Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Rich and Poor
Herodes, Cercidas, and the Greek Choliambic Poets (Except Callimachus and Babrius) (London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1929), p. 233 ("Cercidea," lines 22-26, tr. A.D. Knox):
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Embrace yourself heartily when you have anything: then the world is full of friends for you: but if you are poor even your mother will hate you. For if you are rich even the gods will love you: if you have nothing, not even your relatives will love you.The Greek (id., p. 232):
πολλὰ σαυτὸν ἀσπάζου 22
ἐπὴν ἔχῃς τι· πάντα σοι φίλων πλήρη· 23
πένητα δ' ὄντα χἠ τεκοῦσα μισήσει· 25
πλουτοῦντα γάρ σε χοἰ θεοὶ φιλήσουσι, 24
ἐὰν <δὲ> μὴ ἔχῃς μηδέν, οὐδὲ κηδεσταί. 26