Living

Book IX, 643: On the Same

by Agathias Scholasticus c. 530 – c. 580

Translated by W. R. Paton (1916–18) · From The Greek Anthology (Loeb, vol. III, 1917)

Living

Way do you moan with the headache and groan bitterly for the heaviness you feel all over, and keep on smacking your belly, thinking to force out the work of your jaws? You would never have had all this trouble and labour if you had not largely exceeded yourself at table. When you are lying there guzzling you have a high opinion of yourself, and delight your palate with the viands, deeming that happiness. But here you are in distress, and your belly only gets many smacks to pay for the sins of your gullet.

This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.

MLA

Scholasticus, Agathias. “Book IX, 643: On the Same.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/agathias/67/.

Chicago

Scholasticus, Agathias. “Book IX, 643: On the Same.” Translated by W. R. Paton. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/agathias/67/.

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