Living
Maxims of Theognis: Never praise before that you
Translated by Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856) · From Hesiod, Callimachus and Theognis (Bohn, 1856)
Never praise before that you shall have clearly known as to a man, the temper, disposition, bent, which he is of. Many, look you, having a base and wily nature, hide having put on themselves a spirit to-last-the-day, but of each of all these time discloses the character: for I too, I wot, have gone far wide of my judgment, and have been before-hand in praising you, ere I had thoroughly learned your character: but now at length, as a ship, I stand far apart.
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Codex Note
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.
Cite this poem
MLA
Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Never praise before that you.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/301/.
Chicago
Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Never praise before that you.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/301/.
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