Source edition
Moschus. The Greek Bucolic Poets. Edmonds, J. M., editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1916.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a pastoral elegy from the Hellenistic period, mourning the untimely death of the famous bucolic poet Bion. At the beginning of the poem, the narrator calls upon the natural world—including plants, animals, rivers, and mythical nymphs—to join him in mourning the loss of this great singer. The poem then compares Bion's poetic talent to that of the legendary Homer, illustrating how various cities and natural landscapes across Greece deeply grieve his passing. Furthermore, the poet reflects on the transience of human life, lamenting that while plants regenerate every year, even the greatest of humans must sleep eternally in the earth once they die. Finally, the work concludes with a poignant, unachievable wish to descend into the underworld like Orpheus to hear Bion's song once more and bring him back to the land of the living.