Fragments on Fortune and Folly is a modern compilation of twenty-six excerpts attributed to the Athenian comic playwright Menander. These fragments are not derived from a single, unified play but are sententious maxims and snippets of dialogue gathered from later anthologists, such as Stobaeus, and from papyrus discoveries. The collection’s title highlights two central and interconnected themes prevalent in Menander’s New Comedy: the capricious power of Fortune and the role of human folly in shaping what befalls a person. The content illustrates the playwright’s philosophical observations on life, emphasizing the unpredictable force of chance, the consequences of poor judgement, and the importance of virtuous character as a guide through life’s uncertainties. Menander’s complete works were lost after antiquity, surviving only in such fragments quoted by other authors, in papyri from Egypt, and through the Roman adaptations of Plautus and Terence. His influence was profound, shaping the course of Roman comedy and, by extension, much of later European drama. Highly admired in antiquity for his moralizing style, Menander’s mastery of character-driven comedy and ethical reflection has been further confirmed by modern archaeological discoveries.
βρύειν Μένανδρος τὸ μεθύειν ἐν τῇ ἀσπίδι
οὐκ ἔνεστί σοι φυγεῖν
οἰκειότητα, δᾶερ.
ὦ δυστυχής, τί οὐ καθεύδεις;
οὐχ εὕρεσις τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ ἀφαίρεσις.
οἱ τηλικοῦτοι καὶ τοιοῦτοι τῷ γένει·
ὦ δυστυχής, εἰ μὴ βαδιεῖ.
μεστὰς τρίχας φθειρῶν τε καὶ ῥύπου, διδούς
πιεῖν, ἀνηδαξᾶτʼ ἄν, ὥστε μὴ πιεῖν.
ἐπίσχες ὀργιζόμενος. Β. ἀλλὰ βούλομαι.
οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὀργῆς χάριν ἀπείληφεν, πάτερ.
φιλῶ σε, Ὀνήσιμε, καὶ σὺ περίεργος εἶ.
οὐδὲν γὰρ γλυκύτερον ἢ πάντʼ εἰδέναι.
ἐν νυκτὶ βουλάς, ὅπερ ἅπασι γίνεται,
διδοὺς ἐμαυτῷ.
ἃ γὰρ μεθʼ ἡμέραν τις ἐξεσπούδακεν,
ταῦτʼ εἶδε νύκτωρ.
φίλη
πειθοῖ.
τὸν νοῦν ἔχων ὑποχείριον
εἰς τὸν πίθον δέδωκα.
οὐκ ἐλευθέρου φέρειν
νενόμικα κοινωνοῦσαν ἡδονὴν ὕβρει.
τὸν τῇ φύσει
οἰκεῖον οὐδεὶς καιρὸς ἀλλότριον ποιεῖ.
Τύχην ἔχεις, ἄνθρωπε, μὴ μάτην τρέχε.
εἰ δʼ οὐκ ἔχεις, κάθευδε, μὴ κενῶς πόνει.
Φιλῶ σε Ὀνήσιμε, καὶ σὺ περίεργος εἶ.
Οὐδὲν γὰρ γλυκύτερον ἢ πάντʼ εἰδέναι.
