Miscellanies 4.5.23
Summary: The martyr chooses the hoped-for pleasure through present pain; pain and pleasure are not evils in themselves; the poets disagree whether wealth is a good or a blinding evil.
Greek text · Stählin 2:258
αὐτίκα ὁ μάρτυς ἡδονὴν τὴν διʼ ἐλπίδος διὰ τῆς παρούσης ἀλγηδόνος αἱρεῖται. εἰ δὲ κατὰ μὲν δίψαν ἡ ἀλγηδὼν νοεῖται, κατὰ τὴν πόσιν δὲ ἡ ἡδονή, ποιητικὴ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἡ ἀλγηδὼν ἡ προϋπάρξασα γίνεται· ἀγαθοῦ δὲ ποιητικὸν τὸ κακὸν οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο, οὐθέτερον οὖν κακόν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Σιμωνίδης, καθάπερ καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης, ὑγιαίνειν μὲν ἄριστον ἀνδρί, γράφει, δεύτερον δὲ φυὰν καλὸν γενέσθαι, τρίτον δὲ πλουτεῖν ἀδόλως. καὶ ὁ Μεγαρεὺς Θέογνις· χρὴ πενίην φεύγοντα καὶ εἰς βαθυκήτεα πόντον ῥιπτεῖν καὶ πετρέων, Κύρνε, κατʼ ἠλιβάτων. ἔμπαλιν δὲ Ἀντιφάνης ὁ κωμικὸς ὁ πλοῦτος φησί, † πλέον θάτερον βλέποντας παραλαβὼν τυφλοὺς ποιεῖ.
English · Claude translation
For example, the martyr chooses, through present pain, the pleasure that comes through hope. And if pain is understood in thirst and pleasure in drinking, the pain that existed before becomes productive of the pleasure; but evil could not be productive of good; so neither is evil. Simonides, then, as also Aristotle, writes: “Health is best for a man, second to be born beautiful in form, third to be rich without guile.” And Theognis of Megara: “To flee poverty, Cyrnus, one should throw oneself into the deep sea and down from lofty rocks.” Conversely Antiphanes the comic poet says that wealth, … taking those who see more than others, makes them blind.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Simonides (skolion, fragment 146), Theognis 175–176, and Antiphanes (fragment); the Antiphanes text is corrupt (dagger).
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.5.23 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/5/23/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.5.23 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/5/23/).
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