Living
Maxims of Theognis: The gods, O Cyrnus, give
Translated by Rev. J. Banks (Bohn, 1856) · From Hesiod, Callimachus and Theognis (Bohn, 1856)
The gods, O Cyrnus, give judgment as the best boon to mortals: judgment hath the issues of every man. O happy he that truly hath it in his mind. Verily it is far superior to dangerous insolence and wretched satiety. But satiety is an evil to mortals: than which two nought is more evil; for all mischief, Cyrnus, is from these.
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: The gods, O Cyrnus, give.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/348/.
Chicago
Megara, Theognis of. “Maxims of Theognis: The gods, O Cyrnus, give.” Translated by Rev. J. Banks. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/theognis/348/.
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