Babrius (Aesop's Fables)

Aesop's Fables: Babrius

Ἰατρὸς ἦν ἄτεχνος. οὗτος ἀρρώστῳ,
πάντων λεγόντων "μὴ δέδιχθι, σωθήσῃ·
πάθος μέν ἐστι χρόνιον, ἀλλ' ἔσῃ ῥᾴων,"
[ὁ δ' ἀτεχνὴς ἰατρὸς εἶπεν εἰσβαίνων·]
"οὐ συναπατῶ σε" φησίν "οὐδ' ἐνεδρεύω·
ἕτοιμα δεῖ σε πάντ' ἔχειν· ἀποθνῄσκεις·
τὴν αὔριον γὰρ [τὸ] μακρὸν οὐχ ὑπερβήσῃ."
ταῦτ' εἶπε, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν οὐκέτ' εἰσῄει.
χρόνῳ δ' εκεῖνος ἐκ νόσων ἀνασφήλας
προῆλθεν ὠχρός, τοῖς ποσὶν μόλις βαίνων.
ὁ δ' ἰατρὸς αὐτῷ "χαῖρ'" ἔφη συναντήσας,
καὶ πῶς ἔχουσιν οἱ κάτω διηρώτα.
κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν "ἠρεμοῦσι τῆς Λήθης
πίνοντες, ἡ Κόρη δὲ χὠ μέγας Πλούτων
πρώην ἰατροῖς δεινὰ πᾶσιν ἠπείλουν,
ὅτι τοῦς νοσοῦντας οὐκ ἐῶς' ἀποθνῄσκειν.
ἀνέγραφον δὲ πάντας, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πρώτοις
καὶ σὲ γράφειν ἔμελλον· ἀλλ' ἐγὼ δείσας
εὐθὺς προσῆλθον, ἡψάμην τε τῶν σκήπτρων
κἀπώμος' αὐτοῖς, ὅτι σὺ ταῖς ἀληθείαις
ἰατρὸς οὐκ εἶ καὶ μάτην διεβλήθης."

Ben Perry, Babrius and Phaedrus (Loeb). This edition contains the Greek texts of Babrius, with a facing English translation, and an extensive index covering the Greek and Latin fable tradition. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in the Aesopic fable tradition. Invaluable.