Fragments – Lines 0667 – 0682
July 6, 2023Fragments – Lines 0425 – 0428
July 6, 2023Fragments – Lines 0429 – 0438
To beget and rear a man is easier than to put good sense
Inside him. No one yet has ever contrived a way
To make the senseless sensible and good men out of bad.
If the sons of Asklepios had this gift from the god,
To work a cure on badness and men’s infatuate wits,
Many and great would be the fees they earned.
And if understanding could be fashioned and placed in a man,
Never would a good man’s son have turned out bad,
By heeding the words of sensible counsel. But as it is, no teaching
Will ever serve to make the bad man good.
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.