Agon: The Four Subjects of Poetry

[annis]

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.

[auctor]

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

[annis]

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.

[GlottalGreekGeek]

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

ἡμεῖς οá½￾ πελόμεσθα νεώτεÏ￾οι οá½￾δ‘ ἠβαιοί.

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

[annis]

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

πεÏ￾ὶ τῶν τεττάÏ￾ων χÏ￾ημάτων πεÏ￾ὶ ὧν οἱ νῦν ὙπεÏ￾βόÏ￾εοι συνίστανται Ï„á½° ποιήματα, λέγω á¼€Ï￾ξάμενος Ï€Ï￾ῶτον, κατὰ φύσιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ï€Ï￾ώτου.

τὸ μὲν Ï€Ï￾ώτιστόν τις ποιήσει ποιητής, ὅταν βούληται λέγειν ὅτι “á¼￾ν τῇ ὕλῃ á¼￾φοίτων σήμεÏ￾ον ὥστε τοι á¼￾σεβόμην ὀλίγον.â€￾ τὸ δὲ δεύτεÏ￾ον ὅτι “οá½￾ μὴν ἡμεῖς νεώτεÏ￾οι á¼￾γενόμεθα.â€￾ τὸ δὲ Ï„Ï￾ίτον ὅτι á¼¢ “σοῦ χωÏ￾á½·Ï‚, φίλε (φίλη), á¼ Ï￾ήμωμαι τῆς φιλίας, χιόσι νιφόμενος τὴν ψυχήν<1>â€￾ á¼¢ “παÏ￾á½± σοι, φίλε.â€￾ τὸ δὲ τέταÏ￾τον ὅτι “τὸ ἄλγος τὸ ἥμισυ μόνον φαίνεται τῶν τῆς εá½￾δαιμονίας ταλάντων, καὶ á¼￾ναντίως, ὅμως δὲ ἀγνοοῦντες ἀναλίσκομεν λίαν τάχα ταῦτα Ï„á½° νομίσματος τάλαντα.â€￾

_____
1. cf. Anth.Grec. 10.21.

[elis]

τέταÏ￾τον τόδε· τοῦ δὲ τῆς εá½￾δαιμονίας χÏ￾υσίου ἡ ἑτέÏ￾α ὄψις λύπη πως ἔστι, καὶ τανάπαλιν. τὸ μὲν χÏ￾υσίον τάχιστ'ἀναλίσκεται, τὸ δ'ὠνηθέν, á½…, τι ποτ' á¼￾στιν, ἄγνωστον μένει.

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

[annis]

τέταÏ￾τον τόδε·

Ooh. I didn't even consider the -δε demonstratives.

ἡ ἑτέÏ￾α ὄψις λύπη πως ἔστι,

I know nothing about numismatics. It wouldn't have occured to me that Greek coins also have "faces."

[elis]

I know nothing about numismatics. It wouldn't have occured to me that Greek coins also have "faces."

I think coins from the 5th cent. had 2 sides, each side with a different imprint/image. I guess greeks used some word to distinguish the 2 sides. I don't know whether ὄψις is appropriate or not.

I was thinking this for the 2nd:

οá½￾δεὶς οἶος á¼￾στιν νεώτεÏ￾ος γενέσθαι.