It's Monday, and I have a new epigram to share. Last time, we had a version of Greek Anthology 1.53 on the Passover. This time, I present to you Greek Anthology 1.54 on the Crucifixion. It would have been nice to have this up on Good Friday, of course; but, on the...
poems
“Christ Nullified the Paschal Lamb”: An Epigram on the Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) For Maundy Thursday, we have a new poem on the Passover and Christ, our Passover. Greek Anthology 1.53 is an...
“The Cosmic Lord upon a Foal”: A Greek Epigram for Palm Sunday
This past Sunday was Palm Sunday. Don't worry; there's a poem for that. We once again return to Book 1 of The Greek Anthology. Poem 1.52 is a two-line epigram in dactylic hexameters on Palm Sunday, and I have turned it into six lines of rhymed iambic tetrameters. The...
“By God’s Gifts and the Widow’s Faith”: An Epigram on Elijah
Been a while; new poem today. In this post, I translate Greek Anthology 1.77, on 1 Kings 17, in which Elijah is fed by the widow. For anyone who heard John 6:1-15 for yesterday's Gospel reading, the theme will be familiar. The original is a single elegiac couplet. My...
“O Rachel, Why This Bitter Tear?”: Another Greek Epigram
Back with another new poem, this time Greek Anthology 1.43. The previous poem dealt with the magi coming from the East; this one is on the Massacre of the Holy Innocents, via Matthew's quotation of Jeremiah 31:15 in Matthew 2: A voice was heard in Ramah,weeping and...
“No More Do Magi Bring Their Pagan Gifts”: Another Greek Epigram
Posting has been somewhat sporadic of late--for which, my apologies. But I have another Greek epigram for you, the forty-first from Book 1 of the Greek Anthology. This one is on the magi who come to worship the newborn Christ. As was the case with the last several...
“One Song of Angels and of Men”: A Greek Epigram
This week we're looking at another two-line epigram in elegiacs from Book 1 of the Greek Anthology. The titulus tells us it is about "the shepherds and the angels" praising Christ's Nativity, though "shepherds" are not mentioned by name in the epigram itself. Below I...
“A More Than Heaven”: Another Greek Christian Epigram
We're back with another Christian epigram from Book 1 of the Greek Anthology. This poem (Greek Anthology 1.38), like last week's, is on the birth of Christ. Also, like last week's, it consists of a single elegiac couplet. This time, I decided to experiment a bit more...
“Brought to Heel by Pen Alone”: Beza’s Poem for St. Martin’s Day
St. Philip's Day was two days ago, and I posted a translation of Theodore Beza's poem in honor of Melanchthon. Today, St. Martin's Day, I give you another--a poem by Beza on Martin Luther. (It is worth noting in passing that Beza was one of the most accomplished...
“With Noiseless Footstep Coming Down”: Another Greek Christian Epigram
It's Monday, and we're back with another poem from Book 1 of the Greek Anthology. This week's poem, Greek Anthology 1.37, is a two line epigram consisting of a single elegiac couplet on the birth of Christ. (A little out of season, perhaps; but, then again, the...