Living
Donec Hodie (Mackail)
Translated by J. W. Mackail (1890) · From Select Epigrams from the Greek Anthology (1890)
Drink and be merry; for what is to-morrow or what the future? no man knows. Run not, labour not; as thou canst, give, share, consume, be mortal-minded; to be alive and not to be alive are no way at all apart. All life is such, only the turn of the scale; if thou art beforehand, it is thine; and if thou diest, all is another's, and thou hast nothing.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Greek Anthology). “Donec Hodie (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-greek-anthology/1206/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Greek Anthology). “Donec Hodie (Mackail).” Translated by J. W. Mackail. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-greek-anthology/1206/.
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