Earth, Sea, Sun & Moon, by unknown
Earth, Sea, Sun & Moon, by unknown
ἡ γῆ μέλαινα πίνει,
πίνει δένδρεα δ᾿ αὐτήν.
πίνει θάλασσ᾿ ἀναύρους,
ὁ δ᾿ ἥλιος θάλασσαν,
5τὸν δ᾿ ἥλιον σελήνη·
τί μοι μάχεσθ᾿, ἑταῖροι,
καὐτῷ θέλοντι πίνειν;
The black Earth drinks,
and trees drink the Earth;
the sea drinks the rivers,
the Sun drinks the sea,
5and the Moon, the Sun.
Why fight me, friends,
when I, too, want to drink?
— anon. Anacreontea 21, trans. me
Another one that makes me chuckle. The Anacreontea are a series of poems in the style of Anacreon (a lyric poet, like Sappho, from the 6th century BCE), written much later by poet(s) unknown. Anacreon himself was known for his love of booze and, well, love – often in combination. This poem reminds me of some of Horace’s Odes, the most famous quote from which is probably nunc est bibendum (now it is time to drink). This is not a particularly deep poem, but it gets to the point significantly more quickly than Horace.
Featured Image: identical laughs at Christmas 2023, courtesy of Peter.
TJC 