Monday, July 20, 2009

 

All the World's a Stage

Palladas (Greek Anthology 10.72, tr. J. W. Mackail):
All life is a stage and a game: either learn to play it, laying by seriousness, or bear its pains.
The same, tr. W.R. Paton:
All life is a stage and a play: either learn to play laying your gravity aside, or bear with life's pains.
The same, tr. E.R. Dodds:
The world's a stage, and life's a toy:
  dress up and play your part;
Put every serious thought away—
Or risk a broken heart.
The same, tr. Tony Harrison:
Life's a performance. Either join in
  lightheartedly, or thole the pain.
The same, tr. Robert Bland:
This life a theatre we well may call,
  Where every actor must perform with art,
Or laugh it through, and make a farce of all,
  Or learn to bear with grace his tragic part.
The Greek original:
σκηνὴ πᾶς ὁ βίος καὶ παίγνιον· ἢ μάθε παίζειν
  τὴν σπουδὴν μεταθεὶς, ἢ φέρε τὰς ὀδύνας.
Among my notes is a list of articles on Palladas I've been meaning to read, and this is a good a place as any to keep it:Related posts:



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