#milan papyrus

(I love this satire of the usual, chatty, pseudo-epigrams of the Alexandrian poets).

Why are you standing next to me?
Why don’t you let me sleep?
Asking who I was, and from where,
and what country I was born in?
Get going, march on past my marker!
I’m Menoitios, Philarkhos’ son, Kretan.
We don’t waste words where I’m from.

(Poseidippos in the Milan Papyrus (fr. 102 Angiò/Cuypers/Acosta-Hughes/Kosmetatou); my translation)

τί πρὸϲ ἔμ’ ὧδ’ ἔϲτητε; τί μ’ οὐκ ἠάϲατ’ ἰαύειν,
εἰρόμενοι τίϲ ἐγὼ καὶ πόθεν ἢ ποδαπόϲ;
ϲτείχε‹τέ› μου παρὰ ϲῆμα· Μενοίτιόϲ εἰμι Φιλάρχω
__ Κρήϲ, ὀλιγορρήμων ὡϲ ἂν ἐπὶ ξενίηϲ.