of Phlossa near Smyrna Bion

Bion was an ancient Greek bucolic poet associated with Smyrna, and some sources identify him more specifically with Phlossa near Smyrna. He probably lived around the late second or early first century BCE, though the details of his life are uncertain.

Ancient tradition places him among the three canonical bucolic poets, alongside Theocritus and Moschus. Only a small part of his work survives: one substantial poem, usually known as Lament for Adonis, and a group of shorter fragments. These poems are remembered for their musical style, their blend of pastoral and mythological themes, and their strong feeling for love and loss.

Later readers connected him with Sicily as well as Asia Minor, but modern knowledge of his biography remains fragmentary. What has lasted clearly is the poetry itself: graceful, emotional, and influential enough to keep his name alive across more than two thousand years.