[Julie Steiner]

Nuthin' like an abrupt change in the rules midway through to get everyone's attention, hey?

I had originally intended to offer three prizes for translating a single insect-themed poem as a secondary event for the 2014 Translation Bake-Off.

However, after pouring so much time into preparing translation aids--and asking you to pour time into reading them--I think it would give all of us the biggest bang for the buck if that investment could be applied to more than just a single short poem. And I love all three of these poems, so they're a joy to share.

So I'm going to tweak the rules a bit. Instead of distributing all three secondary event prizes among the Meleager's bee poem translations, I'd like to offer one "popular favorite" prize for each of the following three poems. The three pieces complement each other very well.

Meleager's bee poem (AP 5.163 = 50 G-P)--six lines
This poem was posted on 23 September 2014, and its deadline for entries will remain St. Jerome's Day, 30 September 2014, at noon my time (Pacific Daylight Time). That's 3:00pm Eastern Daylight Time.

Meleager's first mosquito poem (AP 5.151 = 33 G-P)--eight lines
This poem is posted BELOW, and its deadline for entries will be Friday, October 3, at noon my time (Pacific Daylight Time). This should allow some of the folks who were only planning to show up to the main event.

Voting for the popular favorite in the above two categories will coincide with the voting for the popular favorite in the main Translation Bake-Off event. Further instructions will be given when the voting for that event opens.

Meleager's second mosquito poem (AP 5.152 = 34 G-P)--eight lines
I'll save the second mosquito poem for sometime when it won't interfere with other planned Erato events, including the discussion of the 2014 Translation Bake-Off main event finalists.

Below is Meleager's first mosquito poem! Ἡ εὐτυχία πᾶσι, Hē eutuchía pãsi, Good luck to all!


MELEAGER'S FIRST MOSQUITO POEM--ORIGINAL GREEK:

Ὀξυβόαι κώνωπες, ἀναιδέες, αἵματος ἀνδρῶν
.....σίϕωνες, νυκτὸς κνώδαλα διπτέρυγα,
βαιὸν Ζηνοϕίλαν, λίτομαι, πάρεθ' ἥσυχον †ὕπνῳ
.....εὑδεῖν, τἀμα δ' ἰδοὺ σαρκοϕαγεῖτε μέλη.
καίτοι πρὸς τί μάτην αὐδῶ; καὶ θῆρες ἄτεγκτοι
.....τέρπονται τρυϕερῷ χρωτὶ χλιαινόμενοι.
ἀλλ' ἔτι νῦν προλέγω, κακὰ θρέμματα, λήγετε τόλμης,
.....ἧ γνώσεσθε χερῶν ζηλοτύπων δύναμιν.


ENGLISH PROSE CRIB:

(1) Shrill-voiced mosquitoes, shameless ones, siphons (σίϕωνες in L2) of men's blood, (2) night's two-winged predators, †(3) allow Zenophila, please, to rest (verb εὑδεῖν in L4) peacefully in sleep a little (adverb βαιὸν in L2); (4) flesh-gobble instead these limbs/verses of mine. (5) But why do I speak in vain? Even insensitive wild beasts (6) delight in a warm, feminine body. (7) But I warn you, evil creatures, desist from audacity, (8) or you'll know the power of jealous hands.

† If the final word of L3 is taken as the accusative (direct object) ὕπνον rather than the dative ("to," "for," "in," or "with"--Latinists, there's no ablative case in Greek, so the dative gets some of those adverbial roles, too) ὕπνῳ, then both βαιὸν and ἥσυχον could be modifying it, and L3 would instead mean:
(3) allow Zenophila, please, to sleep (verb εὑδεῖν in L4) a little quiet sleep (or take a little undisturbed nap);

There is a pun in L4 that you probably won't be able to render. I'd suggest sticking with the main reference, to the narrator's physical limbs, rather than to his verses; but it's up to you.


SCANSION SUMMARY:

See the Meleager bee poem thread for a biographical sketch of the self-proclaimed Syrian poet Meleager, plus all the gory details of elegiac distich, permissible metrical variations, why the terms "dactylic hexameter" and "dactylic pentameter" are misleading when applied to elegiac distichs, etc.

For quick reference, each hexameter line's recipe is:

- uu - uu - |u|u - | uu - u u - -

- = long syllable
uu = either one long syllable or two short syllables
The last syllable of each line is considered long by position, no matter what.

(A caesura, or pause after the ending of a word, must divide each hexameter line in AT LEAST ONE of the three places marked | above.)

Each pentameter line's recipe is:

- uu - uu - | - u u - u u -

There is only one possible position for the caesura in the pentameter line.

You do not need to duplicate this meter in your English translation.

I'll indent below with quote tags, for easier reference.


LINE-BY-LINE SCANSION AND WORD-BY-WORD GLOSS:

Line 1: hexameter (6 feet)

- uu - - - u | u - uu - uu - -
Ὀξ-υ-βό-αι κών-ω-πες, | ἀ-ναι-δέ-ες, αἵ-μα-τος ἀν-δρῶν
Ox-y-bó-ai kṓn-ō-pes, a-nai-dé-es, haí-ma-tos an-drõn

Ὀξυβόαι (Oxybóai) = "shrill-screaming"; adjective modifying κώνωπες. A compound of ὄξυς, óxus, "sharp, keen, pointed" (or, of sound, "shrill, high-pitched, piercing") + βοάω, boáō, "cry aloud, shout, shriek, roar, howl." Aeschylus used it to describe vultures.

κώνωπες (kṓnōpes) = "gnats or mosquitos"; plural noun, vocative (direct address) case.

ἀναιδέες (anaidées) = "shameless, immodest, insatiable" or "reckless"; plural adjective modifying κώνωπες. Formed from the negatory prefix ἀ-, a- (ἀν, an- before a vowel) + αἰδώς, aidṓs, "a sense of shame, shame, modesty, self-respect" or "regard for others, respect, reverence." This is the uncontracted (Epic) form, so Meleager is imitating or parodying Homer.

αἵματος (haímatos) = "of blood"; genitive singular of αἷμα, haῖma.

ἀνδρῶν (andrõn) = "of men"; genitive plural of ἀνδρός, andrós.

Line 2: pentameter (2.5 feet + 2.5 feet)

- - - - - | - uu - uu -
σί-ϕων-ες, νυκ-τὸς | κνώ-δα-λα δι-πτέρ-υ-γα,
sí-phōn-es, nyc-tòs | knṓ-da-la di-ptér-u-ga,

σίϕωνες (síphōnes) = "siphons, tubes, pipes"; plural of the masculine noun σίϕων, "tube, pipe, siphon for drawing wine out of a cask".

νυκτὸς (nyctòs) = "of night"; genitive singular of νύξ, nýx.

κνώδαλα (knṓdala) = "beasts" or "monsters". Vocative plural of the neuter noun κνώδαλον, "any dangerous animal, from a lion to a serpent to a worm; monster, beast of prey."

διπτέρυγα (diptéruga) = "two-winged" Adjective in agreement with κνώδαλα. Formed from the prefix δι-, di-, "two" + the noun πτέρυξ, ptérux, "wing."

Line 3: hexameter (6 feet)

- - - uu - | uu - uu - uu - -
βαι-ὸν Ζη-νο-ϕίλ-αν, | λί-το-μαι, πάρ-εθ' ἥ-συ-χον ὕ-πνῳ
bai-òn Zē-no-phil-an, | lí -to-mai, pár-eth' hḗ-sy-chon hý-pnōi

(The ὕ-πνον alternative doesn't change the meter, because the final syllable is always reckoned long.)

βαιὸν (baiòn) = "a little bit"; adverb, presumably modifying πάρεθ'; or "little, small", masculine adjective modifying ὕπνον, if you prefer that. (If βαιὸν were modifying the feminine Ζηνοϕίλαν, the form would be βαιὰν instead.)

Ζηνοϕίλαν (Zēnophilan) = "Zenophila" or "Zenophile" [pronounced zeh-NOH-fee-luh or zeh-NO-fee-lay, respectively, in English]; feminine name; accusative (direct object) case.

λίτομαι (lítomai) = Homeric form of λίσσομαι, "I beg, I plead, I beseech; please."

πάρεθ' (páreth') = "permit, allow"; second person imperative (command) of πάρίημι, paríēmi, "permit, allow"; from the prefix παρ-, par-, "by, beside, past" + ίημι, íēmi, "put in motion".

ἥσυχον (hḗsychon) = "quietly, peacefully"; adverbial form of the adjective ἥσυχος, "still, quiet, at rest, at leisure."

It's dagger ( † ) time! Scribal error is suspected in the last word of this line.

ὕπνῳ (hýpnōi) = "with sleep, with slumber"; almost all editions prefer the accusative (direct object) form ὕπνον, but Gow and Page argue that the corruption of the dative to the accusative would be easier than the corruption of accusative to dative. (This is the principle of lectio difficilior--since scribes tend to correct perceived errors, the more unusual reading is somewhat more likely to be the original one.) Feel free to pick whichever you like.

Line 4: pentameter (2.5 feet + 2.5 feet)

- - - uu - | - uu - uu -
εὑ-δεῖν, τἀ-μα δ' ἰ-δοὺ | σαρ-κο-ϕα-γεῖ-τε μέλ-η.
heu-deĩn, tá-ma d' i-doù | sar-ko-pha-geĩ-te mé-lē.

εὑδεῖν (heudeĩn) = verb, "rest"; also "sleep" or "lie down, be still, be hushed, be at ease."

τἀμα (táma) = "my, mine"; contraction of the article τά with the neuter plural form of the adjective ἐμός, in agreement with μέλη. (Compare the article and pronoun combo τὴν σὴν, "your," in the last line of Meleager's bee poem.)

δ' ἰδοὺ (d' idoù) = literally, "see! lo! behold!" or "oh yes!"; in this context, probably something emphatic like "instead." Gow and Page call this phrase "a metrically convenient link, often used without justification by the epigrammatists at large; in Meleager it almost always adds to the vividness of the description."

σαρκοϕαγεῖτε (sarkophageĩte) = "flesh-eat, feed on flesh, devour flesh"; second person singular imperative (command) form. Gow and Page's notes say that this compound of σάρξ, sárx, flesh, and ϕαγεῖν, pha-geĩn, "eat, devour," is "apparently not attested elsewhere in verse" (but that it was first used in Aristotle). By the way, the word "sarcophagus" comes from limestone's propensity to speed up the decomposition of bodies.

μέλη (mélē) = either "limbs" or "lines of poetry" (this pun may be the source of the poetic term "enjambment"); neuter plural accusative (direct object of σαρκοϕαγεῖτε.

Line 5: hexameter (6 feet)

- - - uu - |- - - - uu - -
καί-τοι πρὸς τί μά-την | αὐ-δῶ; καὶ θῆ-ρες ἄ-τεγ-κτοι
kaí-toi pròs tí má-tēn | au-dõ? kaì thẽ-res á-ten-ktoi

καίτοι (kaítoi) = "and yet"; adverb.

πρὸς τί μάτην (pròs tí mátēn) = "why in vain"; a rare combination of two idiomatic expressions: πρὸς τί, "for what?" + τί μάτην, "why in vain?" μάτην is an adverb, "in vain, futilely, idly, foolishly," from the noun μάτη, "folly, foolishness, fault."

αὐδῶ (audõ) = "do I speak?"; contracted form of the first person singular indicative of αὐδάω.

; = (Greek question mark)

καὶ (kaì) = "even"; adverb.

θῆρες (thẽres) = "wild beasts"; plural of the masculine noun θήρ, meaning "wild beast, beast of prey," "any animal," or "monster, such as a centaur or satyr."

ἄτεγκτοι (átenktoi) = "relentless, not to be softened, insensitive"; plural adjective modifying θῆρες. Formed from the negative prefix ἀ-, a- + the verb τέγγω "moisten, soften, make wet." Modifies the masculine noun θῆρες. (The masculine and feminine forms of this adjective are the same.)

Line 6: pentameter (2.5 feet + 2.5 feet)

- - - uu - | - - - uu -
τέρ-πον-ται τρυ-ϕε-ρῷ | χρω-τὶ χλιαι-νό-μεν-οι.
tér-pon-tai try-phe-rõi | chrō-tì chliai-nó-men-oi.

(The only way to scan χλιαινόμενοι so that it fits the meter is to elide the long ι and the diphthong αι for a single long syllable.)

τέρπονται (térpontai) = "they are delighted by" + a noun in the dative; third person plural passive form of the active participle of τέρπω, "give pleasure to, delight."

τρυϕερῷ (trypherõi) = "delicate, dainty" or "effeminate, voluptuous"; dative form of the adjective τρυϕερός, modifying χρωτὶ.

χρωτὶ (chrōtì) = "by skin, by flesh, by a body"; dative of χρώς, "skin; also flesh, as opposed to bone; more generally, body." Same word as Heliodora's "skin" or "flesh" in the bee poem, but it was in the genitive case in that poem.

χλιαινόμενοι (chliainómenoi) = "heated (with passion)"; dative passive participle from the verb χλίαινω, "to warm, to heat with passion"; when passive, "to be so heated." Modifying χρωτὶ.

Line 7: hexameter (6 feet)

- uu - uu - | - - - uu - uu - -
ἀλλ' ἔ-τι νῦν προ-λέ-γω, | κα-κὰ θρέμ-μα-τα, λή-γε-τε τόλ-μης,
all' é-ti nũn pro-lé-gō, ka-kà thrém-ma-ta, lḗ-ge-te tól-mēs,

ἀλλ' (all') = "but"; contraction of the conjunction ἀλλά.

ἔ-τι (éti) = "yet, still, but"

νῦν (nũn) = "now"

προλέγω (prolégō) = "I caution, I warn"; first person singular indicative active of the prefix προ-, "fore-" + λέγω, "tell".

κακὰ (kakà) = "bad, evil, wicked"; adjective modifying θρέμματα.

θρέμματα (thrémmata) = "creatures"; vocative plural of the neuter noun θρέμμα.

λήγετε (lḗgete) = "abstain"; second person singular imperative (command) form of λήγω, "stop, cease from, leave off" a thing in the genitive.

τόλμης (tólmēs) = "from overboldness, from daring"; genitive of the feminine noun τόλμα, which can be either positive ("courage, boldness") or negative ("audacity, recklessness").

Line 8: pentameter (2.5 feet + 2.5 feet)

- - - uu - | - uu - uu -
ἧ γνώ-σε-σθε χε-ρῶν | ζη-λο-τύ-πων δύ-να-μιν.
hẽ gnṓ-se-sthe che-rõn | zē-lo-tý-pōn dý-na-min.

ἧ (hẽ) = "truly"; adverb to confirm an assertion.

γνώσεσθε (gnṓsesthe) = "you will feel, you will know"; second person singular future passive form of the irregular verb γιγνώσκω, "know, mark, perceive, understand".

χερῶν (cherõn) = "of hands"; genitive plural of the irregular noun χείρ.

ζηλοτύπων (zēlotýpōn) = "jealous"; participial adjective of the verb ζηλοτυπέω, "be jealous." Modifies χερῶν.

δύναμιν (dýnamin) = "power, might, strength, ability, force"; accusative (direct object) of δύναμις

[Julie Steiner]

As in the bee poem, I'll repost the basics so you won't have to scroll to find them:


MELEAGER'S FIRST MOSQUITO POEM--ORIGINAL GREEK:

Ὀξυβόαι κώνωπες, ἀναιδέες, αἵματος ἀνδρῶν
.....σίϕωνες, νυκτὸς κνώδαλα διπτέρυγα,
βαιὸν Ζηνοϕίλαν, λίτομαι, πάρεθ' ἥσυχον †ὕπνῳ
.....εὑδεῖν, τἀμα δ' ἰδοὺ σαρκοϕαγεῖτε μέλη.
καίτοι πρὸς τί μάτην αὐδῶ; καὶ θῆρες ἄτεγκτοι
.....τέρπονται τρυϕερῷ χρωτὶ χλιαινόμενοι.
ἀλλ' ἔτι νῦν προλέγω, κακὰ θρέμματα, λήγετε τόλμης,
.....ἧ γνώσεσθε χερῶν ζηλοτύπων δύναμιν.


ENGLISH PROSE CRIB:

(1) Shrill-voiced mosquitoes, shameless ones, siphons (σίϕωνες in L2) of men's blood, (2) night's two-winged predators, †(3) allow Zenophila, please, to rest (verb εὑδεῖν in L4) peacefully in sleep a little (adverb βαιὸν in L2); (4) flesh-gobble instead these limbs/verses of mine. (5) But why do I speak in vain? Even insensitive wild beasts (6) delight in a warm, feminine body. (7) But I warn you, evil creatures, desist from audacity, (8) or you'll know the power of jealous hands.

† If the final word of L3 is taken as the accusative (direct object) ὕπνον rather than the dative ("to," "for," "in," or "with"--Latinists, there's no ablative case in Greek, so the dative gets some of those adverbial roles, too) ὕπνῳ, then both βαιὸν and ἥσυχον could be modifying it, and L3 would instead mean:
(3) allow Zenophila, please, to sleep (verb εὑδεῖν in L4) a little quiet sleep (or take a little undisturbed nap);

There is a pun in L4 that you probably won't be able to render both ways.

[Ann Drysdale]

Bizzery zizzery
Sneaky anopheles
Afterdark predator
Bloodsucking drone
Lovely Zenophila’s
Sleeping so peacefully
Bugger off beastie and
Leave her alone

I, on the other hand
Offer you sustenance
Flesh for the feasting-on
Here, guzzler, come
I am well-used to it
During the daytime the
Lickspittle critics are
Biting my bum.

What am I thinking of?
Even a mozzie must
Fancy the warmth of a
Woman in bed
But if you go for the
Specially tasty bits
Watch it, they’re spoken-for
Try – and you’re dead.

[Susan McLean]

Ann, that's delightful!

Susan

[Ann Drysdale]

From you, Susan, that's an especially valuable compliment. Thank you.

[Mary McLean]

Wow Ann, I love it too! Dazzling. Here's my go, so no other poor sucker has to follow you:

Mosquitoes, nightly shrill-voiced parasites,
allow Zenophila one little nap:
devour instead these clumsy feet of mine.
Phooey! A female form that’s warm delights
all savage beasts. But stop it now, you swine,
or you may feel your final jealous slap.

[RCL]

For the Love of Zeno Not a Mosquito!

I, Zenophila, detest your sucking sickness.
Mosquito, your wimpy whines make me so restless,
defeating sleep! So when it's time to eat,
avoid what I am: eat these iambic feet.
But you ignore my pleas: like every creature,
you lust for female fire and crave our nurture.
If you bite too hard, invade my hottest
parts, my jealous slap will end this contest.

I too have "little Latin and less Greek," but I do have a Greco-Roman father.

[Brian Allgar]

Vile predators, shameless and shrill!
Poor Zenophila! Let her sleep still.
Instead, you can eat
My poetical feet;
On such flesh, you may gobble your fill.

But I’m wasting my time; I forgot, you
Delight in a lady that’s hot. You
Impertinent biters,
You blood-sucking blighters -
Mosquitoes! Piss off, or I’ll swat you.

(Having “little Latin and less Greek”, I don’t pretend that this is in any way a translation, just a very liberal paraphrase of the crib.)

[Sharon Fish Mooney]

(I'm with Brian--a little Latin; no Greek but this was fun anyway)

Shrill voiced mosquitoes,
you’re shameless, you’re wild.
I don’t think you should suckle
on anyone’s child or on
anyone’s lover or mistress,
instead, flap those wings,
get a grip, and
attack me instead.
I’ve been trying to write
about love this long night,
but of rhymes I’m deprived
and a good insect bite
just might help me revive.
Zenophilia counts sheep.
but you hover around her
and won’t let her sleep.
I warn you, vile creatures,
you'd better leave town.
Quit your nocturnal looming,
your fooling around or you’ll
soon know the power
of my jealous hands.
Stop! Cease and desist from
your audacious scams.

[Susan McLean]

Shameless mosquitoes, suckers of men’s blood,
night’s two-winged predators who shrill and whine,
please let Zenophila rest peacefully
a little while. Here, feed on limbs of mine!
But why speak vainly? Even ruthless beasts
delight in female flesh, tender and warm.
Still, wicked creatures, curb your daring or
you’ll feel the force of jealous hands, I warn.