Poets From Greece

"Ἡδύ, φίλοι, μείδημα τὸ Λαΐδος: ἡδὺ κατ᾽ αὖ τῶν ἠπιοδινήτων δάκρυ χέει βλεφάρων. χθιζά μοι ἀπροφάσιστον ἐπέστενεν, ἐγκλιδὸν ὤμῳ ἡμετέρῳ κεφαλὴν δηρὸν ἐρεισαμένη: μυρομένην δ᾽ ἐφίλησα: τὰ δ᾽ ὡς δροσερῆς ἀπὸ πηγῆς δάκρυα μιγνυμένων πῖπτε κατὰ στομάτων. εἶπε δ᾽ ἀνειρομένῳ, “Τίνος εἵνεκα δάκρυα λείβεις;” “Δείδια μή με λίπῃς: ἐστὲ γὰρ ὁρκαπάται.”"

"Χεῖλος Ἀνικήτεια τὸ χρύσεον εἰς ἐμὲ τέγγει· ἀλλὰ παρασχοίμην καὶ πόμα νυμφίδιον."

"Ἀνέρα λυσσητῆρι κυνὸς βεβολημένον ἰῷ ὕδασι θηρείην εἰκόνα φασὶ βλέπειν. λυσσώων τάχα πικρὸν Ἔρως ἐνέπηξεν ὀδόντα εἰς ἐμέ, καὶ μανίαις θυμὸν ἐληίσατο: σὴν γὰρ ἐμοὶ καὶ πόντος ἐπήρατον εἰκόνα φαίνει, καὶ ποταμῶν δῖναι, καὶ δέπας οἰνοχόον."

"α. Οὔνομά μοι. β. Τί δὲ τοῦτο; α. Πατρὶς δέ μοι. β. Ἐς τί δὲ τοῦτο; α. Κλεινοῦ δ᾽ εἰμὶ γένους. β. Εἰ γὰρ ἀφαυροτάτου; α. Ζήσας δ᾽ ἐνδόξως ἔλιπον βίον. β. Εἰ γὰρ ἀδόξως; α. Κεῖμαι δ᾽ ἐνθάδε νῦν. β. Τίς τίνι ταῦτα λέγεις;"

"Γυρὸν κυανέης μόλιβον σημάντορα γραμμῆς, καὶ σκληρῶν ἀκόνην τρηχαλέην καλάμων, καὶ πλατὺν ὀξυντῆρα μεσοσχιδέων δονακήων, καὶ κανόνα γραμμῆς ἰθυπόρου ταμίην, καὶ χρόνιον γλυπτοῖσι μέλαν πεφυλαγμένον ἄντροις, καὶ γλυφίδας καλάμων ἄκρα μελαινομένων Ἑρμείῃ Φιλόδημος, ἐπεὶ χρόνῳ ἐκκρεμὲς ἤδη ἦλθε κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν ῥυσὸν ἐπισκύνιον. * * * Τὸν τροχόεντα μόλιβδον, ὃς ἀτραπὸν οἶδε χαράσσειν ὀρθὰ παραξύων ἰθυτενῆ κανόνα, καὶ χάλυβα σκληρὸν καλαμηφάγον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἡγεμόνα γραμμῆς ἀπλανέος κανόνα, καὶ λίθον ὀκριόεντα, δόναξ ὅθι δισσὸν ὀδόντα θήγεται ἀμβλυνθεὶς ἐκ δολιχογραφίης, καὶ βυθίην Τρίτωνος ἁλιπλάγκτοιο χαμεύνην, σπόγγον, ἀκεστορίην πλαζομένης γραφίδος, καὶ κίστην πολύωπα μελανδόκον, εἰν ἑνὶ πάντα εὐγραφέος τέχνης ὄργανα ῥυομένην, Ἑρμῇ Καλλιμένης, τρομερὴν ὑπὸ γήραος ὄκνῳ χεῖρα καθαρμόζων ἐκ δολιχῶν καμάτων."

"Οὐκ ἔσθ᾽ οὗτος ἔρως, εἴ τις καλὸν εἶδος ἔχουσαν βούλετ᾽ ἔχειν, φρονίμοις ὄμμασι πειθόμενος: ἀλλ᾽ ὅστις κακόμορφον ἰδών, τετορημένος ἰοῖς στέργει, μαινομένης ἐκ φρενὸς αἰθόμενος, οὗτος ἔρως, πῦρ τοῦτο: τὰ γὰρ καλὰ πάντας ὁμοίως τέρπει τοὺς κρίνειν εἶδος ἐπισταμένους."

"Ἠράσθης πλουτῶν, Σωσίκρατες: ἀλλὰ πένης ὢν οὐκέτ᾽ ἐρᾷς: λιμὸς φάρμακον οἷον ἔχει. ἡ δὲ πάρος σε καλεῦσα μύρον καὶ τερπνὸν Ἄδωνιν Μηνοφίλα, νῦν σου τοὔνομα πυνθάνεται, “τίς πόθεν εἶς ἀνδρῶν, πόθι τοι πτόλις”; ἦ μόλις ἔγνως τοῦτ᾽ ἔπος, ὡς οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν ἔχοντι φίλος."

"Ἀχήεις τέττιξ, δροσεραῖς σταγόνεσσι μεθυσθείς, ἀγρονόμαν μέλπεις μοῦσαν ἐρημολάλον ἄκρα δ᾽ ἐφεζόμενος πετάλοις, πριονώδεσι κώλοις αἰθίοπι κλάζεις χρωτὶ μέλισμα λύρας. ἀλλά, φίλος, φθέγγου τι νέον δενδρώδεσι Νύμφαις παίγνιον, ἀντῳδὸν Πανὶ κρέκων κέλαδον, ὄφρα φυγὼν τὸν Ἔρωτα, μεσημβρινὸν ὕπνον ἀγρεύσω ἐνθάδ᾽ ὑπὸ σκιερᾷ κεκλιμένος πλατάνῳ."

"Ἁ φίλερως χαροποῖς Ἀσκληπιὰς οἷα γαλήνης ὄμμασι συμπείθει πάντας ἐρωτοπλοεῖν."

"Ἔγχει, καὶ πάλιν εἰπέ, πάλιν, πάλιν “Ἡλιοδώρας” εἰπέ, σὺν ἀκρήτῳ τὸ γλυκὺ μίσγ᾽ ὄνομα: καί μοι τὸν βρεχθέντα μύροις καὶ χθιζὸν ἐόντα, μναμόσυνον κείνας ἀμφιτίθει στέφανον. δακρύει φιλέραστον ἰδοὺ ῥόδον, οὕνεκα κείναν ἄλλοθι, κοὐ κόλποις ἁμετέροις ἐσορᾷ."

"Οὐκέτι δὴ πλωτοῖσιν ἀγαλλόμενος πελάγεσσιναὐχέν᾽ ἀναρρίψω βυσσόθεν ὀρνύμενος,οὐδὲ περὶ σκαλάμοισι νεὼς περικαλλέα χείληποιφύσσω, τἀμᾷ τερπόμενος προτομᾷ:ἀλλά με πορφυρέα πόντου νοτὶς ὦς᾽ ἐπὶ χέρσον,κεῖμαι δὲ ῥαδινὰν τάνδε παρ᾽ ἠιόνα."

"Ἡνία δή τοι παῖδες ἐνί, τράγε, φοινικόενταθέντες καὶ λασίῳ φιμὰ περὶ στόματι,ἵππια παιδεύουσι θεοῦ περὶ ναὸν ἄεθλα,ὄφρ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐφορῇ νήπια τερπομένους."

"ἵζευ ἅπας ὑπὸ καλὰ δάφνας εὐθαλέα φύλλα, ὡραίου τ᾽ ἄρυσαι νάματος ἁδὺ πόμα, ὄφρα τοι ἀσθμαίνοντα πόνοις θέρεος φίλα γυῖα ἀμπαύσῃς, πνοιῇ τυπτόμενα Ζεφύρου."

"Ἑρμᾶς τᾶιδ᾽ ἕστακα παρ᾽ ὄρχατον ἠνεμόεντα ἐν τριόδοις πολιᾶς ἐγγύθεν ἀιόνος,ἀνράσι κεκμηῶσιν ἔχων ἄμπαυσιν ὁδοῖο· ψυχρὸν δ᾽ ἀχραὲς κράνα ὑποπροχέει."

"Νυκτερινή, δίκερως, φιλοπάννυχε, φαῖνε, Σελήνη, φαῖνε, δι᾽ εὐτρήτων βαλλομένη θυρίδων αὔγαζε χρυσέην Καλλίστιον ἐς τὰ φιλεύντων ἔργα κατοπτεύειν οὐ φθόνος ἀθανάτῃ. ὀλβίζεις καὶ τήνδε καὶ ἡμέας, οἶδα, Σελήνη: καὶ γὰρ σὴν ψυχὴν ἔφλεγεν Ἐνδυμίων."

"Θάεο τὸν Βρομίου κεραὸν τράγον, ὡς ἀγερώχως ὄμμα κατὰ λασιᾶν γαῦρον ἔχει γενύων,κυδιόων ὅτι οἱ θάμ᾽ ἐν οὔρεσιν ἀμφὶ παρῇδα βόστρυχον εἰς ῥοδέαν Ναῒς ἔδεκτο χέρα."

"The Swedish Academy's decision (to award me the Nobel Prize in Literature) was not only an honor for me but for Greece and its history through the ages. I believe that it was a decision to bring international attention to the most ancient tradition in Europe, since from Homer's time to the present there has not been a single century during which poetry has not been written in the Greek language."

"The focal point of Greek-American cultural interest has definitely shifted in recent decades. Where formerly there was a somewhat affected and strained focus on classical Hellas, the contemporary awareness is much more in tune with the literature of modern Greece. This shift has almost been entirely due to the increasing availability of English translations of modern Greek writings, for not many American-born Greeks comfortably read novels or poetry in the original Greek. The beginnings of the new mood can be traced to the translations of the novels of Nikos Kazantzakis in the 1950s. These also stimulated interest in other Greek writers, notably the poets Constantine P. Cavafy, a product of the Greek diaspora in Alexandria, Egypt, and George Seferis, who won the Nobel literature prize in 1963."

"Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life."

"I want no more than to speak simply to be granted that grace. Because we've loaded our songs with so much music that they're slowly sinking and we've decorated our art so much that its features have been eaten away by gold and it's time to say our few words because tomorrow our soul sets sail. ...I think so much these days about the great river, that symbol which moves forward among herbs and greenery and beasts that graze and drink, and men who sow and harvest, great tombs even and small habitations of the dead. That current which goes its way and which is not so different from the blood of men..."

"I awoke with this marble head in my hands which exhausts my elbows and I do not know where to set it down."

"A Levantine Nobel Prize laureate, Georgis Seferis, a Greek who lived for many years in Egypt, wrote: "And things that came later had the self-same/calmness which you see here,/they had this calmness because no soul/was left to us to think about,/none except the strength to carve some signs in stones/that touched now more deeply, beneath remembrance." Thus wrote Georgis Seferis, a true Levantine."

"This tale is not true: you [Helen} did not even board the well-benched ships, and you did not go to the citadel of Troy."

"The reason is because I know how to bear injustice, but you do not."

"a sole governor is in a slippery position at home; and I consider that tyrant a fortunate man who dies a natural death in his own house."

"In good hopes."

"To obey the laws."

"When speaking not to gesticulate with the hand; for that is like a madman."

"To love quiet."

"To be silent about secrets; to make good use of one’s leisure, and to be able to submit to injustice."

"Not to dislike divination."

"Not to let one’s tongue outrun one’s sense."

"Not to desire what is impossible."

"To prefer punishment to disgraceful gain; for the one is painful but once, but the other for one’s whole life."

"Not to speak evil of the dead."

"Not to laugh at a person in misfortune."

"Not to make too much haste on one’s road."

"To rule one’s tongue, especially at a banquet, and not to speak ill of one’s neighbors; for if one does so one is sure to hear what one will not like."

"Seek no excess —all timely things are good."

"Suretyship, and then destruction."

"To threaten no one; for that is a womanly trick."

"To restrain anger."

"To be more prompt to go to one’s friends in adversity than in prosperity."

"To make but a moderate display at one’s marriage."

"To honor old age."

"To keep a watch upon oneself."

"If one is strong to be also merciful, so that one’s neighbors may respect one rather than fear one."

"To learn how to regulate one’s own house well."

"Beautiful, moral world, created in an angelic way."

"Anything is true, is essential to the national."