Living

Maxims of Theognis: Be no man friend to

by Theognis of Megara fl. 6th century BC

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

Living

Be no man friend to me in tongue, but in deed too: and let him be active both with hands and means. Neither let him delight my spirit with words over cups, but show by acts if he can do aught good.

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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: Be no man friend to.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/304/.

Chicago

Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Be no man friend to.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/304/.

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