“Son, never lose your mind for the pleasure of a woman.”
μή νύν ποτ᾽, ὦ παῖ, τὰς φρένας ὑφ᾽ ἡδονῆς
γυναικὸς οὕνεκ᾽ ἐκβάλῃς
Poor advice, perhaps, in the city of Thebes
Tag: Sophocles
Sophocles Electra 770-771
“Even if she suffers terribly, a mother cannot hate her child.”
οὐδὲ γὰρ κακῶς
πάσχοντι μῖσος ὧν τέκῃ προσγίγνεται.
The full text.
Sophocles Ajax 125-126
“For I see that we who live are nothing more than ghosts and empty darkness”
ὁρῶ γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲν ὄντας ἄλλο πλὴν
εἴδωλ᾽ ὅσοιπερ ζῶμεν ἢ κούφην σκιάν.
Ajax the son of Telamon was not a happy man.
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
Sophocles Electra 1007-8
“Death isn’t the most hateful thing. Worse is when someone wants to die but cannot.”
οὐ γὰρ θανεῖν ἔχθιστον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν θανεῖν
χρῄζων τις εἶτα μηδὲ τοῦτ᾽ ἔχῃ λαβεῖν.
The full text.