Theognis

Summary

Theognis was an elegiac poet of the sixth century who most likely came from Megara. About 1,400 lines of verse have come down to us under his name. Some of these verses are elsewhere attributed to other poets, and it is likely that the corpus includes lines that are not written by Theognis. Of Theognis' life we know little, but we can infer from the poems that he was concerned to give advice to a young friend Cyrnus, and that he lived in a time of political upheaval.

Various fragmentary passages on different topics are all run together in what has come down to us. We have excerpted several passages that bear on ancient political thought. Some of these are probably complete poems. As all these verses represent upper-class views of the period, we have not taken a position on the question of authorship.

Lines 39–52

Cyrnus, this city is pregnant; I fear she may give birth to a man

to straighten out our evil hubris,

for these citizens are still sound of mind, but their leaders

have turned towards a fall into great evil.

No city has yet been destroyed by good men, Cyrnus;

but when it pleases evil men to commit hubris,

when they corrupt the common people and give judgment

in favor of the unjust for their own profit or power,

do not expect that city to stay peaceful for long,

not even if it now rests in tranquility,

and because these things are dear to evil men

their profits bring evil to the people. […]