Mimnermus

"Τίς δὲ βίος, τί δὲ τερπνὸν ἄτερ χρυσῆς Ἀφροδίτης; τεθναίην ὅτε μοι μηκέτι ταῦτα μέλοι, κρυπταδίη φιλότης καὶ μείλιχα δῶρα καὶ εὐνή, οἷ᾽ ἥβης ἄνθ εα γίγνεται ἁρπαλέα ἀνδράσιν ἠδὲ γυναιξίν· ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ὀδυνηρὸν ἐπέλθῃ γῆρας, ὅ τ᾽ αἰσχρὸν ὁμῶς καὶ κακὸν ἄνδρα τιθεῖ, αἰεί μιν φρένας ἀμφὶ κακαὶ τείρουσι μέριμναι, οὐδ᾽ αὐγὰς προσορῶν τέρπεται ἠελίου, ἀλλ᾽ ἐχθρὸς μὲν παισίν, ἀτίμαστος δὲ γυναιξίν, οὕτως ἄργαλέον γῆρας ἔθηκε θεός."

"Ἠέλιος μὲν γὰρ πόνον ἔλλαχεν ἤματα πάντα οὐδέ κοτ᾽ ἄμπαυσις γίγνεται οὐδεμία ἵπποισίν τε καὶ αὐτῷ, ἐπεὶ ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠὼς Ὠκεανὸν προλιποῦσ᾽ οὐρανὸν εἰσαναβῇ: τὸν μὲν γὰρ διὰ κῦμα φέρει πολυήρατος εὐνὴ κοιΐλη, Ἡφαίστου χερσὶν ἐληλαμένη χρυσοῦ τιμήεντος, ὑπόπτερος, ἄκρον ἐφ᾽ ὕδωρ εὕδονθ᾽ ἁρπαλέως χώρου ἀφ᾽ Ἑσπερίδων γαῖαν ἐς Αἰθιόπων, ἵνα οἱ θοὸν ἅρμα καὶ ἵπποι ἑστᾶσ᾽, ὄφρ᾽ Ἠὼς ἠριγένεια μόλῃ: ἐνθ᾽ ἐπεβήσεθ᾽ ἑῶν ὀχέων Ὑπερίονος υἱός."

"We are all clever enough at envying a famous man while he is yet alive, and at praising him when he is dead."

"Si, Mimnermus uti censet, sinè amore jocisque Nil est jucundum, vivas in amore jocisque."

"You promise heavens free from strife, Pure truth, and perfect change of will; But sweet, sweet is this human life, So sweet, I fain would breathe it still; Your chilly stars I can forgo, This warm kind world is all I know.You say there is no substance here, One great reality above: Back from that void I shrink in fear, And child-like hide myself in love: Show me what angels feel. Till then I cling, a mere weak man, to men.You bid me lift my mean desires From faltering lips and fitful veins To sexless souls, ideal quires, Unwearied voices, wordless strains: My mind with fonder welcome owns One dear dead friend’s remember’d tones.Forsooth the present we must give To that which cannot pass away; All beauteous things for which we live By laws of time and space decay. But Oh, the very reason why I clasp them, is because they die."