Textkit Greek and Latin Forums

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:47 pm**

This has been making the blog rounds, and is getting translated into various languages:

William Matthews' Four Subjects of Poetry

1. I went out into the woods today, and it made me feel, you know, sort of religious.
2. We're not getting any younger.
3. It sure is cold and lonely (a) without you, honey, or (b) with you, honey.
4. Sadness seems but the other side of the coin of happiness, and vice versa, and in any case the coin is too soon spent, and on what we know not what.

This is tricky. I'll try to give my Greek version within the week.

Posted: **Mon Apr 24, 2006 9:18 pm**

Will,

What are suggesting? That we translate it into Greek, I assume; but, as a continuous piece of lyric or as separate verses?
Exam season is all but on us at KCL but it may be fun with which to tinker. It seems to me that swapping the order of the verses to 4, 1, 3, 2 'could' lead to a fairly sensible lyric--Sapphic even.

yours,
Paul

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2006 12:54 am**

auctor wrote:What are suggesting? That we translate it into Greek, I assume; but, as a continuous piece of lyric or as separate verses?

I was thinking a prose translation of the list, actually.

But now that you mention it, verse in the didactic style might be appropriate, too.

Posted: **Tue Apr 25, 2006 1:45 am**

Here's a dactylic hexameter of the second item (and it oozes Old Ionic dialect) -

ἡμεῖς ο? πελόμεσθα νεώτε?οι ο?δ‘ ἠβαιοί.

I also want to see what the good Latin folks can do with this.

Posted: **Mon May 01, 2006 1:05 am**

In the manner of a lost book of Aristotle. I hope.

πε?ὶ τῶν τεττά?ων χ?ημάτων πε?ὶ ὧν οἱ νῦν Ὑπε?βό?εοι συνίστανται τὰ ποιήματα, λέγω ἀ?ξάμενος π?ῶτον, κατὰ φύσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ π?ώτου.

τὸ μὲν π?ώτιστόν τις ποιήσει ποιητής, ὅταν βούληται λέγειν ὅτι “?ν τῇ ὕλῃ ?φοίτων σήμε?ον ὥστε τοι ?σεβόμην ὀλίγον.? τὸ δὲ δεύτε?ον ὅτι “ο? μὴν ἡμεῖς νεώτε?οι ?γενόμεθα.? τὸ δὲ τ?ίτον ὅτι ἢ “σοῦ χω?ίς, φίλε (φίλη), ἠ?ήμωμαι τῆς φιλίας, χιόσι νιφόμενος τὴν ψυχήν<1>? ἢ “πα?ά σοι, φίλε.? τὸ δὲ τέτα?τον ὅτι “τὸ ἄλγος τὸ ἥμισυ μόνον φαίνεται τῶν τῆς ε?δαιμονίας ταλάντων, καὶ ?ναντίως, ὅμως δὲ ἀγνοοῦντες ἀναλίσκομεν λίαν τάχα ταῦτα τὰ νομίσματος τάλαντα.?

_____
1. cf. Anth.Grec. 10.21.

Posted: **Wed May 03, 2006 3:53 pm**

τέτα?τον τόδε· τοῦ δὲ τῆς ε?δαιμονίας χ?υσίου ἡ ἑτέ?α ὄψις λύπη πως ἔστι, καὶ τανάπαλιν. τὸ μὲν χ?υσίον τάχιστ'ἀναλίσκεται, τὸ δ'ὠνηθέν, ὅ, τι ποτ' ?στιν, ἄγνωστον μένει.

I'm sure there are mistakes in the accents, and I hope I didn't make too many solecisms

Posted: **Thu May 04, 2006 1:30 am**

Posted: **Fri May 05, 2006 9:57 am**

Textkit Greek and Latin Forums

Agon: The Four Subjects of Poetry

Agon: The Four Subjects of Poetry

#4

Re: #4