Selections from Ancient Greek Lyric Poetry "Pure Wine, Women, Poetry" and "Aesop's Fables"

Author: Luo Niansheng Translated by: Luo Niansheng/Nationality:
Publisher:
Publishing Time: 2004-06-01
Features: O nectar of the gods, wine that warms the heart,
Blessing to the good, sorrow to the wicked.
To those who repent, it is sweeter still,
You bring endless joy to the world!
Your color hides the shadows of life,
Your taste surpasses all fragrances.
Let us drink freely, for your charm enthralls us!
The growth of clean grape juice is truly auspicious!
May the table remain forever blessed,
Offering rich and mellow wine.
Oh, this wine is truly auspicious,
How fragrant it is, how sweet it tastes,
How gently it lingers on the tongue.
Praise the one who first cultivated you,
Gave you this intoxicating fame!
His cup never runs dry,
A life free from misfortune.
Blessed be the land where you dwell!
Blessed be the tongue that tastes you!
Blessed be the mouth that holds you!
Even the lips find double joy.
Therefore, let us sing and praise wine,
Let us bless the world's drunkards;
We are drunk, yet clear-headed,
May we live in perpetual drunkenness,
Let us drink freely.
May you flow here, may this cup be filled with wine,
May we serve you with all our hearts,
Joy, we sing and drink!
Walnut Tree The walnut tree grows by the roadside,
And travelers stone it. The walnut tree sighs in secret:
"I am truly unfortunate,
Year after year, I bring myself insult and sorrow!"
This story applies to those who suffer because of their kindness.
The Camel The camel's owner forces the camel to dance,
The camel says: "No need to dance, even my walk is ungraceful."
This story applies to all inappropriate behavior.
The Rabbits and Frogs Once, many rabbits gathered together,
Complaining that their lives were full of danger and fear.
Men, dogs, eagles, and other animals often killed them,
They thought that even death would be better than living in constant fear.
So they decided to run to the pond and drown themselves.
Many frogs were sitting around the pond.
When they heard the running, the frogs jumped into the water at once.
One rabbit, seemingly wiser than the others, shouted:
"Stop, friends, there is nothing to fear,
Don't be frightened into suicide!
You see, some animals are even more timid than us!"
This story says that the unhappy comfort themselves with the greater misfortune of others.
The Gull and the Kestrel The gull swallowed a fish and choked to death on the shore.
The kestrel saw and said: "You deserve to die,
Born a bird, yet living at sea."
Similarly, abandoning one's own calling to do something unsuitable will naturally lead to misfortune.
The Lion and the Farmer The lion fell in love with the farmer's daughter and asked for her hand in marriage.
The farmer, unwilling to marry his daughter to a beast,
But afraid to refuse, devised a plan.
The lion pressed for the hand, and the farmer said he thought it would be a good match,
But only if the lion removed his teeth and claws,
For these things made the girl afraid.
The lion, carried away by love, easily agreed to these terms.
Thus, the farmer no longer feared the lion,
And when the lion returned, the farmer drove him away with a stick.
This story says that some people, trusting the words of their enemies,
Give up their own strengths, and are easily defeated by those they once feared.
The Lion and the Frog The lion heard the frog shouting loudly and thought it must be some great beast,
So he turned to face the sound.
After waiting a while, he saw it was only a frog that had crawled out of the pond,
So he stepped on it and crushed it, saying:
"Never be frightened by others until you have seen for yourself."
This story applies to those who boast but have nothing to back it up.
When we speak of the character and power of our city-state,
We need only look at some of the requests made to us.
I will not mention the recent or unimportant requests,
But only the time before the Trojan War (for those who argue about inherited rights should seek evidence from that period),
Heracles' children came to our city.
Some time before this, Adrastus, son of Taraios—the king of Argos—also came to us.
Adrastus failed in his attack on Thebes, unable to bring back the bodies of the soldiers who had fallen at Cadmea.
So on his return, he came to our city and asked for our help,
To prevent the dead from being unburied,
To preserve the old customs and ancestral laws.
As for Heracles' children, they were fleeing the wrath of Eurystheus.
They did not value other cities, thinking they could not help them escape this disaster,
So they chose Athens as the only city that could repay them for the kindness their ancestors had shown to all humanity.
From these facts, it is clear that our city-state was already in a leading position at that time,
Because when it came to public, not private matters,
Only those qualified to stand at the forefront of the Greeks dared to interfere,
While others did not dare.
Secondly, those who sought help hoped to escape to our ancestors,
And clearly, their hope was not deceived,
For the Athenians had fought against Thebes for the sake of the fallen,
And had fought against Eurystheus' army for the sake of Heracles' children.
They attacked Thebes, forcing them to give the bodies of the dead to their relatives for burial.
When Eurystheus led the Peloponnesians to attack our land,
They met them and defeated the enemy, crushing their arrogance.
These actions had already earned them praise,
And these achievements further enhanced their reputation,
For they did not act in small measure but completely changed the fate of these two men:
Adrastus, who sought our help, unexpectedly received what he needed and returned home;
While Eurystheus, who sought to subdue us, was captured and forced to beg for mercy,
Despite his constant commands and insults to the extraordinary hero,
The son of Zeus, who was as mighty as a god in life,
When he offended us, he suffered such a reversal of fortune,
Falling into the hands of Heracles' children,
And ending his life in shame.
Although we have made many contributions to the Lacedaemonians,
Only this one fits my purpose:
Heracles' descendants, the ancestors of today's rulers of Lacedaemon,
Received the advantage of our rescue,
And returned to the Peloponnese,
Occupying Argos, Lacedaemon, and Messene,
Settling in Sparta, and becoming the founders of the blessings that the Lacedaemonians enjoy today.
They should remember these benefits,
And not attack their place of origin—
This land that brought them such great happiness,
Not put this city, which once risked its life for Heracles' children, in danger,
Not think that when they pass power to Heracles' descendants,
The city that saved their nation should be enslaved by them.
Even if we set aside gratitude and fairness and return to the original question,
Let us discuss the correct argument:
Inherited customs do not allow foreigners to lead native inhabitants,
The beneficiaries to lead the benefactors,
The supplicants to lead the hosts.
I can make my point even more concisely.
Among all Greek city-states, besides our own,
Argos, Thebes, and Lacedaemon were the strongest at that time,
And they remain so today.
But our ancestors were clearly superior,
For they could command the proud Thebans to return the bodies of the fallen Argives,
And overcome the Argives and other Peloponnesians in battle to save the founders and leaders of the Lacedaemonians,
Protecting them from the deadly hands of the blue-eyed Lyserthus.
So when asked which city-state is the strongest in Greece,
I do not know who can provide more reliable evidence.