Effeminate sons; ostriches; teachers as Sirens
For how are they not daughters—those made effeminate, whom Pharaoh also preserves, killing the males? Who also graze upon the teaching, the desert of God, not able like ostriches to fly away, but always running the earth? For “sparrow” Symmachus rendered thus, and their teachers he not unfittingly called Sirens. For according to the outer myth these through pleasure were destroying those who met them, just as dragons by biting inject the poison. He reproaches, then, the supposedly good teachers, that not even like these they were eager about those attending.
Greek
Klagel. Jerem. 4, 3. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ θυγατέρες οἱ ἐκτεθηλυμμένοι, οὓς καὶ Φαραὼ περιποιεῖται, φονεύων τοὺς ἄρρενας; οἳ καὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν, τὴν ἔρημον θεοῦ, καταβόσκονται, ἀποπτῆναι κατὰ τοὺς στρουθοκαμή- λους μὴ δυνάμενοι, ἀλλὰ τὴν γῆν ἀεὶ ἀεὶ διαθέοντες; τὸ γὰρ στρουθίον οὕτως ἐξέδωκε Σύμμαχος, τοὺς δὲ τούτων διδασκάλους οὐκ ἀπεικότως Σειρῆνας ἐκάλεσεν. κατὰ γὰρ τὸν ἔξω μῦθον αὐται διὰ τῆς ἡδονῆς τοὺς προστυχόντας ἀπώλλυον, ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν ἰὸν ἐνδακόντες οἱ δράκοντες. ὀνειδίζει τοίνυν τοῖς δῆθεν ἀγαθοῖς διδασκάλοις, ὄτι μηδὲ τούτοις ὁμοίως περὶ τοὺς φοιτῶντας ἐσπούδασαν.
About this text
Origen, Fragments on Lamentations. Original English Translation from the Greek (Klostermann).
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.