Don't grow old - in Sardinia !

It was a custom in Sardinia that the children of aged parents beat them to death with clubs and buried them, in the belief that it was wrong for the excessively old to continue living, since the body, suffering through age, had many failings....The Derbiccae kill those who are seventy years of age. They sacrifice the men and strangle the women.

Νόμος ἐστὶ Σαρδῷος, τοὺς ἤδη γεγηρακότας τῶν πατέρων οἱ παῖδες ῥοπάλοις τύπτοντες ἀνῄρουν καὶ ἔθαπτον, αἰσχρὸν ἡγούμενοι τὸν λίαν ὑπέργηρων ὄντα ζῆν ἔτι, ὡς πολλὰ ἁμαρτάνοντος τοῦ σώματος τοῦ διὰ τὸ γῆρας πεπονηκότος.....Δερβίκκαι τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη βεβιωκότας ἀποκτείνουσι, τοὺς μὲν ἄνδρας καταθύοντες, ἀπάγχοντες δὲ τὰς γυναῖκας.

Aelian, Varia Historia 4.1 (tr. N.G. Wilson): 

An Ancient Greek Joke

Γραμματικοῦ θυγάτηρ ἔτεκεν φιλότητι μιγεῖσα   παιδίον ἀρσενικόν, θηλυκόν, οὐδέτερον. 

A grammarian’s daughter, having 'known' a man, gave birth to a child which was masculine, feminine, and neuter. (translated by W. R. Paton)

Taken from the Greek Anthology  9.489 and attributed to Palladas 

Class Schedule for the remainder of the course.

March 12th: Week 8
March 19th: NO CLASS.
March 26th: Week 9
April    2nd: Week 10

-Chris

The Wisdom of Herakles: a new translation.

I thought I'd have a go at translating this piece myself......

Euripides, Alcestis 780-802 (spoken by Herakles, tr. Chris Maughan)

Do you conceive the nature of mortality?

I imagine not; how could you?

But hear me out.

All men are in the sights of Death.

No mortal can be sure that he

will live out his life ‘til tomorrow.

Events that come by chance, are not foreseen.

They can’t be learnt nor swayed by any skill.

Listen to this and learn from me; drink, be merry

and tick off your days as you live your life.

Those left belong to Fortune.

Pay honour too, to Love, that most delectable of deities,

for she is well-disposed to mortal men.

Let all else go and heed my words,

If I seem to you be talking sense. Indeed, I believe that I am.

So cast off your pain and drink with me.

Sport the victory crown as you overcome Fortune.

I am wise to know that the sound of a splash, like oars, in a drinking cup

will unwind your moorings from this mood of melancholy.

Being mortals, it is right that our thoughts are mortal.

In my opinion, life, for all solemn frowning men,

is not truly life but an affliction.

-Chris