Living

Maxims of Theognis: Danger, I wot, is attendant

by Theognis of Megara fl. 6th century BC

Translated by Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856) · From Hesiod, Callimachus and Theognis (Bohn, 1856)

Living

Danger, I wot, is attendant on all works, neither knoweth any one, when a matter begins, where he is likely to land. But the man who endeavours to be popular, without forethought, is wont to fall into great and severe ruin. Him however who doeth well is the deity that invests with everything, with lucky chances, and riddance from folly.

This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.

✦ ✦ ✦

Literal prose translation by the Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856), printed as prose: the plain-sense companion to Frere’s verse version. Banks’s hyphenated compounds are his own.

MLA

Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Danger, I wot, is attendant.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/220/.

Chicago

Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Danger, I wot, is attendant.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/220/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Theognis of Megara