#tragedy

“ἐν τῷ φρονεῖν γὰρ μηδὲν ἥδιστος βίος. In knowing nothing is the sweetest life.”

“ὦ παῖ, γένοιο πατρὸς εὐτυχέστερος, τὰ δ᾿ ἄλλ᾿ ὁμοῖος· καὶ γένοι᾿ ἂν οὐ κακός. Ah, son, may you prove luckier than your father, but in all else like him. Then you would not prove base.”

“χάρις χάριν γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τίκτουσ᾿ ἀεί· ὅτου δ᾿ ἀπορρεῖ μνῆστις εὖ πεπονθότος, οὐκ ἂν γένοιτ᾿ ἔθ᾿ οὗτος εὐγενὴς ἀνήρ. For kindness begets kindness evermore, But he from whose mind fades the memory Of benefits, noble is he no more.”

“τῆς ἀναγκαίας τύχης οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν μεῖζον ἀνθρώποις κακόν. Of all human ills, greatest is fortune's wayward tyranny.”

“ἀλλ᾿ ἢ καλῶς ζῆν ἢ καλῶς τεθνηκέναι τὸν εὐγενῆ χρή. Nobly to live, or else nobly to die, Befits proud birth.”

“Line 293 (tr. R. C. Jebb, 1896) Woman, to women silence is the best ornament.”

“γύναι, γυναιξὶ κόσμον ἡ σιγὴ φέρει. Woman, silence graces woman.”

“τῶν γὰρ μεγάλων ψυχῶν ἱεὶς οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι· κατὰ δ᾿ ἄν τις ἐμοῦ τοιαῦτα λέγων οὐκ ἂν πείθοι. πρὸς γὰρ τὸν ἔχονθ᾿ ὁ φθόνος ἕρπει. καίτοι σμικροὶ μεγάλων χωρὶς σφαλερὸν πύργου ῥῦμα πέλονται. Yea, point thine arrow at a noble spirit, and thou shalt not miss; but should a man speak such things against me, he would win no faith. 'Tis on the powerful that envy creeps. Yet the small without the great can ill be trusted to guard the walls.”

“ὡς ἡμέρα κλίνει τε κἀνάγει πάλιν ἅπαντα τἀνθρώπεια. For a day can humble all human beings, and a day can lift them up.”

“οὔκουν γέλως ἥδιστος εἰς ἐχθροὺς γελᾶν; And to mock at foes”

“τὸν καθ᾿ ἡμέραν βίον λογίζου σόν, τὰ δ᾿ ἄλλα τῆς τύχης. Count the present day thine own, the rest to Fortune yield.”

“βροτοῖς ἅπασι κατθανεῖν ὀφείλεται, κοὐκ ἔστι θνητῶν ὅστις ἐξεπίσταται τὴν αὔριον μέλλουσαν εἰ βιώσεται· τὸ τῆς τύχης γὰρ ἀφανὲς οἷ προβήσεται, κἄστ᾿ οὐ διδακτὸν οὐδ᾿ ἁλίσκεται τέχνῃ. Death is the common debt of man; no mortal really knows if he will live to see the morrow's light; for Fortune's issues are not in our ken, beyond the teacher's rule they lie, no art can master them.”

“κακῶς ἀκούειν οὐ μέλει θανόντι μοι. Dishonour will not trouble me, once I am dead.”

“μάτην ἄρ᾿ οἱ γέροντες εὔχονται θανεῖν, γῆρας ψέγοντες καὶ μακρὸν χρόνον βίου· ἢν δ᾿ ἐγγὺς ἔλθῃ θάνατος, οὐδεὶς βούλεται θνῄσκειν, τὸ γῆρας δ᾿ οὐκέτ᾿ ἔστ᾿ αὐτοῖς βαρύ. Old men's prayers for death are lying prayers, in which they abuse old age and long extent of life. But when death draws near, not one is willing to die, and age no longer is a burden to them.”

“κούφα σοι χθὼν ἐπάνωθε πέσοι. Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest.”

“οὐ γάρ τι πρῶτος οὐδὲ λοίσθιος βροτῶν γυναικὸς ἐσθλῆς ἤμπλακες· γίγνωσκε δὲ ὡς πᾶσιν ἡμῖν κατθανεῖν ὀφείλεται. Thou art by no means the first nor yet shalt be the last of men to lose a wife of worth; know this, we all of us are debtors unto death.”

“εἰ δ᾿ Ὀρφέως μοι γλῶσσα καὶ μέλος παρῆν, ὥστ᾿ ἢ κόρην Δήμητρος ἢ κείνης πόσιν ὕμνοισι κηλήσαντά σ᾿ ἐξ ᾌδου λαβεῖν, κατῆλθον ἄν, καί μ᾿ οὔθ᾿ ὁ Πλούτωνος κύων οὔθ᾿ οὑπὶ κώπῃ ψυχοπομπὸς ἂν Χάρων ἔσχ᾿ ἄν, πρὶν ἐς φῶς σὸν καταστῆσαι βίον. Oh, if I had Orpheus ' voice and poetry with which to move the Dark Maid and her Lord, I'd call you back, dear love, from the world below. I'd go down there for you. Charôn or the grim King's dog could not prevent me then from carrying you up into the fields of light.”

“ἐχθρὰ γὰρ ἡ ᾿πιοῦσα μητρυιὰ τέκνοις τοῖς πρόσθ᾿, ἐχίδνης οὐδὲν ἠπιωτέρα. A second wife is hateful to the children of the first, a viper is not more hateful.”

“οὔποτε φήσω γάμον εὐφραίνειν πλέον ἢ λυπεῖν. Never say that marriage has more of joy than pain.”

“ἁγὼ οὔτινι θύω πλὴν ἐμοί, θεοῖσι δ᾿ οὔ, καὶ τῇ μεγίστῃ, γαστρὶ τῇδε, δαιμόνων. I sacrifice to no god save myself”