“A multitude of evils is rushing upon me like a river.”
κακῶν δὲ πλῆθος ποταμὸς ὣς ἐπέρχεται:
Tag: Aeschylus
Neither Slaves Nor Subjects: Aeschylus, Persians, 242
A Gentle Master: Aeschylus, Agamemnon 951-3
A Greek Motto for the Indolent: Aeschylus, Agamemnon 902
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 832-3
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 788-9
Euripides on a Sick Country: fr. 267 (Auge)
“The sick state is ingenious at discovering crimes.”
δεινὴ πόλις νοσοῦσ’ ἀνευρίσκειν κακά.
I’m sure we can all think of events in our respective polities appropriate to this fragment from Euripides. The more things change…
But, here’s a useful reminder from Aeschylus on consequences (Eumenides, 644-651)
“After the dust has soaked up the blood
Of a dying man, there is no resurrection.
My father can’t cast a spell on this
But all other things he can turn back and forth
Without losing his breath at all.”
ἀνδρὸς δ’ ἐπειδὰν αἷμ’ ἀνασπάσῃ κόνις
ἅπαξ θανόντος, οὔτις ἔστ’ ἀνάστασις.
τούτων ἐπῳδὰς οὐκ ἐποίησεν πατὴρ
οὑμός, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντ’ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω
στρέφων τίθησιν οὐδὲν ἀσθμαίνων μένει.
The father in question in this passage is Zeus, the god of justice. The Greeks needed to believe that Zeus would support justice (ultimately) because they saw that men failed to. Since we’re playing Aristophanes here and having the old tragedians compete, I’ll give Euripides a final and sacrilegious word:
Euripides, fr. 292.6 (Bellerophon)
“If the gods do a shameful thing, they are not gods.”
εἰ θεοί τι δρῶσιν αἰσχρόν, οὐκ εἰσὶν θεοί.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 696-7: On Middle Grounds in Politics
Some More Lines from Aeschylus’ Eumenides: Frightened old Women and Marriage Beds
Last week we posted some lines from Eumenides on Justice and Law while preparing for a discussion at Hour 25 hosted by our friends at the Center for Hellenic Studies. Here are some other lines that stood out:
38
“An old woman who is afraid is nothing, just simply a child.”
δείσασα γὰρ γραῦς οὐδέν, ἀντίπαις μὲν οὖν.
104-5
“Sleeping lights the mind with new eyes.
But during the day, a mortal’s fate is unseen.”
εὕδουσα γὰρ φρὴν ὄμμασιν λαμπρύνεται,
[ἐν ἡμέρᾳ δὲ μοῖρ’ ἀπρόσκοπος βροτῶν.]
217-218
“The fated bed of man and wife is greater than an oath
And guarded by justice”
εὐνὴ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ καὶ γυναικὶ μόρσιμος
ὅρκου ‘στὶ μείζων τῇ δίκῃ φρουρουμένη.
276-8
“Taught by horrors, I now know many atonements
And especially when it is right to speak and be silent in turn.”
Ορ. ἐγὼ διδαχθεὶς ἐν κακοῖς ἐπίσταμαι
πολλοὺς καθαρμούς, καὶ λέγειν ὅπου δίκη
σιγᾶν θ’ ὁμοίως·
Aeschylus, Eumenides: Some Highlights on Man, Mortality and Law
368-371
“Mankind’s delusions so sacred under the sky
Shrink as they melt on the earth without honor.”
— δόξαι δ’ ἀνδρῶν καὶ μάλ’ ὑπ’ αἰθέρι σεμναὶ
τακόμεναι κατὰ γᾶς μινύθουσιν ἄτιμοι
470-471
“This affair is greater than anyone who is mortal can judge”
Αθ. τὸ πρᾶγμα μεῖζον ἤ τις οἴεται τόδε
βροτοῖς δικάζειν·
526-9
“Choose neither the anarchic life nor one of despotism.
God gives strength to the middle in all things.”
μήτ’ ἄναρκτον βίον
μήτε δεσποτούμενον
αἰνέσῃς.
παντὶ μέσῳ τὸ κράτος θεὸς ὤπασεν
644-651: Apollo on Mortal Life
“After the dust has soaked up the blood
Of a dying man, there is no resurrection.
My father can’t cast a spell on this
But all other things he can turn back and forth
Without losing his breath at all.”
ἀνδρὸς δ’ ἐπειδὰν αἷμ’ ἀνασπάσῃ κόνις
ἅπαξ θανόντος, οὔτις ἔστ’ ἀνάστασις.
τούτων ἐπῳδὰς οὐκ ἐποίησεν πατὴρ
οὑμός, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντ’ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω
στρέφων τίθησιν οὐδὲν ἀσθμαίνων μένει.
696-7: Athena on the right government
“I counsel the citizens here to revere
Neither anarchy nor despotism
And never to cast fear out of this city.”
τὸ μήτ’ ἄναρχον μήτε δεσποτούμενον
ἀστοῖς περιστέλλουσι βουλεύω σέβειν,
καὶ μὴ τὸ δεινὸν πᾶν πόλεως ἔξω βαλεῖν.
704-706: Athena on the establishment of Trial by Jury
“This court must be established free of personal gain,
Revered, sharp-hearted, a wakeful guard I set over the land
For the sleeping people.”
κερδῶν ἄθικτον τοῦτο βουλευτήριον,
αἰδοῖον, ὀξύθυμον, εὑδόντων ὕπερ
ἐγρηγορὸς φρούρημα γῆς καθίσταμαι.