Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 3147
(formerly typ/1271)

	Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη, ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν;
	εἰπὲ δ’ ὅθεν προέβης καὶ ποῦ ὁδοιπορέεις;
	καὶ τί μέγα ζώειν σε τὸν αὐτίκα νεκρὸν ἐόντα;
	ὁ χρόνος ἀστατέει, φύλλῳ ἔοικε φύσις·
	γαῖα, βροτὸς καὶ ὕδωρ, τὰ ἀπ’ αὐτόφιν εἰς τάδε δύνει,
	ὥστε μάτην ὁ βίος καὶ ὅσα τις πονέει.

Title(s)	Περὶ τῆς ἐνταῦθα ματαιότητος ἡρωϊκοὶ στίχοι
Text source	M. Tomadaki, E. van Opstall 2019, The Tragedians from a Byzantine Perspective: Book Epigrams on Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, Medioevo Greco. Rivista di storia e filologia bizantina. (MEG), 19, 193-220: 205-207
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Reader-related epigram Text-related epigram
Metre(s)	Elegiacs
Tag(s)	(Spiritual) advice to the reader Address to the reader Death Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	On the present vanity, heroic verses Tell me, where did yesterday go and where is tomorrow? Tell me, where do you come from and where are you travelling to? And why live a great life if all at once you are dead? Time is fickle, nature is like a leaf; earth, mankind and water, these come from that spot and there they sink, so life is vain and all that one toils for. Language English Source(s) M. Tomadaki, E. van Opstall 2019, The Tragedians from a Byzantine Perspective: Book Epigrams on Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, Medioevo Greco. Rivista di storia e filologia bizantina. (MEG), 19, 193-220: 206 Di' dove è andato il giorno di ieri, e il domani, di' dove è; di' da che luogo sei giunto, e dove t'incammini, e quale pregio è vivere per chi presto è defunto. Il tempo inganna, ad una foglia è simile la nostra età; l'uomo è terra ed acqua, ed in queste materie finisce ciò che da quelle promana. Inutilmente perciò è la vita; e quanto ognuno fatica. Language Italian Source(s) C. Gallavotti 1980-1982, Note su testi e scrittori di codici greci, Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Neoellenici (RSBN), 17-19, 229-245: 238 De terrestri vanitate heroici versus. Dic ubi hesterna dies abierit, et crastina dic ubi sit: dic unde proveneris et quo viam-facias: et quid magnum vivere te qui mox cadaver eris. Tempus inconstans-est: folio similis natura. Terra mortalis et aqua: quae autem ex istis facta sunt in ista subeunt, ita ut inanis vita sit et quidquid quis operatur. Language Latin Source(s) E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 416
Comment	= Anth. Gr. Append. IV.92 Boissonade (1830: 471): 'φύμῳ ἔοικε φύσις. (...) Non puto tam barbarum versum, nec ideo illud epigramma, foetum esse Leonis, hominis elegantissimi. Pro φύμῳ exspectabam saltem φούμῳ. Fors. φυρμῷ'. Gallavotti (1980: 237) remarks that the epigram "è anonimo nei codici di quella silloge," (i.e. the Silloge Eufemia) "ed è invece attribuito a Marco Mamuna in altra fonte, ossia nell'edizione degli scritti di Thomas Trivisanos". The epigram also occurs in Par. gr. 1773 and Par. gr. 2720. In these manuscripts it does not function as a book epigram, but is part of the Silloge Eufemia. (cf. Cataldi-Palau (2004: 367-368)).
Bibliography	Primary A. Cataldi Palau 1991, La biblioteca di Marco Mamuna, in G. Cavallo, G. De Gregorio, M. Maniaci (eds.), Scritture, libri e testi nelle aree provinciali di Bisanzio. Atti del Seminario di Erice (18-25 settembre 1988) (vol. 2), Spoleto, 521-575: 564 A. Cataldi Palau 2004, La vita di Marco Musuro alla luce di documenti e manoscritti, Italia medioevale e umanistica, 45, 295-369: 367-368 E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 416 R. Dawe, 1973, Studies on the Text of Sophocles. The Manuscripts and the Text (vol. 1), Leiden: 118 C. Gallavotti 1980-1982, Note su testi e scrittori di codici greci, Rivista di Studi Bizantini e Neoellenici (RSBN), 17-19, 229-245: 237-238 Bibliography category to be determined A. Bandini, 1768, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Mediceae Laurentianae (vol. 2), Florence: 97 J. Boissonade, 1830, Anekdota. Anecdota Graeca e codicibus regiis (vol. 2), Paris: 471 P. Canart 1971, Les épigrammes de Thomas Trivisanos, Θησαυρίσματα, 8, 205-248: 226 M. Formentin, 1995, Catalogus codicum Graecorum Bibliothecae Nationalis Neapolitanae (vol. 2), Rome: 129 N. Piccolos, 1853, Supplément à l'Anthologie Grecque, contenant des épigrammes et autres poésies légères inédites, Paris: 195 C. Stornajolo, 1895, Codices Urbinates Graeci, Rome: 261 display 3 more references (6 in total) hide 3 references (6 in total)
Number of verses	6
Occurrence(s)	[20167] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [14th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Conv. Soppr. 71 [14th c.] (f. 35v) (6 verses) [31665] εἰπὲ δ’ ὅθεν προέβη κ(αὶ) ποῦ ὁδοιπορέει [14th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Plut. 28, Cod. 25 [1276-1300] (f. 161v -- (alt.) f. 164v) (5 verses) [26548] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη‧ ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [15th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Plut. 31, Cod. 9 [15th c.] (f. 201v) (6 verses) [25067] Καὶ τὶ μέγα ζώειν τὸν αὐτίκα νεκρ(ὸν) ἐόντα [1476-1500] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Plut. 31, Cod. 24 [1476-1500] (f. 183v) (4 verses) [25999] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθές ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπέ ποῦ ἐστ(ιν) [15th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale - Conventi Soppressi G.II.496 (Olivieri 54) [15th c.] (f. 133v) (6 verses) [20256] Ἐιπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη. ἡ δ᾽ αὔριον ποῦ ἔσται [14th-15th c.] GLASGOW - University Library - Hunter 424 (V.4.8.) [1348] (f. 7v) (7 verses) [26195] (...) χθὲς ἔβη ἡ δ (...) [14th c.] LEIDEN - Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit - Voss. gr. Q° 6 [14th c.] (f. 30r) (6 verses) [20994] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη, ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [1333] MADRID - Biblioteca Nacional 4617 (olim N.75) [1326-1500] (f. 34v) (6 verses) [21027] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἔστιν [13th-14th c.] MADRID - Biblioteca Nacional 4679 (olim N.49) [13th-14th c.] (f. 3v) (6 verses) [20794] Εἰπὲ, ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [14th c.] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana B 97 sup. [14th c.] (f. 35r) (6 verses) [20835] ἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπέ ποῦ ἐστὶν [1481] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana C 24 sup. [1481] (f. 96v) (6 verses) [20961] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [1376-1400] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana G 43 sup. [1376-1400] (f. 196v) (6 verses) [26068] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστίν [1401-1425] MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana H 105 sup. [1401-1425] (f. 36r) (6 verses) [18961] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἔστιν [1325] NAPLES - Biblioteca Nazionale - gr. II F 9 [1325] (f. 167r) (6 verses) [23951] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· \| ἡ δ᾽ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ δ᾽ ἐστὶν [15th c.] ROME - Biblioteca Casanatense 1243 [15th c.] (f. 74v) (6 verses) [24469] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ᾽ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [1491-1500] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Palat. gr. 139 [1491-1500] (f. 158r) (6 verses) [19129] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ᾽ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [13th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Urb. gr. 140 [13th c.] (f. 37r) (6 verses) [24491] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ᾽ αὔρϊον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [13th-14th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 40 [13th-14th c.] (f. 66v) (6 verses) [25441] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη· ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [13th-14th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 114 [13th-14th c.] (f. 42v) (6 verses) [24451] (...)ς, ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποὔστιν [1310] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 910 [1310] (f. 36r) (6 verses) [25358] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη ἡ δ’ αὔριον \| εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [13th-14th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 1332 [13th-14th c.] (f. 32r) (6 verses) [22264] εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν [14th c.] VENICE - Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - gr. Z. 468 (coll. 653) [14th c.] (f. 115v) (6 verses) [22362] Εἰπέ· ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη (...) [14th-15th c.] VENICE - Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - gr. Z. 617 (coll. 810) [14th-15th c.] ((unsure) f. 68r) (6 verses) [22224] Εἰπὲ ποῦ ἡ χθὲς ἔβη, ἡ δ’ αὔριον εἰπὲ ποῦ ἐστιν· [1491] VIENNA - Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (ÖNB) - phil. gr. 270 [1491] (f. 74v) (6 verses) display 21 more occurrences (24 in total) hide 21 occurrences (24 in total)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Rachele Ricceri, Maria Tomadaki, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 191: "Marcus Mamunas*, In vitam humanam"
Permalink	https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/3147

Last modified: 2021-07-26.

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