Thursday, March 31, 2016

 

New Tricks for Old Dogs?

Aristophanes, Clouds 639-640 (Socrates to Strepsiades; tr. Jeffrey Henderson):
Very well then, what would you begin learning now,
of the subjects you were never taught anything about? Tell me.

ἄγε δή, τί βούλει πρῶτα νυνὶ μανθάνειν
ὧν οὐκ ἐδιδάχθης πώποτ' οὐδέν; εἰπέ μοι.
My answer might be chemistry, which I never studied in school. On the other hand, maybe it's too late. Id. 854-855 (Strepsiades speaking):
                    But every lesson I learned
I forgot right away because I'm too old.

                                ἀλλ᾿ ὅ τι μάθοιμ᾿ ἑκάστοτε
ἐπελανθανόμην ἂν εὐθὺς ὑπὸ πλήθους ἐτῶν.

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