Dear colleagues,
I am looking for typical phrases which are said when commemorating a dead person, like epitaphs. Are there any known greek phrases? I don't know where to search, but maybe you know some literature hints or are sufficiently fluent in ancient greek to come up with your own suggestions. I would be also interested to have translations of the latin "in memoriam" or "requiescat in pace" into greek. But just state everything which comes to your mind!
Thanks in advance!
Epitaphs, memorial phrases
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 2966
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:07 pm
- Location: Colorado
- Contact:
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
ὦ χαῖρε, φίλε Κορακῖνε.
νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.
ὑπῆρξα. οὐχ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.
ἄνθος κλυτόν.
τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.
ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον.
σὺν Χριστῷ πολλῷ κρεῖσσον.
ἴθι πολλὰ χαίρων, φίλτατε.
ὃν ὁ Θεὸς φιλεῖ νέος ἀποθνῄσκει.korakinos wrote:But just state everything which comes to your mind!
νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.
ὑπῆρξα. οὐχ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.
ἄνθος κλυτόν.
τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.
ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον.
σὺν Χριστῷ πολλῷ κρεῖσσον.
ἴθι πολλὰ χαίρων, φίλτατε.
Last edited by Markos on Thu Apr 26, 2018 6:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
οὐ μανθάνω γράφειν, ἀλλὰ γράφω τοῦ μαθεῖν.
-
- Textkit Neophyte
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 7:45 pm
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
Xαῖρε, ὦ Mάρκε!
Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what some of your phrases mean, concretely
Thanks again,
Κορακῖνος
Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure what some of your phrases mean, concretely
Could you please provide an explanation for these phrases? Are they "standards" or from literature?νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.
ὑπῆρξα. οὐκ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.
ἄνθος κλυτόν.
τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.
Thanks again,
Κορακῖνος
- jeidsath
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 5332
- Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:42 pm
- Location: Γαλεήπολις, Οὐισκόνσιν
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
Here is a bibliography with some resources: http://www.saxa-loquuntur.nl/searching- ... greek.html
Maybe also check out the Greek Anthology.
Maybe also check out the Greek Anthology.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”
Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com
Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 2966
- Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 8:07 pm
- Location: Colorado
- Contact:
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
νῦν δὲ τοῖς αἰῶσι.korakinos wrote:Xαῖρε, ὦ Mάρκε!
Could you please provide an explanation for these phrases?
Thanks again,
Κορακῖνος
Stanton on the death of Lincoln: "Now he belongs to the ages."
ὑπῆρξα. οὐχ ὑπάρχω. τούτου οὐ μέλει μοι.
ἄνθος κλυτόν.yahoo answers wrote:Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo.
I was not, I was, I am not, I don't care.
A famous epitaph, used so frequently in the ancient Roman Empire that you often find it on tombstones in an abbreviated form - NFFNSNC, or NF F NS NC.
τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.Ephesian Tale 3:2: Ἱππόθοος κλεινῶι τεῦξεν τόδε <σῆμ᾽> Ὑπεράνθηι,
οὐ τάφον ἐκ θανάτου ἀγαθὸν ἱεροῖο πολίτου
ἐς βάθος ἐκ γαίης, ἄνθος κλυτόν, ὅν ποτε δαίμων
ἥρπασεν ἐν πελάγει μεγάλου πνεύσαντος ἀήτου.
Hamlet's last words: "the rest is silence."
οὐ μανθάνω γράφειν, ἀλλὰ γράφω τοῦ μαθεῖν.
- Paul Derouda
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 2292
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 9:39 pm
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
This isn't exactly what you're looking for... But if you were standing on the grave of your worst enemy, you might quote the Odyssey (1.47):
ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι
"Let anyone who did what he did die like that."
This is what Scipio Aemilianus said, according to legend, when Tiberius Gracchus was murdered.
ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι
"Let anyone who did what he did die like that."
This is what Scipio Aemilianus said, according to legend, when Tiberius Gracchus was murdered.
-
- Textkit Neophyte
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 7:45 pm
Re: Epitaphs, memorial phrases
I wasn't sure about the meaning of this one in particular. Thanks for the context.Markos wrote: ἄνθος κλυτόν.Ephesian Tale 3:2: Ἱππόθοος κλεινῶι τεῦξεν τόδε <σῆμ᾽> Ὑπεράνθηι,
οὐ τάφον ἐκ θανάτου ἀγαθὸν ἱεροῖο πολίτου
ἐς βάθος ἐκ γαίης, ἄνθος κλυτόν, ὅν ποτε δαίμων
ἥρπασεν ἐν πελάγει μεγάλου πνεύσαντος ἀήτου.
Ha, it reminded me of Hamlet, but I didn't know that it indeed is a quote! Thank you so much for your explanations.Markos wrote: τὰ λοιπὰ σιγή ἐστιν.
Hamlet's last words: "the rest is silence."
It's not what I had in mind, but I like this one anyway, thanks!Paul Derouda wrote: ὡς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, ὅτις τοιαῦτά γε ῥέζοι
"Let anyone who did what he did die like that."
This is what Scipio Aemilianus said, according to legend, when Tiberius Gracchus was murdered.
Thank you for the link!jeidsath wrote:Here is a bibliography with some resources: http://www.saxa-loquuntur.nl/searching- ... greek.html
Please keep on posting whatever you find... Maybe we can collect some phrases in this thread?
Κορακῖνος