Living
Maxims of Theognis: Gone is Faith, a mighty
Translated by Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856) · From Hesiod, Callimachus and Theognis (Bohn, 1856)
Gone is Faith, a mighty goddess: gone from men Temperance: the Graces too, my friend, have quitted earth, and just oaths are no more to be relied on among men, neither does any-one reverence the immortal gods. But the race of holy men hath waned, nor are they any longer sensible of ordinances, no, nor holy lives. Yet so long as a man lives, and beholds the light of the sun, acting-piously as regards the gods, let him wait on Hope. And let him pray to the gods, burning also splendid thighs of victims, and to Hope let him sacrifice first and last. And let him ever muse on the perverted language of unjust men, who, nowise reverencing the immortal gods, are ever setting their thoughts on the possessions of others, having attached shameful marks to evil deeds.
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: Gone is Faith, a mighty.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/340/.
Chicago
Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: Gone is Faith, a mighty.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/340/.
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