“Many are your friends, if you have food and wine;
but when you set about hard labor, then friends are ill to find.”
Πολλοί τοι πόσιος καὶ βρώσιός εἰσιν ἑταῖροι,
ἐν δὲ σπουδαίωι πρήγματι παυρότεροι.
Tag: Theognis
Alcohol’s Curse: You’re Either Drunk or Dry (Theognis, 837-840)
“Drinking is double-edged for wretched mortals:
Thirst weakens your limbs and drunkenness is mean.
I’ll walk a fine line: you won’t persuade me
Not to drink nor to get too drunk.”
Δισσαί τοι πόσιος κῆρες δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσιν,
δίψα τε λυσιμελὴς καὶ μέθυσις χαλεπή·
τούτων δ’ ἂν τὸ μέσον στρωφήσομαι, οὐδέ με πείσεις
οὔτε τι μὴ πίνειν οὔτε λίην μεθύειν.
Theognis: Three Fragments on Tyrants, Enemies and Friends
“Bring down a people-eating tyrant however you desire
No criticism for this comes from the gods”
δημοφάγον δὲ τύραννον ὅπως ἐθέλεις κατακλῖναι
οὐ νέμεσις πρὸς θεῶν γίνεται οὐδεμία.
1318a-b
“Alas, I am a wretch: because of the terrors I have suffered
I bring pleasure to my enemies and toil to my friends”
῎Ωιμοι ἐγὼ δειλός· καὶ δὴ κατάχαρμα μὲν ἐχθροῖς,
τοῖσι φίλοις δὲ πόνος δεινὰ παθὼν γενόμην.
1079-80
“I’ll fault no enemy when he is noble,
nor will I praise a friend when he is wrong”
Οὐδένα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μωμήσομαι ἐσθλὸν ἐόντα,
οὐδὲ μὲν αἰνήσω δειλὸν ἐόντα φίλον.
Sunday with Theognis: Overthrowing Tyranny, Hope, Drinking and Friendship
Saturday’s symposia wear you out? Here’s a little dose of Theognis for what ails you:
Theogonis, 1181-1182: On Overthrowing Tyrants
“Bring down a people-eating tyrant however you want
No criticism for this comes from the gods”
δημοφάγον δὲ τύραννον ὅπως ἐθέλεις κατακλῖναι
οὐ νέμεσις πρὸς θεῶν γίνεται οὐδεμία.
Theognis, 1135-6: On Hope
“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<δ’> ἐκπρολιπόντες ἔβαν·
Theognis 989-990: On Concealing Your Feelings when Drinking
Drink whenever they drink but when you are heartsick, may no man learn you’re burdened [or drunk]
Πῖν’ ὁπόταν πίνωσιν· ὅταν δέ τι θυμὸν ἀσηθῆις,
μηδεὶς ἀνθρώπων γνῶι σε βαρυνόμενον.
Theogonis, 1181-1182
Bring down a people-eating tyrant however you desire
No criticism for this comes from the gods
δημοφάγον δὲ τύραννον ὅπως ἐθέλεις κατακλῖναι
οὐ νέμεσις πρὸς θεῶν γίνεται οὐδεμία.
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<δ’> ἐκπρολιπόντες ἔβαν·
Theognis 1079-80
I’ll fault no enemy when he is noble, nor will I praise a friend when he is wicked
Οὐδένα τῶν ἐχθρῶν μωμήσομαι ἐσθλὸν ἐόντα,
οὐδὲ μὲν αἰνήσω δειλὸν ἐόντα φίλον.
Theognis 989-990
Drink whenever they drink but when you are heartsick, may no man learn you’re burdened
Πῖν’ ὁπόταν πίνωσιν· ὅταν δέ τι θυμὸν ἀσηθῆις,
μηδεὶς ἀνθρώπων γνῶι σε βαρυνόμενον.
Theognis, 979-980: On Friendship
“May a man be friend not in speech but in deed too.”
‘Μή μοι ἀνὴρ εἴη γλώσσηι φίλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργωι.’
Theognis 627-628
Theognis, 727-8
“You can’t avoid death, dread disease or the approach of old age by paying a ransom”
οὐδ’ ἂν ἄποινα διδοὺς θάνατον φύγοι οὐδὲ βαρείας
νούσους οὐδὲ κακὸν γῆρας ἐπερχόμενον.
But maybe if you act like a vampire…