#posidippus

[shortace]

This is a statue of Aphrodite. Oh? Be sure it isn't of Berenice!

Which of the two it resembles more, I can't say.

- Posidippus, toadying up to the royals!

[lionofchaeronea]

Beauty Comes Forth

Anthologia Palatina 5.194 = Poseidippus or Asclepiades The Loves themselves escorted tender Irenion As she came forth from Cypris’ golden bedchamber – A holy blossom from her hair down to her feet, Like one carved from marble, full to bursting With the graces of a maiden; and they loosed Many arrows then from their purple bowstrings With their hands, to hit unmarried youths. αὐτοὶ τὴν ἁπαλὴν Εἰρήνιον ἦγον Ἔρωτες, Κύπριδος ἐκ χρυσέων ἐρχομένην θαλάμων, ἐκ τριχὸς ἄχρι ποδῶν ἱερὸν θάλος, οἷά τε λύγδου γλυπτήν, παρθενίων βριθομένην χαρίτων· καὶ πολλοὺς τότε χερσὶν ἐπ᾽ ἠιθέοισιν ὀιστοὺς τόξου πορφυρέης ἧκαν ἀφ᾽ ἁρπεδόνης.

A Classical Beauty, Léon Comerre (1850-1916)   

[somepoorsod]

Arsinoe, to you I dedicate this linen headband, through which the winds pass. With it, beloved, you wanted to wipe away the glistening sweat in my sweet dream, pausing in your busy work: thus you, Philadelphos, appeared to me with a sharp spear in one hand, my mistress, and holding a hollow shield in your left. You asked me for this white band; I, the maiden Hegeso of the Makedonians, give it.

Poseidippos  in the Milan Papyrus (fr. 36 Angiò/Cuypers/Acosta-Hughes/Kosmetatou); my translation)

Ἀρϲινόη, ϲοὶ τοῦτο διὰ ϲτολίδων ἀνεμοῦϲθαι βύϲϲινον ἄγκειται βρέγμ’ ἀπὸ Ναυκράτιοϲ, ὧι ϲύ, φίλη, κατ’ ὄνειρον ὀμόρξαϲθαι γλυκὺν ἱδρῶ ἤθελεϲ, ὀτρηρῶν παυϲαμένη καμάτων· ὣϲ ἐφάνη‹ϲ›, Φιλάδελφε, καὶ ἐν χερὶ δούρατοϲ αἰχμήν, πότνα, καὶ ἐν πήχει κοῖλον ἔχουϲα ϲάκοϲ· ἡ δὲ ϲοὶ αἰτηθεῖϲα τὸ λευ‹χ›έανον κανόνιϲμα __ παρθένοϲ Ἡγηϲὼ θῆκε γένοϲ Μακέ̣[τη

[hikergraham]

ᾗ ποτε τὸν χαρίεντα περιστέλλουσα Χάραξον σύγχρους ὀρθρινῶν ἥψαο κισσυβίων.

You used to love a beautiful Charaxus, blush against his skin, stay up ‘til dawn drinking.

[violet-ianthe]

the magnet of poem 17 is described as 'a copulatory silhouette that plays on Hellenistic sex sculpture'

OK, I officially quit.

[violet-ianthe]

Have just been reading an article which made use of the phrase 'recondite intaglio bestiary'.

I think I have made good life choices.

[violet-ianthe]

Reading epigrams always makes me feel like I've been terribly productive

There's something very encouraging in being able to say to yourself "I read twenty poems today" rather than "I read 200 lines of a 15,000 line epic poem" (even though none of the epigrams was more than eight lines long!)