Living
Maxims of Theognis: O Cyrnus, they who were
Translated by Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856) · From Hesiod, Callimachus and Theognis (Bohn, 1856)
O Cyrnus, they who were noble aforetime, are now on the other hand mean: and those who were base before, are now noble: who can endure to look upon these things, to wit, the noble more dishonoured, and the baser sort obtaining honour? whilst the well-born man espouses a wile from a mean man’s house. So deceiving each other they exult one over the other, cherishing remembrance neither of good nor bad.
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: O Cyrnus, they who were.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/332/.
Chicago
Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: O Cyrnus, they who were.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/332/.
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