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Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Archilochus, Art History, defeat, Dionysus, General Philosophy, Greece, history, Poem, poetry, Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter, Thomas Cahill, victory, Writing
O heart, my heart, no public leaping when you win;
no solitude nor weeping when you fail to prove.
Rejoice at simple things; and be but vexed by sin
and evil slightly. Know the tides through which we move.
__________
Words by Archilochus, the celebrated Greek poet who wrote and lived in the seventh century BC.
I just came across these lines in Thomas Cahill’s Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, and though I’ve tried to track them down on the internet, am still yet to find their original source. Send me a message or post a comment if you happen to know.
The above bust is of Archilochus. It is a first or second century AD marble sculpture based on an original dating from the late third century BC.
The ivy crown adorning his head signifies he is a poet, while the berries symbolize the gifts of Dionysus. Art historians believe this to be Archilochus due to the similarities it shares with four other Roman copies as well as a silver coin from Paros, which shows the poet seated, holding a lyre. Though he began his adult life as a mercenary, Archilochus eventually became one of the most famous lyric poets of Antiquity. His poems, of which only fragments of remnants remain, principally concern love, war, and the revelries of the table.
Sometime this weekend I’ll post the context in which Cahill quotes this verse. It’s pretty unexpected. Pick up the book here if you can’t wait.
*Update: This morning, reader Ted Rey responded to my question and found the source of the above quote from Archilochus. Ted writes:
“It seems to be an alternate translation for Fragment 67, as translated by R. Lattimore
Heart, my heart, so battered with misfortune far beyond your strength,
up, and face the men who hate us. Bare your chest to the assault
of the enemy, and fight them off. Stand fast among the beamlike spears.
Give no ground; and if you beat them, do not brag in open show,
nor, if they beat you, run home and lie down on your bed and cry.
Keep some measure in the joy you take in luck, and the degree you
give way to sorrow. All our life is up-and-down like this.
The war motif has been bypassed. I like the more generalized message that emerges.
Another translation is:
Soul, my soul, don’t let them break you,
all these troubles. Never yield:
though their force is overwhelming,
up! attack them shield to shield…
Take the joy and bear the sorrow,
looking past your hopes and fears:
learn to recognize the measured
dance that orders all our years.
Archilochus: To His Soul : A Fragment, as translated from the Greek by Jon Corelis”
Thanks for that, Ted. Much appreciated.
tedrey said:
It seems to be an alternate translation for Fragment 67, as translated by R. Lattimore
Heart, my heart, so battered with misfortune far beyond your strength,
up, and face the men who hate us. Bare your chest to the assault
of the enemy, and fight them off. Stand fast among the beamlike spears.
Give no ground; and if you beat them, do not brag in open show,
nor, if they beat you, run home and lie down on your bed and cry.
Keep some measure in the joy you take in luck, and the degree you
give way to sorrow. All our life is up-and-down like this.
The war motif has been bypassed. I like the more generalized message that emerges
Another translation is:
Soul, my soul, don’t let them break you,
all these troubles. Never yield:
though their force is overwhelming,
up! attack them shield to shield…
Take the joy and bear the sorrow,
looking past your hopes and fears:
learn to recognize the measured
dance that orders all our years.
“Archilochos: To His Soul” : A fragment, as translated from the Greek by Jon Corelis
.
jrbenjamin said:
You are the man. Thank you very much for sending this my way.
How did you find it?
tedrey said:
The Google muse was with me. I googled “Archilochus” and saw a page of “quotes”. I almost passed the right one up, because all the spear and battle imagery seemed wrong at first glance. But then something nagged me and I went back and there it was.
jrbenjamin said:
Well done. I completely missed it. Thanks again for letting me know.
Rosaliene Bacchus said:
Thanks for pursuing this. I prefer the “Archilochos: To His Soul” translation by Jon Corelis. So appropriate for our times of growing inequality, bitter fruit of a powerful elite class.
jrbenjamin said:
Fascinating. Thank you for letting me know about it. I need to check that out. How long have you known about his writing?
melodyaross said:
When I was an undergraduate, this poem, clipped from a newspaper (along with an article about the Olympics), was posted above the copier. I stood at this copier for several hours a day as part of my job and have had it memorized ever since. I also recently tried to track the source down, and this is where I landed. Thank you!
Jones said:
Hi, I was just wondering where you found this information:
“It is a first or second century AD marble sculpture based on an original dating from the late third century BC.”
And do you know where this bust is currently held? I can’t find it on display in any collections so I assume it is not currently open to the public?
Thanks!
Trevor said:
Hey, I know this is an older thread but I love this fragment and thought I’d drop my two cents. Here’s a link to the Lattimore translation that also has the original Greek. http://www.rhapsodes.fll.vt.edu/arkhilokhos67.htm
Lattimore, Cahill, and Corelis all translate, interpret, and poeticize their translations by changing the case of verbs and nouns and sometimes even inserting nouns that aren’t there. So for my part I’ll offer the most literal, and unpoetic, translation (with options) of that last line (“know the tides…’) as I can. I’d do the rest but don’t have the time.
Know that all this (the preceding ups and downs) are due to the regular movements (either in time, motion, or sound) that carry (hold,bear) men (mankind).
Or, for a more poetic version of my own:
But know this, that to all such joys and sorrows we are born upon the tide.
Cahill’s choice of ‘tide’ for ‘rusmos’ is excellent.