δένδρον ἐγὼ μακαριστόν, ἐπεί ποτε μεσσόθεν ὕλης
ἱστάμενον λιγυροῖς ἐτρεφόμην ἀνέμοις,
ὀρνίθων ἐπίβαθρον ἐΰθροον: ἀλλὰ σιδήρῳ
ἐτμήγην, κλήρῳ κρείσσονος εὐτυχίης:

ἀντὶ γὰρ ὀρνίθων, Κρατεροῦ κρατεροῖς ὑπὸ μύθοις
ἄρδομαι, εὐμούσοις χεύμασι τηλεθάον.

— Paton edition

I am a tree peculiarly blessed ; for, once, standing in
the middle of the forest, I was nurtured by the shrill
winds and was the tuneful seat of birds, but I was
felled by the axe to gain still better fortune. For
now I am watered by the powerful (crateros) speech,
not of the birds, but of Craterus, and flourish, fed by
this stream of eloquence.

— Paton edition