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Tag Archives: Greek Poetry
Alcaeus, fragment 341
“If you say what you want you may hear what you don’t.” αἴ κ’ εἴπηις τὰ θέληις <καί κεν> ἀκούσαις τά κεν οὐ θέλοις From Alcaeus, the one from Mytilene.
Posted in Greek
Tagged Alcaeus, Epigrams, Greek Poetry, Lyric, Unintended Consequences
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Pindar, Isthmian 1.67-8
“Anyone who keeps his wealth secret and jeers at others’ doesn’t know that he consigns a forgotten soul to hell.” εἰ δέ τις ἔνδον νέμει πλοῦτον κρυφαῖον, ἄλλοισι δ’ ἐμπίπτων γελᾷ, ψυχὰν ᾿Αΐδᾳ τελέων οὐ φράζεται δόξας … Continue reading
Posted in Greek
Tagged Epinician, Greek Poetry, Isthmian, Pindar, Pot-kettle-black, Wealth
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Pindar, Nemean 8.24
“No memory awaits the brave-hearted man who is speechless” ἦ τιν’ ἄγλωσσον μέν, ἦτορ δ’ ἄλκιμον, λάθα κατέχει The Nemean odes were written in honor of victors at the Nemean games, held, of course, at Nemea.
Posted in Greek
Tagged Epinician, fame, Greek Poetry, Mortality, Pindar, speech, Victory poems, Words_and_Deeds
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Theognis, 1135-6
“Hope is the only good god present among men The rest abandoned us and went to Olympos” ᾿Ελπὶς ἐν ἀνθρώποισι μόνη θεὸς ἐσθλὴ ἔνεστιν ἄλλοι δ’ Οὔλυμπόν ἐκπρολιπόντες ἔβαν Theognis, more a method than a man.
Posted in Greek
Tagged Elegy, Greek Poetry, Hope, Olympians, Optimism, Theodicy, Theognis
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Sophocles, Ajax 473-4
“It is shameful for man to want a long life when he sees no evils change” αἰσχρὸν γὰρ ἄνδρα τοῦ μακροῦ χρῄζειν βίου, κακοῖσιν ὅστις μηδὲν ἐξαλλάσσεται. Ajax was famous for saving Achilles’ body and killing himself
Posted in Greek
Tagged Ajax, Confirmation Bias, Greek Poetry, Odysseus, Sophocles, Tragedy
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Theognis, 457-8
A young wife is no advantage for an old man, Just like a boat that doesn’t heed its rudder Οὔ τοι σύμφορόν ἐστι γυνὴ νέα ἀνδρὶ γέροντι· οὐ γὰρ πηδαλίωι πείθεται ὡς ἄκατος, Theognis doesn’t have … Continue reading
Posted in Greek
Tagged Elegy, Greek Misogyny, Greek Poetry, Marriage advice, Theognis
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Sophocles Electra 1259
“When the time is wrong, don’t talk too much” οὗ μή ‘στι καιρὸς μὴ μακρὰν βούλου λέγειν Who is Elektra? The full text
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Tagged Advice, Euphemism, Greek Poetry, Laconic, Silence, Sopocles, Tragedy
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Stobaeus, 1.1.16
“Only Zeus has medicine for everything” Ζεὺς πάντων αὐτὸς φάρμακα μοῦνος ἔχει Stobaeus, wise man, collector of things
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Tagged faith-healing, Greek Poetry, Human weakness, Philosophy, Stobaeus, Zeus
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Alcaeus, Fragment 377
“You drove me from my grief” ἔκ μ’ ἔλασας ἀλγέων Alcaeus of Mytilene was a lyric poet often paired with Sappho
Euenus (Aristotle, Metaphysics 4.5.1015a28)
“Any act of compulsion hurts” πᾶν γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον πρῆγμ᾿ ἀνιηρὸν ἔφυ The full text Euenus has appeared here before
palaiophron
sententiaeantiquae
