Tuesday, February 18, 2014

 

Alumni of Dullheads' College

A.H. Bullen (1857-1920), "Hestiæus Ponticus," Weeping-Cross and other Rimes (London: Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd., 1921), p. 36:
Old Hestiæus, learned dunce,—
   (So Grecian gossips tell the story)
Through all his lifetime never once
   Saw the sun rise or set in glory:
Over his scrolls he'd constant pore
To pack his pate with curious lore.

Hail, sage of Pontus! you and I
   Were surely bred at Dullheads' College:
While the green light's in western sky,
   I'm searching books for useless knowledge!
And ah, how seldom have mine eyes
Beheld the glorious morning rise!
Athenaeus 6.273 d (tr. Charles Burton Gulick):
But the boast of Hestiaeus of Pontus, that he had never seen the sun rise or set because he was engaged in study all the time, is a noble one. This is recorded by Nicias of Nicaea in The Successions.
Related posts:
Hat tip: Stephen Pentz, for drawing my attention to Bullen's Weeping-Cross.



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