Menander, Aspis (The Shield)

LCL 132: 14-15

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Menander

ἐμοί τ᾿ ἔσεσθαι τῶν μακρῶν πόνων τινὰ ἀνάπαυσιν εἰς τὸ γῆρας εὐνοίας χάριν. νῦν δὲ σὺ μὲν οἴχει παραλόγως τ᾿ ἀνήρπασαι, ἐγὼ δ᾿ ὁ παιδαγωγός, ὦ Κλεόστρατε, 15τὴν οὐχὶ σώσασάν σε τήνδ᾿ ἐλήλυθα ἀσπίδα κομίζων ὑπὸ δὲ σοῦ σεσωσμένην πολλάκις· ἀνὴρ γὰρ ἦσθα τὴν ψυχὴν μέγας, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος.

ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ

τῆς ἀνελπίστου τύχης, ὦ Δᾶε.

ΔΑΟΣ

δεινῆς.

ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ

πῶς δ᾿ ἀπώλετ᾿ ἢ τίνι 20τρόπῳ;

ΔΑΟΣ

(KT fr. 70) στρατιώτῃ, Σμικρίνη, σωτηρίας ἔστ᾿ ἔργον εὑρεῖν πρόφασιν, ὀλέθρου δ᾿ εὔπορον.

ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ

ὅμως διήγησαι τὸ πρᾶγμα, Δᾶε, μοί.

ΔΑΟΣ

ποταμός τίς ἐστι τῆς Λυκίας καλούμενος Ξάνθος, πρὸς ᾧ τότ᾿ ἦμεν ἐπιεικῶς μάχαις

  • 11μακαρων Β.
  • 14ὦ om. B.
  • 15σασαν Β.
  • 17της Β.
  • 20Corr. Edmonds, Austin: στρατιωτης Β, -την mss. of Stobaeus, Ecl. 4. 12. 6.
  • 22διηγησασθαι Β.
  • 23Corr. several: καλουμενης Β.
14

Aspis

And for me too, as I grew old, I hoped There’d be a rest from these long labours, after all I’d done for you. But now you’re dead, snatched off Against all reason, and, Kleostratos, It’s I who’ve come—your tutor, bringing back15 This shield which didn’t protect you, though you often Protected it. You always showed fine spirit, Second to none.

Smikrines

(coming forward) Oh Daos, what a tragedy! So unexpected!

Daos

Terrible.

Smikrines

How did he die? What way?

Daos

If you’re a soldier, Smikrines,20 It’s hard to find good reasons for survival; For death though, easy.

Smikrines

But what happened? Tell me,

Daos.

In Lycia there’s a river called The Xanthos. 1 There we saw some action, quite a lot,

15
DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.menander_comic_poet-aspis_shield.1979