"Splendid burns the huge house with bronze; rich is the ample roof with radiant helmets; overhead each helmet lets a horse-hair plume droop, the warrior’s ornament. Plates of armour hang on the pin, greaves of radiant bronze, defence against the sturdy javelin. Curved shields and cuirasses of new linen bestrew the room; here are blades from Chalcis; here is many a cincture and kilt of proof. These are things we must remember now our duty shall begin."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Fr. 19 (tr. Gilbert Highet, 1938)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alcaeus
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Alcaeus
Alcaeus of Mytilene (Attic Greek Ἀλκαῖος, Alkaios; c. 625/620 – c. 580 BC) was a Greek lyric poet from Lesbos who is credited with inventing the Alcaic verse. He was included in the canonical list of nine lyric poets by the scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria. He was an older contemporary of his fellow Lesbian poet Sappho. He was born into the aristocratic governing class of Mytilene, the main city of Lesbos, where he was involved in political disputes and feuds.
14 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Alcaeus →
Related Quotes
"Not in hewn stones, nor in well-fashioned beams, Not in the noblest of the builder's dreams, But in courageous men of…"
"Ἐξ ὄνυχος δὲ λέοντα γράψαις."
"O violet-tressed Sappho chaste, O maid with honeyed smile! I fain would tell what is in my breast, Did shame me not b…"
"Οἶνος, ὦ φίλε παῖ, καὶ ἀλάθεα."
"Let's drink! Why are we waiting for the lamps? Only an inch of daylight left. Lift down the large cups, my friends, t…"
"Οἶνος γὰρ ἀνθρώποισι δίοπτρον."
"Raise a song for her, O Muse! The violet-crownèd maiden, And praise her soft throat's changing hues, Her low voice, l…"
"Alcaeus was in some respects not unlike a Royalist soldier of the age of the Stuarts. He had the high spirit and reck…"
"James S. Easby-Smith, The Songs of Alcæus (Washington, DC: W. H. Lowdermilk, 1901)"
"Walter Petersen, The Lyric Songs of the Greeks (Boston, MA: Richard G. Badger, 1918)"