Symphosius Riddle 31: Phoenix
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Fri 01 Jul 2022Original text:
Vita mihi mors est; morior si coepero nasci.
Sed prius est fatum leti quam lucis origo.
Sic solus Manes ipsos mihi dico parentes.
Translation:
My life is death; if I die I begin to be born.
But before the fate of death is the beginning of light.
Thus I alone call the Manes themselves my parents.
Phoenix
Notes:
This edition is based on Raymond T. Ohl, ed. The Enigmas of Symphosius. PhD dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 1928.
If you're researching/studying this collection, you should also consult this excellent new edition: T. J. Leary, ed. Symphosius: The Aenigmata, An Introduction, Text and Commentary. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. Textual differences in that edition include:
- Ordering: Leary orders Riddles 29-31 as: phoenix, ericius, peduculus, while also acknowledging the possibility of the order here
Tags: riddles solutions latin symphosius