Thursday, August 17, 2006

 

Some Effects of Wine

Euripides, Cyclops 168-174 (tr. David Kovacs):
The man who does not enjoy drinking is mad: in drink one can raise this to a stand, catch a handful of breast and look forward to stroking her boscage, there's dancing and forgetfulness of cares. Shall I not kiss such a drink and tell the bone-head Cyclops--and the eye in the middle of his head, too--to go hang?

ὡς ὅς γε πίνων μὴ γέγηθε μαίνεται:
ἵν' ἔστι τουτί τ' ὀρθὸν ἐξανιστάναι
μαστοῦ τε δραγμὸς καὶ παρεσκευασμένον
ψαῦσαι χεροῖν λειμῶνος ὀρχηστύς θ' ἅμα
κακῶν τε λῆστις. εἶτ' ἐγὼ κυνήσομαι
τοιόνδε πῶμα, τὴν Κύκλωπος ἀμαθίαν
κλαίειν κελεύων καὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν μέσον;
Here are just a few of many parallels about the effects of wine described by Euripides in this passage.

1. Wine prompts love-making:2. Wine encourages dancing:3. Wine banishes cares:4. Wine drives out fear and instills courage:



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