(no subject)

[kaikias]

Θέλω λέγειν Ἀτρείδᾱς,
θέλω δὲ Κάδμον ᾄδειν·
ἡ βάρβιτος δὲ χορδαῖς
Ἔρωτα μοῦνον ἠχεῖ.
Ἤμειψα νεῦρα πρώην
καὶ τὴν λύρην ἅπᾱσαν,
κἀγὼ μὲν ᾖδον ἄθλους
Ἡρακλέους· λύρη δὲ
ἔρωτας ἀντεφώνει.
Χαίροιτε λοιπὸν ἡμῖν,
ἥρωες· ἡ λύρη γὰρ
μόνους Ἔρωτας ᾄδει.

(anonymous Anacreontic)

English:
I wish to hymn th' Atreidæ,
I fain would sing of Cadmus;
But when I touch my lyre,
All I can get is Eros.
I changed the strings but lately,
I even changed the lyre;
But when I would have chanted
Great Heracles' labors,
The lyre returned me Eros.
Farewell, then, noble heroes;
No use to strive, for clearly
The lyre sings naught but Eros.

(Dug this one up in my classical Greek textbook along with the translation and thought it amusing and well-written. Ergo, it gets inflicted on you.)