Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Self Torment
Goethe, Sprichwörtlich (tr. David Luke):
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You will have to be content with death,Cf. Greek Anthology 10.78 (Palladas; tr. W.R. Paton):
so why make your life a misery?
Du sollst mit dem Tode zufrieden sein,
Warum machst du dir das Leben zur Pein?
Cast away complaint and be not troubled, for how brief is the time thou dwellest here compared with all the life that follows this! Ere thou breedest worms and art cast into the tomb torment not thy soul, as if it were damned while thou still livest.
Ῥίπτε γόους, μὴ κάμνε, πόσον χρόνον ἐνθάδε μίμνων,
ὡς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὅλον τὸν μετὰ ταῦτα βίον.
πρὶν τοίνυν σκώληκα βαλεῖν τύμβοις τε ῥιφῆναι,
μὴ δαμάσῃς ψυχὴν ζῶν ἔτι κρινομένην.
