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To the Memory of Walter Savage Landor
By Algernon Charles Swinburne
I NOW DEDICATE, WITH EQUAL AFFECTION, REVERENCE, AND REGRET, A POEM
INSCRIBED TO HIM WHILE YET ALIVE IN WORDS WHICH ARE NOW RETAINED
BECAUSE THEY WERE LAID BEFORE HIM; AND TO WHICH, RATHER THAN CANCEL
THEM, I HAVE ADDED SUCH OTHERS AS WERE EVOKED BY THE NEWS OF HIS DEATH:
THAT THOUGH LOSING THE PLEASURE I MAY NOT LOSE THE HONOUR OF INSCRIBING
IN FRONT OF MY WORK THE HIGHEST OF CONTEMPORARY NAMES.
oixeo de Boreethen apotropos' alla se Numphai
egagon aspasian edupnooi kath' ala,
plerousai melitos theothen stoma, me ti Poseidon
blapsei, en osin exon sen meligerun opa.
toios aoidos ephus: emeis d' eti klaiomen, oi sou
deuometh' oixomenou, kai se pothoumen aei.
eipe de Pieridon tis anastrephtheisa pros allen:
elthen, idou, panton philtatos elthe broton,
stemmata drepsamenos neothelea xersi geraiais,
kai polion daphnais amphekalupse kara,
edu ti Sikelikais epi pektisin, edu ti xordais,
aisomenos: pollen gar meteballe luran,
pollaki d' en bessaisi kathemenon euren Apollon,
anthesi d' estepsen, terpna d' edoke legein,
Pana t' aeimneston te Pitun Koruthon te dusedron,
en t' ephilese thean thnetos Amadruada:
pontou d' en megaroisin ekoimise Kumodameian,
ten t' Agamemnonian paid' apedoke patri,
pros d' ierous Delphous theoplekton epempsen Oresten,
teiromenon stugerais entha kai entha theais.
oixeo de kai aneuthe philon kai aneuthen aoides,
drepsomenos malakes anthea Persephones.
oixeo: kouk et' esei, kouk au pote soi paredoumai
azomenos, xeiron xersi thigon osiais:
nun d' au mnesamenon glukupikros upeluthen aidos,
oia tuxon oiou pros sethen oios exo:
oupote sois, geron, omma philois philon ommasi terpso,
ses, geron, apsamenos, philtate, dechiteras.
e psaphara konis, e psapharos bios esti: ti touton
meion ephemerion; ou konis alla bios.
alla moi eduteros ge peleis polu ton et' eonton,
epleo gar: soi men tauta thanonti phero,
paura men, all' apo keros etetuma: med' apotrephtheis,
pros de balon eti nun esuxon omma dexou.
ou gar exo, mega de ti thelon, sethen achia dounai,
thaptomenou per apon: ou gar enestin emoi:
oude melikretou parexein ganos : ei gar eneie
kai se xeroin psausai kai se pot' authis idein,
dakrusi te spondais te kara philon amphipoleuein
ophthalmous th' ierous sous ieron te demas.
eith' ophelon: mala gar tad' an ampauseie merimnes:
nun de prosothen aneu sematos oikton ago:
oud' epitumbidion threno melos, all' apamuntheis,
all' apaneuthen exon amphidakruta pathe.
alla su xaire thanon, kai exon geras isthi pros andron
pros te theon, enerois ei tis epesti theos.
xaire geron, phile xaire pater, polu phertat' aoidon
on idomen, polu de phertat' aeisomenon:
xaire, kai olbon exois, oion ge thanontes exousin,
esuxian exthras kai philotetos ater.
sematos oixomenou soi mnemat' es usteron estai,
soi te phile mneme mnematos oixomenou:
on Xarites klaiousi theai, klaiei d' Aphrodite
kallixorois Mouson terpsamene stephanois.
ou gar apach ierous pote geras etripsen aoidous:
tende to son phainei mnema tod' aglaian.
e philos es makaressi brotos, soi d' ei tini Numphai
dora potheina nemein, ustata dor', edosan.
tas nun xalkeos upnos ebe kai anenemos aion,
kai sunthaptomenai moiran exousi mian.
eudeis kai su, kalon kai agakluton en xthoni koilei
upnon ephikomenos, ses aponosphi patras,
tele para chanthou Tursenikon oidma katheudeis
namatos, e d' eti se maia se gaia pothei,
all' apexeis, kai prosthe philoptolis on per apeipas:
eude: makar d' emin oud' amegartos esei.
baios epixthonion ge xronos kai moira kratesei,
tous de pot' euphrosune tous de pot' algos exei:
pollaki d' e blaptei phaos e skotos amphikaluptei
muromenous, daknei d' upnos egregorotas:
oud' eth' ot' en tumboisi katedrathen omma thanonton
e skotos e ti phaos dechetai eeliou:
oud' onar ennuxion kai enupnion oud' upar estai
e pote terpomenois e pot' oduromenois:
all' ena pantes aei thakon sunexousi kai edran
anti brotes abroton, kallimon anti kakes.
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