 FiU'd by the fruitful ilreanis that round 



them flow ; 

 And new-born cluiteis fwell with future wjne 

 Beneath the fhadowy foliage of the vine. 



A)ii I to me the vernal fral'on brings 

 But added torture on his funny wingo j 



* He was a native of Rhegium, and lived 

 about 540 years before Chrilt Several epi- 

 grams in the " Anthologia" allu Je to the 

 peculiar circumflances atrendin,' the mur- 

 der of this poet by banditti, and the difcoi ery 

 of his alValfins by a flight of cran-s. The 

 ftory is well told by jVAhn in his Var. hilt. 

 — See alfo concerning Ibycus, Cic. Tufc. 

 Uilp. iv. 



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