Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 5140
(formerly typ/3198)

Ἀλλ’ ὦ Μανασσῆ θελξικάρδιον στόμα,
Ὀρφεῦ νεαρὲ τοῦ παλαιοῦ βελτίων,
τὴν γλυκερὰν ἅρμοσον αὖθις κιθάραν
καὶ σὴν πρόσοψιν ὑπόδειξον τοῖς φίλοις
καὶ προσλαλήσαις τοῖς μαθηταῖς ὡς πάλιν·
εἰ γὰρ μαλάσσειν εἶχε γλυκερὸς λόγος
ὦτα λασιόκωφα δυσμενοῦς Ἅιδου,
τοῦτ’ αὐτὸς ἂν ἔδρασας ἐλθὼν εἰς Ἅιδην
ὡς αὐτοθελκτήριος αὐτογλυκύτης.
Text source O. Mazal, 1967, Der Roman des Konstantinos Manasses. Überlieferung, Rekonstruktion, Textausgabe der Fragmente, Wien: 209
Text status Text completely known
Editorial status Not a critical text
Genre(s) Author-related epigram
Metre(s) Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)
Tag(s)
Translation(s)
  • But O Manasses, heart-entrancing mouth,
    young Orpheus better than the old,
    tune your sweet kithara once more
    and reveal your countenance to your friends
    and address your pupils as in the past;
    for if sweet speech could soften
    the deaf hair-stuffed ears of dreaded Hades,
    you would have accomplished this after going to Hades,
    being yourself a self-charming self-sweetness.
    Language
    English
    Source(s)
    I. Nilsson, 2021, Writer and Occasion in Twelfth-Century Byzantium: the authorial voice of Constantine Manasses, Cambridge: 165
  • But O Manasses, heart-entrancing mouth,
    young Orpheus better than the old,
    tune your sweet kithara once more
    and reveal your countenance to your friends
    and address your pupils as in the past;
    for if sweet speech could soften
    the deaf hair-stuffed ears of dread Hades,
    you would have gone to Hades and accomplished this
    since you are the embodiment of charm and sweetness.
    Language
    English
    Source(s)
    E. Jeffreys, 2012, Four Byzantine Novels, Liverpool: 336-337
  • Aber, Manasses, herzbetörender Mund,
    junger Orpheus, besser als der alte,
    deine süße Kithara zupfe wieder,
    und dein Angesicht zeige den Freunden,
    und du wirst wieder zu deinen Jüngern sprechen!
    (translation of the occurrence in Par. gr. 2087)
    Language
    German
    Source(s)
    A. Paul, A. Rhoby, 2019, Konstantinos Manasses. Verschronik, Stuttgart: 58
Comment The five verses-version of the epigram (vv. 1-5), is also preserved in mss. Patmos 374 (17th century) and Athos, Lavra Λ 108 (18th century) at the end of Constantine Manasses' Compendium chronicum.
The epigram, as transmitted in ms. Vind. phil. gr. 306 (consisting of 8 verses, vv. 1-3 and vv. 5-9), can also be found in the 16th century-manuscript Munich BSB cod. gr. 281, following a collection of excerpts from Manasses' novel 'Aristandros and Kallithea'.
Bibliography

Primary

Secondary

E. Jeffreys, 2012, Four Byzantine Novels, Liverpool: 275-276, 336-337
Number of verses 9
Occurrence(s)
Acknowledgements
Contributor(s)
Rachele Ricceri, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Julián Bértola

The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification Vassis ICB 2005, 35: "In Const. Manassem"
Permalink https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/5140
Last modified: 2021-09-08.
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