Fragments on Life and Old AgeἈποσπάσματα περὶ Βίου καὶ Γήρως
Apollodorus of Carystus II Fragments on Life and Old Age PDF
Fragments on Life and Old Age is a lost comedy attributed to the New Comedy playwright Apollodorus of Carystus, who was active in early 3rd-century BCE Athens. The work is known solely by its title and a report of fifty-four surviving fragments, with no description of its plot or characters preserved. The title indicates it treated themes of life and aging, consistent with New Comedy's focus on domestic and social situations. The extant fragments suggest the play explored life stages and generational differences, the social and familial duties of the elderly, and the trials and comedies of aging. The play is not listed among Apollodorus's known works in standard ancient sources like the Suda, and its fragments presumably survived through quotations in later authors. While its direct influence is untraceable, Apollodorus's comedies were adapted by Roman playwrights like Terence, transmitting New Comedy conventions into the Western tradition. This work exemplifies the genre's enduring engagement with universal social themes.
| book 1 | ἀπραγμόνως ζῆν ἡδύ· μακάριος βίος καὶ σεμνός, ἂν ᾖ μεθ’ ἑτέρων ἀπραγμόνων ἐν θηρίοις δὲ καὶ πιθήκοις ὄντα δεῖ εἶναι πίθηκον· ὢ ταλαιπώρου βίου. |
| book 2 | . . στρατιώτην ἔργον ἄχρι γήρως λαβεῖν ἔστιν διηυτυχηκότ’, ἂν μὴ δειλὸς ᾖ. |
| book 3.1 | τοῖς γὰρ μεριμνῶσίν |
| book 3.2 | τε καὶ λυπουμένοις ἅπασα νὺξ ἔοικε |
| book 3.3 | φαίνεσθαι μακρά. |
| book 4.1 | ὅτε μειράκιον ἦν, τοὺς ἀώρους ἠλέουν, νυνὶ δ’ ὅταν γέροντος ἐκφορὰν ἴδω, κλάω· πρὸς ἐμὲ γάρ ἐστι |
| book 4.2 | τοῦτ’, ἐκεῖνο δ’ οὔ. |
| book 5 | καθίσω |
| book 6 | οὐ πανταχοῦ Φρύξ εἰμι· τοῦ ζῆν ἢν ὁρῶ κρεῖττον τὸ μὴ ζῆν, χρήσομαι τῷ κρείττονι. |
| book 7.1 | μὴ καταφρόνει, Φιλῖν’, ἐθῶν γεροντικῶν, οἷς ἔνοχος, εἰς τὸ γῆρας ἂν ἔλθῃς, ἔσει. ἀλλὰ μέγα |
| book 7.2 | τοῦθ’ οἱ πατέρες ἠλαττώμεθα· ὑμεῖς μὲν ὠνειδίσατ’, ἐάν |
| book 7.3 | τι μὴ ποιῇ[ln_5]ὁ πατὴρ |
| book 7.4 | προθύμως, ‘οὐ γέγονας αὐτὸς νέος;‘ τῷ δὲ πατρὶ πρὸς τὸν υἱόν, ἂν ἀγνωμονῇ, οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ‘οὐ γέγονας αὐτὸς γέρων;‘ |
| book 8.1 | φυσικόν γε |
| book 8.2 | τοῦθ’· ἕκαστος ἐν |
| book 8.3 | ταῖς ἀτυχίαις ἥδιστα |
| book 8.4 | πρὸς |
| book 8.5 | τοὺς ὁμοπαθεῖς ὀδύρεται. |
| book 9.1 | οὐδέποτ’ ἀθυμεῖν τὸν κακῶς |
| book 9.2 | πράττοντα δεῖ, ἄνδρες, τὰ βελτίω δὲ προσδοκᾶν ἀεί. |
| book 10.1 | ταχύ γε |
| book 10.2 | στρατιώτης γέγονας ἀντ’ ἐλευθέρου. |
| book 11.1 | οὐ δεῖ λέγειν γὰρ μακάριον τὸν |
| book 11.2 | χρήματα ἔχοντα |
| book 11.3 | πλεῖστα, τὸν δὲ μὴ λυπούμενον. |
| book 12.1 | σχιστὸν |
| book 12.2 | χιτωνίσκον |
| book 12.3 | τιν’ ἐνδέδυκας; |
| book 13.1 | δεῖ τὸν ἀκροατὴν καὶ συνετὸν ὄντως κριτὴν |
| book 13.2 | πρὸ τῶν λεγομένων τὸν βίον διασκοπεῖν, ποῖός |
| book 13.3 | τις ὁ λέγων καὶ πόθεν, καὶ τὴν ἀκμὴν ἐκ |
| book 13.4 | παιδὸς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τί καταθέμενος.[ln_5]αὑτοῦ προδότης κακός |
| book 13.5 | τε τῆς ὥρας φύλαξ· μάλισθ’ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἀνατρέπει πᾶσαν πόλιν. οὐδὲν γὰρ αἰσχρόν ἐστιν αὐτὸν ἀποτυχεῖν. πράττουσι πάντα· τὴν γὰρ αἰσχύνην πάλαι πᾶσαν ἀπολωλέκασι καθ’ ἑτέρας θύρας. |
| book 13.1 | [ln_10]ὅθεν ἐπιχειρεῖ πάντ’ ἀπηρυθριακότως ἕκαστος αὐτῶν, πρὸς δὲ πάντ’ ἐστὶν θρασύς, ψεύδετ’, ἐπιορκεῖ, μαρτυρεῖ, δικορραφεῖ, κλέπτει, τελωνεῖ, ῥᾳδιουργεῖ· τὸ δὲ πέρας, οὐ πόλιν ὅλην |
| book 13.2 | φυλὴν δὲ μαλακὸς ἀνατρέπει·[ln_15]ἐπεὶ κατὰ μέρος τὰς πόλεις, ὦ φίλε, θεῶ, ὑπὸ Λαισποδιῶν γάρ εἰσιν ἀνατετραμμέναι, σκόπει· νεῶν δὲ κατάλογον δόξεις μ’ ἐρεῖν. |
| book 14.1 | εἰς οἰκίαν ὅταν |
| book 14.2 | τις εἰσίῃ φίλου, ἔστιν θεωρεῖν, Νικοφῶν, τὴν |
| book 14.3 | τοῦ φίλου εὔνοιαν εὐθὺς εἰσιόντα τὰς θύρας. ὁ θυρωρὸς ἱλαρὸς |
| book 14.4 | πρῶτόν ἐστιν, ἡ κύων[ln_5]ἔσηνε καὶ προσῆλθ’, ὑπαντήσας δέ τις δίφρον εὐθέως ἔθηκε, κἂν μηδεὶς λέγῃ μηδέν. |
| book 15.1 | μισῶ τύχην |
| book 15.2 | συνοῦσαν ἀτυχεῖ σώματι· ὅστις γὰρ εὐπορῶν, παρὸν ζῆν ἡδέως, κακῶς διάγει, τί ἄν |
| book 15.3 | τις ἄλλ’ ἢ τῇ τύχῃ μέμφοιτο, διότι δυστυχεῖ συνδυστυχεῖ. |
| book 16.1 | οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅτῳ πέποιθας· ἀργυρίῳ, πάτερ; ὃ καιρὸς ὁ τυχὼν |
| book 16.2 | τοῖς μὲν οὐ κεκτημένοις ἔδωκε, τῶν κεκτημένων δ’ ἀφείλετο; |
| book 17.1 | χαλεπὸν τύχη ’στὶ πρᾶγμα, χαλεπόν· ἀλλὰ δεῖ αὐτὴν φέρειν κατὰ τρόπον ὥσπερ |
| book 17.2 | φορτίον. |
| book 18 | χρόνον γὰρ εἰς τὰ πράγματ’ ἂν λάβῃς, ἅπαντα λήξει καὶ κατασταλήσεται. |
| book 19 | μάστιγος οὔσης ὅρκον οἰκέτῃ δίδως; |
| book 20 | ἐργοδοτῶν |
| book 21 | μέλασμα |
| book 22 | ῥάξαι |
| book 23 | συντύχημα |
| book 26.1 | ἐγὼ γὰρ (ἔγωγ’ ἂν Mein.) οὐ τὸν |
| book 26.2 | πλοῦτον ἴδοιμι ὅσος ἐστίν, ἀλλ’ ὅστις αὐτὸν κέκτηται, εἰ ὑπέρτερός ἐστιν ὧν ἔχει. |