Rufinus (poet) Quotes (0-)

“Λουσάμενοι, Προδίκη, πυκασώμεθα, καὶ τὸν ἄκρατον
ἕλκωμεν, κύλικας μείζονας αἰρόμενοι.
βαιὸς ὁ χαιρόντων ἐστὶν βίος· εἶτα τὰ λοιπὰ
γῆρας κωλύσει, καὶ τὸ τέλος θάνατος.
• Let us bathe, Prodice, and crown out heads; and quaff untempered wine, lifting up greater cups. Short is the season of rejoicing, and then old age comes to forbid it any longer, and at the last death.”

“Ὄμματ᾽ ἔχεις Ἥρης, Μελίτη, τὰς χεῖρας Ἀθήνης,
  τοὺς μαζοὺς Παφίης, τὰ σφυρὰ τῆς Θέτιδος.
εὐδαίμων ὁ βλέπων σε: τρισόλβιος ὅστις ἀκούει:
  ἡμίθεος δ᾽ ὁ φιλῶν ἀθάνατος δ᾽ ὁ γαμῶν.
• Thou hast Hera’s eyes, Melite, and Athene’s hands, the breasts of Aphrodite [the Paphian], and the feet [ankles] of Thetis. Blessed is he who looks on thee, thrice blessed he who hears thee talk, a demigod who kisses thee, and a god he who takes thee to wife.”

“Ὄμματα μὲν χρύσεια, καὶ ὑαλόεσσα παρειή,
  καὶ στόμα πορφυρέης τερπνότερον κάλυκος,
δειρὴ λυγδινέη, καὶ στήθεα μαρμαίροντα,
  καὶ πόδες ἀργυρέης λευκότεροι Θέτιδος.
εἰ δέ τι καὶ πλοκαμῖσι διαστίλβουσιν ἄκανθαι,
  τῆς λευκῆς καλάμης οὐδὲν ἐπιστρέφομαι.
• Golden are her eyes and her cheeks are crystal, and her mouth more delightful than a red rose. Her neck is of marble and her bosom polished; her feet are whiter than silver Thetis. If here and there the thistle-down glistens amid her dark locks, I heed not the white aftermath.”

“Εἶδον ἐγὼ ποθέοντας: ὑπ᾽ ἀτλήτοιο δὲ λύσσης
  δηρὸν ἐν ἀλλήλοις χείλεα πηξάμενοι,
οὐ κόρον εἶχον ἔρωτος ἀφειδέος: ἱέμενοι δέ,
  εἰ θέμις, ἀλλήλων δύμεναι ἐς κραδίην,
ἀμφασίης ὅσον ὅσσον ὑπεπρήυνον ἀνάγκην,
  ἀλλήλων μαλακοῖς φάρεσιν ἑσσάμενοι.
καὶ ῥ᾽ ὁ μὲν ἦν Ἀχιλῆι πανείκελος, οἷος ἐκεῖνος
  τῶν Λυκομηδείων ἔνδον ἔην θαλάμων
κούρη δ᾽ ἀργυφέης ἐπιγουνίδος ἄχρι χιτῶνα
  ζωσαμένη, Φοίβης εἶδος ἀπεπλάσατο.
καὶ πάλιν ἠρήρειστο τὰ χείλεα: γυιοβόρον γὰρ
  εἶχον ἀλωφήτου λιμὸν ἐρωμανίης.
ῥεῖά τις ἡμερίδος στελέχη δύο σύμπλοκα λύσει,
  στρεπτά, πολυχρονίῳ πλέγματι συμφυέα,
ἢ κείνους ῾φιλέοντας, ὑπ᾽ ἀντιπόροισὶ τ᾽ ἀγοστοῖς
  ὑγρὰ περιπλέγδην ἅψεα δησαμένους.
τρὶς μάκαρ, ὃς τοίοισι, φίλη, δεσμοῖσιν ἑλίχθη,
  τρὶς μάκαρ: ἀλλ᾽ ἡμεῖς ἄνδιχα καιόμεθα.
• I saw the lovers. In the ungovernable fury of their passion they glued their lips together in a long kiss; but that did not sate the infinite thirst of love. Longing, if it could be, to enter into each other’s hearts, they sought to appease to a little extent the torment of the impossible by interchanging their soft raiment. Then he was just like Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes, and she, her tunic girt up to her silver knee, counterfeited the form of Artemis. Again their lips met close, for the inappeasable hunger of passion yet devoured them. ’Twere easier to tear apart two vine stems that have grown round each other for years than to separate them as they kiss and with their opposed arms knot their pliant limbs in a close embrace. Thrice blessed he, my love, who is entwined by such fetters, thrice blessed! but we must burn far from each other.”