ASCENSION OF DEOCLETIAN
Payprus Oxy. 63.4352
c. 285 C.E
She rejoiced to find the ransom for the life of Antinous,
Memorial of his hunt, palm of his victory,
I revere, Narcissus, your shadowy reflection,
I shed a tear for Hyacinthus,
Who grasped the cruel discus,
I pity your hunting of the wild beast, Adonis.
Yet the meadow of Antinous and his lovely new flower
Envy not pool, not fatal discus, not boar.
The nymphs began to crown their tresses
With the flower named after Antinous,
Which to this day preserves
The mighty spear of the hunter.
Into the Nile he hurried for purification
Of the blood of the lion,
But the Moon upon more brilliant hopes
Bade him shine as a star-like bridegroom
And garlanding the new light with a circle
She took him for her husband.
A city was the gift of Hadrian,
An island that of the Nile.
The one lies rich in vines
Beside its sweet neighbor,
The other welcoming the chosen flower of Achaea,
Has been crowned for her harbors
As champion of the plain.
