| 1 καὶ μνήσθητι τοῦ κτίσαντός σε ἐν ἡμέραις νεότητός σου ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἔλθωσιν ἡμέραι τῆς κακίας καὶ φθάσωσιν ἔτη ἐν οἷς ἐρεῖς οὐκ ἔστιν μοι ἐν αὐτοῖς θέλημα 2 ἕως οὗ μὴ σκοτισθῇ ὁ ἥλιος καὶ τὸ φῶς καὶ ἡ σελήνη καὶ οἱ ἀστέρες καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν τὰ νέφη ὀπίσω τοῦ ὑετοῦ 3 ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἐὰν σαλευθῶσιν φύλακες τῆς οἰκίας καὶ διαστραφῶσιν ἄνδρες τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ ἤργησαν αἱ ἀλήθουσαι ὅτι ὠλιγώθησαν καὶ σκοτάσουσιν αἱ βλέπουσαι ἐν ταῖς ὀπαῖς 4 καὶ κλείσουσιν θύρας ἐν ἀγορᾷ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ φωνῆς τῆς ἀληθούσης καὶ ἀναστήσεται εἰς φωνὴν τοῦ στρουθίου καὶ ταπεινωθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ θυγατέρες τοῦ ᾄσματος 5 καί γε ἀπὸ ὕψους ὄψονται καὶ θάμβοι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ ἀνθήσῃ τὸ ἀμύγδαλον καὶ παχυνθῇ ἡ ἀκρίς καὶ διασκεδασθῇ ἡ κάππαρις ὅτι ἐπορεύθη ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς οἶκον αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκύκλωσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ οἱ κοπτόμενοι 6 ἕως ὅτου μὴ ἀνατραπῇ σχοινίον τοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ συνθλιβῇ ἀνθέμιον τοῦ χρυσίου καὶ συντριβῇ ὑδρία ἐπὶ τὴν πηγήν καὶ συντροχάσῃ ὁ τροχὸς ἐπὶ τὸν λάκκον 7 καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ ὁ χοῦς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὡς ἦν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς τὸν θεόν ὃς ἔδωκεν αὐτό |
1 Do not forget thy Maker, now, while youth lasts; now, while the evil days are still far off, the years that pass unwelcomed. 2 Not yet the obscuration of sun and moon and starlight; and the clouds that still gather when the rainy season is done. 3 One day, palsy will shake those door-keepers, those stalwart guards will be bowed with age; rarer, now, the busy maidens at the mill, dimmer, now, those bright glances from the windows. 4 The street-doors shut, muffled the hum of the mill, bird-song for waking-time, and all the echoes[1] of music faint! 5 Fear upon every height, terrors on the road; almond-blossom matched for whiteness; the grasshopper’s weight a burden now; the spiced food untasted![2] Man is for his everlasting home, and already the mourners are astir in the streets. 6 That, or else yonder cord of silver will be loosed, yonder golden skein unravelled; pitcher broken beside the fountain, wheel lost in the well;[3] 7 with that, back goes dust to its parent earth, and the spirit[4] returns to God who gave it. |
1
Memento Creatoris tui in diebus juventutis tuæ,
antequam veniat tempus afflictionis,
et appropinquent anni de quibus dicas:
Non mihi placent; 2
antequam tenebrescat sol, et lumen, et luna, et stellæ,
et revertantur nubes post pluviam; 3
quando commovebuntur custodes domus,
et nutabunt viri fortissimi,
et otiosæ erunt molentes in minuto numero,
et tenebrescent videntes per foramina; 4
et claudent ostia in platea,
in humilitate vocis molentis,
et consurgent ad vocem volucris,
et obsurdescent omnes filiæ carminis: 5
excelsa quoque timebunt, et formidabunt in via.
Florebit amygdalus, impinguabitur locusta,
et dissipabitur capparis,
quoniam ibit homo in domum æternitatis suæ,
et circuibunt in platea plangentes. 6
Antequam rumpatur funiculus argenteus,
et recurrat vitta aurea,
et conteratur hydria super fontem,
et confringatur rota super cisternam, 7
et revertatur pulvis in terram suam unde erat,
et spiritus redeat ad Deum, qui dedit illum. |