Fragments – Lines 0183 – 0192
July 6, 2023Fragments – Lines 0005 – 0010
July 6, 2023Fragments – Lines 0019 – 0030
Kyrnos, as I work my craft let a seal be set upon
These words of mine, and they will never be stolen unremarked,
Nor will anyone change the good that is there to something worse;
And this is what everyone will say: ‘These are the lines of Theognis,
The man from Megara’ — famous throughout all peoples.
But all my fellow citizens I have not yet been able to please.
This is nothing to wonder at, son of Polypaos, for not even Zeus
Pleases everyone, whether he rains or holds it back.
To you with kindly intent I offer such advice as I myself,
Kyrnos, heard from noble men when I was still a child.
Be intelligent, and do not at the cost of shameful or unjust deeds
Attempt to draw to yourself honors of merits or wealth.
Theognis
Theognis (6th century BCE) was a Greek poet known for his elegiac poetry and his reflections on social and political issues of his time.