Thursday, January 21, 2016

 

The Blame Game

Homer, Odyssey 1.32-34 (Zeus is speaking, tr. A.T. Murray and George E. Dimcock):
It's astonishing how ready mortals are to blame the gods.
It is from us, they say, that evils come, but they even by themselves,
through their own blind folly, have sorrows beyond that which is ordained.

ὢ πόποι, οἷον δή νυ θεοὺς βροτοὶ αἰτιόωνται·
ἐξ ἡμέων γάρ φασι κάκ᾽ ἔμμεναι, οἱ δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ
σφῇσιν ἀτασθαλίῃσιν ὑπὲρ μόρον ἄλγε᾽ ἔχουσιν.
Solon, fragment 11, lines 1-2 (tr. Douglas E. Gerber):
If you have suffered grief because of your wrong action,
do not lay the blame for this on the gods.

εἰ δὲ πεπόνθατε λυγρὰ δι᾿ ὑμετέρην κακότητα,
   μὴ θεοῖσιν τούτων μοῖραν ἐπαμφέρετε.



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