Pure Pagan Seven Centuries Of Greek Poems And Fragments

Alkaios Agriculture Trees: All right, Plant trees. But first Plant Vines. Bacchus Give up? How stupid, Just for bad luck! Nothing will work. But Bacchus, Bacchus, if we forget your name In our weariness, wine is the medicine To call for, the best medicine To drink deep, deep. Courage When courage is what he needs He finds it in himself. Drink, and Get Drunk with Me Melanippus: drink, and get drunk with me. Once you've crossed the swirling Acheron And landed in darkness, what makes you think You'll ever see sunlight again? Don't be a fooldon't try too hard. King Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, was the smartest man alive And thought he could run from death, But Fate drove him across the Acheron, then drove him over again, And the king of darkness, Cronos' son, Set him a miserable task down under the black earth. Don't even hope for such things. Drinking Drink. Why wait for the lamps? There's only a finger of daylight left. Get the big cups, the ones with pictures. Bacchus gave us wine to drown our sorrows. Mix one of water to two of wine, Fill them to the brim, And let one cup quickly follow the other. Frankness Speak As you please And hear What can never Please. Friendship Friends? My friends are nothing, And I weep for them, And for me. History Not us: no. It began with our fathers, I've heard. Love I loathe Love, wasting his arrows on me Instead of aiming at huge wild beasts. Do gods win glory by burning up men? Is my head a noble trophy to hang from his belt? Mourning Wine, now, and more wine, and more, And more, Now that Myrsillus is dead. Movers and Shakers If a man shakes loose stones To make a wall with, Stones may fall on his head Instead. Parvenu Even if he came from somewhere else, You would say you did, too. Patience Drink: the Dog Star Is coming back, so Drink. Philosophy Nothing Will Come Of Anything. Piggery Again Again Pigs whip up muck mud slop Again. Politics He wants power He has power He wants more And his country will break in his hands, Is breaking now. Poverty Poverty: Miserable, Powerful, O Poverty, you and your sister Helplessness Fall like wolves On this country Once so great. Social Relations I had you to dinner, once, Gave you tender goat, juicy pork: How to win friends And influence people. Sorrow Sorrow: You've made me completely forget sorrow. True Luxury And the sky god pours down rain, And the clouds whirl, and rivers freeze: So: keep your fire high And pour out honey-sweet wine And lie back With a pillow on this side, And a pillow on that side. Truth Boy: Boy: Wine And Truth. Wine Wine Opens Keyholes Wide. Alkman Fate and Necessity The thread Runs thin, The need Runs hard, Hard. Gluttonous Alkman And a huge cauldron, hot With your dinner, soon. But still cold, until that thick winter soup For gluttonous Alkman Comes boiling up. No fancy slop for Alkman, no. Like ordinary people he likes real food. Not Aphrodite, No Not Aphrodite, no. But like a child, Wild, Love comes down, Almost as though walking on flowers But should not touch them, Should not, No. O Dancers O dancers, singers, honey-voiced girls, Loud, clear: no more, I cannot! God, O God, if I were only a kingfisher, Purple like the sea, flying never afraid Out over the wavesRaffel, Burton is the author of 'Pure Pagan Seven Centuries Of Greek Poems And Fragments' with ISBN 9780812969627 and ISBN 0812969626.