And now I will tell a fable for princes who themselves understand.
Thus said the hawk to the nightingale with speckled neck,
while he carried her high up among the clouds, gripped fast in his talons,
and she, pierced by his crooked talons, cried pitifully.
To her he spoke disdainfully: `Miserable thing, why do you cry out?
One far stronger than you now holds you fast,
and you must go wherever I take you, songstress as you are.
And if I please I will make my meal of you, or let you go.
He is a fool who tries to withstand the stronger,
for he does not get the mastery and suffers pain besides his shame.'
So said the swiftly flying hawk, the long-winged bird.
Hesiod (c. 8th century BC) Ancient Greece
Translated by Evelyn-White
Source: Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Loeb Classical Library Volume 57. London: William Heinemann, 1914.
Thus said the hawk to the nightingale with speckled neck,
while he carried her high up among the clouds, gripped fast in his talons,
and she, pierced by his crooked talons, cried pitifully.
To her he spoke disdainfully: `Miserable thing, why do you cry out?
One far stronger than you now holds you fast,
and you must go wherever I take you, songstress as you are.
And if I please I will make my meal of you, or let you go.
He is a fool who tries to withstand the stronger,
for he does not get the mastery and suffers pain besides his shame.'
So said the swiftly flying hawk, the long-winged bird.
Hesiod (c. 8th century BC) Ancient Greece
Translated by Evelyn-White
Source: Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica. Translated by Evelyn-White, H G. Loeb Classical Library Volume 57. London: William Heinemann, 1914.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.