αὖλιν Ἀρισταγόρεω καὶ κτήματα μυρίος ἀρθείς,
Νεῖλε, μετ᾽ εἰκαίης ἐξεφόρησας ὁδοῦ.

αὐτὸς δ᾽ οἰκείης ὁ γέρων ἐπενήξατο βώλου
ναυηγός, πάσης ἐλπίδος ὀλλυμένης,

γείτονος ἡμίθραυστον ἐπ᾽ αὔλιον,
ὦ πολύς, εἴπας,

μόχθος ἐμός, πολιῆς τ᾽ ἔργα περισσὰ χερός,

ὕδωρ πᾶν ἐγένεσθε: τὸ δὲ γλυκὺ τοῦτο γεωργοῖς

κῦμ᾽ ἐπ᾽ Ἀρισταγόρην ἔδραμε πικρότατον.

— Paton edition

Nile, rising in vast volume, thou hast carried away
in thy random course the farm of Aristagoras and
all his possessions. But the old man himself, aban-
doning all hope, swam, clinging to a clod of his own
land, to his neighbour's half-destroyed farm, saying :
" Ο long toil and useless work of my aged arms, ye
are all become water, and this wave so sweet to
farmers was the bitterest of floods for Aristagoras."

— Paton edition