Epigram 9.312

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Codex Palatinus 23, p.408

Texts

ὦνερ, τᾶν βαλάνων τὰν ματέρα φείδεο κόπτειν,
φείδεο: γηραλέαν δ᾽ ἐκκεράϊζε πίτυν,
ἢ πεύκαν, ἢ τάνδε πολυστέλεχον παλίουρον,
ἢ πρῖνον, ἢ τὰν αὐαλέαν κόμαρον

τηλόθι δ᾽ ἴσχε δρυὸς πέλεκυν κοκύαι γάρ ἔλεξαν
ἁμῖν ὡς πρότεραι ματέρες ἐντὶ δρύες.

— Paton edition

Refrain, sirrah, from cutting the oak, the mother
of acorns ; refrain, and lay low the old stone-pine,
or the sea-pine, or this rhanmus with many stems, or
the holly-oak, or the dry arbutus. Only keep thy
axe far from the oak, for our grannies tell us that
oaks were the first mothers.¹

— Paton edition

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Comment

#1

Paton Edition: 1 Referring to the legend that men were sprung from oaks or rocks, cp. Odyss. xix. 163.

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Epigram 9.312: First revision

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