Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

THe POEMS OF THE ANTHOLOGY

bringest to men the flames of love, beam thou on mortals, on me as an enchanting star.”

Earlier, the poet has made himself merry over the fools who have easily fallen in love, yet Eros does not jest with him: “ I am caught, I who once laughed often at the serenades of young men crossed in love. And at thy gate, Myiscus, love has fixed me, inscribing on me ‘ Spoils won from Chastity ’.”

Yet not only does Eros rejoice in his triumph, Myiscus himself also with glee congratulates himself, because he has succeeded in subjecting the stubborn one: ‘“‘ Myiscus, shooting me, whom the Loves could not wound, under the breast with his eyes, shouted out thus: ‘It is I who have struck him down, the overbold, and see how I tread underfoot the arrogance of sceptered wisdom that sat on his brow?’ But I, just gathering breath enough, said to him, ‘ Dear boy, why art thou astonished ?_ Love brought down Zeus himself from Olympus.’”’ But he soon allows himself to be converted, and now, since he is sure of the love of his Myiscus, his happiness is only disturbed by the fear that Zeus may be able to carry off the boy from him.

Of the numerous poems which are devoted to other stars, a small selection may here be given: “When thirsty I kissed the tender-fleshed boy and said, when I was free of my parching thirst : ‘ Father Zeus, dost thou drink the nectareous kiss of Ganymede, and is this the wine he tenders to thy lips? For now that I have kissed Antiochus, fairest of our youths, I have drunk the sweet honey of the soul.’”” “If I see Thero, I see everything, but if I see everything and no Thero, I again see nothing.”

“I saw Alexis walking in the road at noontide, at the season when the summer was just being shorn of the tresses of her fruits ; and double rays burnt me, the rays of love from the boy’s eyes and others from the sun. The sun’s night laid to rest again, but love’s were kindled more in my dreams by the phantom of beauty. So night, who releases others

483