Lament for Adonis

Greek literature

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June 30, 2026

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The "Lament for Adonis" is a poem attributed to the Greek bucolic poet Bion of Smyrna. It is a lament for Adonis, a figure in Greek mythology renowned for his exceptional beauty. The myth of Adonis tells of his love affair with the goddess Aphrodite and his tragic death by a wild boar.123

The poem's emotional intensity reflects the cult of Adonis, which was popular in Bion's homeland and celebrated his death and symbolic resurrection, representing the cycle of nature's decay and revival. The title "Adonais" was also used by Percy Bysshe Shelley for his elegy commemorating the poet John Keats, likely inspired by Bion's work.214

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Bion
…also been credited with the Lament for Adonis, in about 100 hexameters, whose overheated and highly coloured emotionalism may reflect the cult of Adonis, which was popular in the poet’s homeland. A Greek text and English translation, Bion of Smyrna: The Fragments and the Adonis, by J.D. Reed, was published…
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…also been credited with the Lament for Adonis, in about 100 hexameters, whose overheated and highly coloured emotionalism may reflect the cult of Adonis, which was popular in the poet’s homeland. A Greek text and English translation, Bion of Smyrna: The Fragments and the Adonis, by J.D. Reed, was published…
Read More