Sunday, September 04, 2016
The Pleasures of the Lowly
Plautus, Stichus 693-695 (tr. Wolfgang de Melo):
Rereading this play in the Loeb Classical Library edition, I see that de Melo adopted my conjectural restoration of a lacuna in line 617. This is my sole contribution to classical scholarship. If I'm remembered for anything, it will be for this.
Newer› ‹Older
What each man's station allows him suits him best. Those who have wealth at home, drink from good beakers, tankards, and goblets, but we, from our little Samian cups; all the same, we do drink, all the same, we do perform our functions as our means allow.Wolfgang de Melo interprets moenia (line 695) as an archaic spelling of munia = duties, functions, rather than as moenia = walls. If walls were understood, the translation would be "We build our walls as our means allow." Erasmus, Adages I vii 62, quotes the last part of line 695 as "efficimus pro nostris opibus moenia."
suom quemque decet: quibus divitiae domi sunt, scaphiis, cantharis,
batiocis bibunt, at nos nostro Samiolo poterio:
tamen bibimus nos, tamen efficimus pro opibus nostra moenia.
695 bibimus Ritschl: vivimus codd.
Rereading this play in the Loeb Classical Library edition, I see that de Melo adopted my conjectural restoration of a lacuna in line 617. This is my sole contribution to classical scholarship. If I'm remembered for anything, it will be for this.
