Eusebius Riddle 51: De scorpione
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Mon 27 Dec 2021Original text:
Vermibus ascriptus nec non serpentibus atris,
Quislibet utrorum sociatus, ab ore solesco
Armari bino; quod vulnere corpore caudae
Inficiens, virum diffundo. (1) Hinc Grece vocabor,
Et, reliquos mordens artus, non vulnero palmas.
Translation:
Ascribed the status of worms and also of deadly serpents,
Allied with either of them, I am typically armed
With a second mouth; because, poisoning the body with a wound
From my tail, I pour out into the man. From this I get my name in Greek,
And, biting other limbs, I do not wound the palms.
On the scorpion
Notes:
(1) Other editions read virus (poison), but virum (man) is the reading in both manuscripts and makes a kind of sense.
Tags: riddles latin Eusebius