ΕΥΔΟΞΑ ΑΓΝΩΣΤΑ ΚΑΤΑΓΕΛΑΣΤΑ
“The light of day is the sweetest thing for men to see
And the world beneath us is nothing. Whoever prays to die is insane.
Better to live badly than to die well.”
τὸ φῶς τόδ᾽ ἀνθρώποισιν ἥδιστον βλέπειν,
τὰ νέρθε δ᾽ οὐδέν: μαίνεται δ᾽ ὃς εὔχεται
θανεῖν. κακῶς ζῆν κρεῖσσον ἢ καλῶς θανεῖν
Iphigeneia, of course, changes her mind to the opposite opinion…here’s the full text.
Who knows whether living is really death
and whether death is thought to be living below?
τίς δ᾿ οἶδεν εἰ τὸ ζῆν μέν ἐστι κατθανεῖν,
τὸ κατθανεῖν δὲ ζῆν κάτω νομίζεται
Polyidus? A seer who found the son of Minos and restore him to life!
“It is foolish for a man to make his misfortunes known to everyone; it is wise to keep them hidden.”
ἐκμαρτυρεῖν γὰρ ἄνδρα τὰς αὑτοῦ τύχας
εἰς πάντας ἀμαθές, τὸ δ’ ἐπικρύπτεσθαι σοφόν.
Ah, fragments. Always so quotable because the culling has been done by someone else already! This one is from the lost Oedipus by Euripides, quoted by Stobaeus (4.45.6).
It is right to believe in the gods no longer if injustice will surpass what is just
ἢ χρὴ μηκέθ᾽ ἡγεῖσθαι θεούς,
εἰ τἄδικ᾽ ἔσται τῆς δίκης ὑπέρτερα.
Electra, daughter of Agamemnon, certainly had reasons to be confused by justice
“An unsteady mind is an unjust possession”
νοῦς δέ γ᾽ οὐ βέβαιος ἄδικον κτῆμα…
Although many minds might come undone at the thought of Iphigenia….
“To give birth is awe-inspiring: it brings a great love charm. ”
δεινὸν τὸ τίκτειν καὶ φέρει φίλτρον μέγα
Euripides is not always so kind to women…
