Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 5306
(formerly typ/3352)

	Μῆνις Ἀχιλλῆος καὶ ἐμοὶ πρόφασις γεγένηται
	οὐλομένης πενίης γραμματικευσαμένῳ.
	Εἴθε δὲ σὺν Δαναοῖς με κατέκτανε μῆνις ἐκείνη,
	πρὶν χαλεπὸς λιμὸς γραμματικῆς ὀλέσει.
	Ἀλλ᾽ ἵν᾽ ἀφαρπάξῃ Βρισηίδα πρὶν Ἀγαμέμνων,
	τὴν Ἑλένην δ' ὁ Πάρις, πτωχὸς ἐγὼ γενόμην.

Text source	H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. IX-XI (vol. 3), München: 106-107
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet Palladas (4th c.)
Metre(s)	Elegiacs
Subject(s)	Achilleus Agamemnon Helen Paris
Tag(s)	Complaint Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	The wrath of Achilles was the cause of pernicious1 poverty to me too, since I adopted the profession of a grammarian. Would that that “wrath” had killed me with the Greeks, before the bitter hunger of grammar had put an end to me. But all to let Agamemnon run away with Briseis, and Paris with Helen, I have become poor. Language English Source(s) W. Paton, 1917, The Greek Anthology. Book 9 (vol. 3), Cambridge: 89 La colère d'Achille m'a valu, à moi aussi, funeste colère! d'être pauvre, car j'ai cultivé la grammaire. Que n'ai-je été, avec les Danaens, victime de cette colère fameuse, avant que la faim cruelle du grammairien ne cause ma perte! Mais pour que'Agamemnon enlevât autrefois Briseis, et Pâris Gélène, je suis devenu mendiant. Language French Source(s) P. Waltz, 1957, Anthologie Grecque. Tome VII: Anthologie palatine, Livre IX, Épigrammes 1-358 (vol. 7), Paris: 67-68 Ist nicht der Groll des Achill auch mir, der stets der Grammatik Wissen verkündet, der Grund elender Armut und Not? Ach, warum ließ dieser Groll mich nicht mit den Danaern sterben, eh die grammatische Kunst roh mich durch Hunger vertilgt? Nein, da mußte zuvor Agamemnon Brisëis und Paris Helena rauben, damit ich als ein Bettler erstand. Language German Source(s) H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. IX-XI (vol. 3), München: 107
Bibliography	Primary A. Bandini, 1768, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Mediceae Laurentianae (vol. 2), Florence: 297 W. Paton, 1917, The Greek Anthology. Book 9 (vol. 3), Cambridge: 88-89 P. Waltz, 1957, Anthologie Grecque. Tome VII: Anthologie palatine, Livre IX, Épigrammes 1-358 (vol. 7), Paris: 67-68
Number of verses	6
Occurrence(s)	[22147] ῆνις ἀχιλλῆος καὶ ἐμοὶ πρόφασις γεγένηται [15th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (BML) - Plut. 56, Cod. 3 [15th c.] (f. 154v) (6 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Maria Tomadaki, Cristina Cocola, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Anthologia Graeca, IX.169 Vassis ICB 2005, 462: "Palladas, In uxorem suam"
Permalink	http://dev.dbbe.ugent.be/types/5306

Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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