ΕΥΔΟΞΑ ΑΓΝΩΣΤΑ ΚΑΤΑΓΕΛΑΣΤΑ
“It is difficult for an enemy to deceive
But it is easy for a friend to fool a friend.”
᾿Εχθρὸν μὲν χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσμενεῖ ἐξαπατῆσαι,
Κύρνε· φίλον δὲ φίλωι ῥάιδιον ἐξαπατᾶν.
Fool me once?
Theognis of Megara, a man with words for all occasions.
“I lost my money by trusting, but I saved it through deceit
Both lessons are hard.”
Πίστει χρήματ’ ὄλεσσα, ἀπιστίηι δ’ ἐσάωσα·
γνώμη δ’ ἀργαλέη γίνεται ἀμφοτέρων.
Theognis, the one from Megara
“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.
“The mind and tongue are good: but they grow in few men who are masters of both”
Νοῦς ἀγαθὸν καὶ γλῶσσα• τὰ δ’ ἐν παύροισι πέφυκεν
ἀνδράσιν, οἳ τούτων ἀμφοτέρων ταμίαι.
We know lamentably little about Theognis of Megara
“I will never hurt you by leaving and no man
will persuade me not to love you”
Οὐδαμά σ’ οὐδ’ ἀπεὼν δηλήσομαι· οὐδέ με πείσει
οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων ὥστε με μή σε φιλεῖν.
