Idyll XXI

Idyll XXI, also called Ἁλιεῖς ('The Fisherman'), is a poem traditionally attributed to the 3rd century BC Greek poet Theocritus.

[1] After some verses addressed to Diophantus, a friend about whom nothing is known, the poet describes the toilsome life of two old fishermen.

[2] The other reminds him that his oath is as empty as his vision, and that he must angle for common fish, if he is not starve among his golden dreams.

[2] The poet begins with a dedication in the manner of Idyll XI, and passes quickly to his story.

[1] Two fishermen lie awake at night in their cabin on the shore, and one of them tells a dream he has just had of the catching of a golden fish.