(/θiːˈɒkrɪtəs/; Ancient Greek: Θεόκριτος, Theokritos; Sicilian: Tiòcritu, Teocritu;).
Born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC). Greek poet from Sicily, Magna Graecia, and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry. Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from his writings. We must, however, handle these with some caution, since some of the poems (Idylls; Εἰδύλλια) commonly attributed to him have little claim to authenticity. It is clear that at a very early date two collections were made: one consisting of poems whose authorship was doubtful yet formed a corpus of bucolic poetry, the other a strict collection of those works considered to have been composed by Theocritus himself.
Photo: wikipedia.org
Hushed are the voices of the winds and seas; But O not hushed the voice of my despair.
Photo: Yucar Studios.🧠 Meaning 🌊: Contrast between the outer and inner world Outside: nature is still/calm (sea and wind have subsided). Inside: sorrow remains unchanged and does not “Hushed”. Stylistic device: Repetition of “hushed” (parallelism) creates an incantatory, plaintive tone that fits well with despair / homesickness / lovesickness. 🏺 Origin: 📜 The reference “Idylia 2, 38” points to: Theocritus’ Idyll(e) 2, line/verse 38 (in editions this is often shown as line numbers). Important: This is originally Ancient Greek; ✍️ Author 👤:Theocritus (also spelled Theokritos), Hellenistic poet of the 3rd century BC. Known as a key figure in idyllic/pastoral poetry (Idyllia = Idylls).
The tibia is further away than the knee.
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Now begins a torrent of worlds and a trickling sense.
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Youth passes like a dream.
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Beauty is an evil in an ivory setting.
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Age overtakes us all; our temples first; then our cheek and chin, slowly and surely, creep the frost of time. Up and do somewhat, ere thy limbs are sere.
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All cats love a cushioned couch.
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Even a little gift may be vast with loving kindness.
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Men shall look on thee and murmur to each other, “Lo! how small Was the gift, and yet how precious!.” Friendship’s gifts are priceless all.
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The godly seed fares well: the wicked’s is accurst.
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Reflect, ere you spurn me, that youth at his sides Wears wings; and once gone, all pursuit he derides.
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For heaven’s eternal wisdom has decreed, that man of man should ever stand in need.
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Cicala to cicala is dear, and ant to ant, and hawks to hawks, but to me the muse and song.
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Faults are beauties in a lover’s eye.
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Cats will always lie soft.
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The Greeks got into Troy by trying, my pretties: everything’s done by trying.
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Sleeping we imagine what awake we wish; Dogs dream of bones, and fishermen of fish.
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Beautiful is the bloom of youth, but it lasts only for a short time.
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Man will ever stand in need of man.
Photo Austin Kehmeier
Beauty is a delightful prejudice.
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Trying will do anything in this world.
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A man hopes as long as he lives, first the dead hope no more.
Photo: Faris Mohammed. 📌 Meaning:Key idea: “Hope is part of life.” As long as someone is alive, there remains room (however small) to expect that things can get better. “Second half as reinforcement”: The dead no longer hope → whoever has died no longer has any expectations for the future; so “despair” is “for later”, not for now. Practical meaning: an encouragement to “persevere”, “not give up”, and “comfort” in adversity. 🌱. 🧾 Origin (classical origin): This saying is usually seen as a translation/paraphrase of a “Greek gnomic utterance” (a “wisdom saying”) that may also have had a “proverbial character” in antiquity. 🇬🇷Author:Theocritus (Θεόκριτος), Hellenistic poet (3rd century BC). Work: “Idyllia” (Bucolic Poems). Place: Often cited as “Idyll 4, verse 42” (note: “verse numbering may vary by edition,” sometimes 41/42). Meaning of the Greek wording (content): “For the living there is hope; for those who have died, hope no more.” Important: many anthologies give this sentence as “Theocritus 4.42”, but the “exact Greek word form” may vary slightly between manuscripts/editions; the “thought” is stable. 👤 Author:Theocritus — but possibly also a proverb 🏛️ In Theocritus’ “Idylls”, “proverbial wisdom” regularly appears in the mouths of shepherds/characters. Therefore, it is quite possible that Theocritus here: either formulates a pithy saying “himself”, or uses “already existing folk wisdom” literary. 🔁 Related proverb (useful for clarification); Latin: “Dum spiro, spero” = “As long as I breathe, I hope.” The addition about the dead makes it just a little sharper: hope is “by definition something for those who are still living”.
For those who doing well, everything goes well.
Photo: Jennifer Griffin. 🗣️ Meaning: Those who are already lucky/prosperous seem to have it all figured out. Success works like a snowball effect: once you’re “running well,” other things fall into place more easily. It can also be an ironic/social observation: those who are in a favorable position often get even more opportunities. Close to: “Luck attracts luck” / “To all who have, more will be given” (but this saying is more down-to-earth and less religiously charged). 🏛️ Origin (classical source): This saying is usually traced back to the Greek poet Theokritos (Theocritus) (3rd century BC). In his Idyll 15 (Adoniazousai, “The Women Who Attend the Adonis Festival”) there is a short, proverbial statement that translates as: “For those who are well, everything goes well.” 📌 Regarding the placeholder (Idyll 15, line 24?): The attribution “Idyll 15, (around) line 24” is plausible and common, but: line numbering varies by edition (Greek text edition, translation, prologue lines included/not included, etc.). That’s why you sometimes see 15.24 in sources, and sometimes a line just before/after. ✍️ Author:Theokritos / Theocritus. Work: Idyllia (Idylls), Idyll 15. 🔎 Context:In Idyll 15, characters engage in an everyday conversation (typically “mimes”/urban idyll). In such dialogues, Theokritus regularly uses gnomai (general wisdom, almost proverbs). This sentence functions precisely in this way: a pithy life observation about prosperity and its effects.
Only poverty stimulates skills; she is the teacher of effort.
Photo: Chitto Cancio. ✅ Meaning💡: Poverty forces resourcefulness and the learning of skills: those who have little must be able to/learn something to survive. Poverty “teaches” you to work: lack makes you make an effort, develop discipline, and seek solutions. Related to the broader idea: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” (same idea, different classical tradition) 🏛️ Origin 📜: Author:Theocritus (Θεόκριτος), Hellenistic poet (± 3rd century BC). Work and place: Idyllia / Eidyllia (Εἰδύλλια), Idyll 21 (often titled “Fishermen” / Halieis) line 1 (in many editions): the poem opens with precisely this adage-thought. Please note: numbering may vary between editions (sometimes the line number or arrangement shifts slightly), but the attribution to Theocritus, Idyll 21 (beginning line) is standard. 🇬🇷 (Approximation of) the Greek formulation + explanation: In textbooks and quotation collections this often circulates along the lines of: “Πενία τὰς τέχνας ἐγείρει”. Penía tàs téchnas egeírei → “Poverty awakens/activates the arts (skills).” and/or as the second part of the same thought: “(ἡ) πενία … διδάσκαλος (ἐστὶ) …” → “Poverty is a teacher … (of labor/effort). 🔁 Related classical variants (same idea): If you encounter this saying elsewhere, it may also appear as: “Poverty is the mother of art/ingenuity”. “Poverty teaches to work”. (Latin parallel in spirit, not literally the same): “Necessitas…”-sayings (necessity compels), often later formulated as “necessitas est mater inventionis.” 📚 Practical reference (as you can quote it): Theocritus, Idyllia 21, 1 (opening of Halieis / “Fishermen”). Saying: poverty begets skill and is a teacher of effort/labor.
There is no medicine and no plaster for love.
Photo: Brian Patrick Tagalog. ✅ Meaning❤️🩹: The pain of love cannot be easily “healed” like a physical wound; ordinary remedies (medicines, ointment, plasters) do not help against infatuation/heartache; love is presented as a wound for which there is no standard treatment. In more modern terms: love cannot be repaired with simple means. 📜 Origin: ancient imagery “love as a wound”. The image of love as a wound/disease is a classic motif in Greek and later Roman literature. “Plaster” here do not refer to a modern band-aid, but to a (medical) wrapping/compress or poultice (Greek: cataplasma), something physicians applied to wounds. 🏛️ Author and source: Theocritus (yes—but usually in a longer form) ✅ The wording comes (in essence) from Theocritus, the Hellenistic poet (3rd century BC). Specific source: Theocritus, Idyll(e) 11 (Idyll XI), at the beginning. There, the speaker says to Nicias (a physician): that there is no remedy for love, neither in ointments, nor in plasters/curls, except (in Theocritus’ version) the Muses—that is: poetry, song, art/word art. Why your quote sounds a bit “shorter”? In many later quotes/sayings, the final part (“except the Muses”) is omitted, resulting in: “For love there is no remedy, nor any plaster.” Theocritus’ point is therefore more subtle: art/poetry can indeed provide a kind of relief, even though love cannot be cured “medically.”
The rose, too, is beautiful, yet time makes it wither.
Photo: pxfuel.com. ✅ 1) Meaning: The sentence expresses the classical idea of transience: even the rose—a symbol of beauty, youth, and blossoming—withers under the influence of time. 🏛️ 2) Origin: The image “rose + time + withering” is an ancient literary topos (vanitas/memento mori), common in Greco-Roman and later European traditions. It is therefore a traditional motif, not necessarily a single, clearly identifiable “primordial source.” 🇬🇷 3) Text-critical conclusion (why it is not a robust “literal quotation”). The Greek variants circulating online are likely modern paraphrases or back-translations (partly due to Modern Greek word choices such as τριαντάφυλλο instead of classical ῥόδον). Therefore, it is unreliable to present this as a literal ancient verse without an exact source (edition + verse number). ✍️ 4) Authorship:Theocritus / Idyllia 23 vs. Constantine Palaiologos. Attribution to Theocritus (Idyll 23): occurs frequently online, but is not verifiable without a verse number and consistent source; moreover, Idyll 23 is often regarded as Pseudo-Theocritus (Appendix Theocritea) in modern philology. Attribution to Constantine (XI) Palaiologos/Paleologus: seems to be mainly a later, secondary (internet) attribution; there is no generally accepted primary source where this rose metaphor demonstrably belongs to him.
Door Pieter
Mensenmens, zoon, echtgenoot, vader, opa.
Spiritueel, echter niet religieus.
Ik hou van golf, wandelen, lezen en de natuur in veel opzichten.
Onderzoeker, nieuwsgierig, geen fan van de mainstream media (MSM).
