8
Mar
2016
0

Ode on Grecian words

The ancient Greeks were wise on so many fronts, none of them mores than wine. To wit:

Alcaeus• “Bronze is the mirror of the form; wine, of the heart.” — Aeschylus

• “Plant no tree sooner than the vine.” — Alcaeus (left)

• “In Vino Veritas” [“In wine is truth”] — Alcaeus

• “Bring water, bring wine, boy! Bring flowering garlands to me! Yes, bring them, so that I may try a bout with love.” — Anacreon

• “Quickly! Bring me a flagon of wine so I might wet my brain and say something clever!” — Aristophanes

• “Wine seems to have the power of attracting friendship; warming and fusing hearts together.” — Athenaeus

Euripedes• “Where there is no wine, there is no love.” — Euripides (left)

• “It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine.” — Heraclitus

• “Wine is an appropriate article for mankind, both for the healthy body and for the ailing man.” — Hippocrates

• “The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine, which sets even a wise man to singing and laughing gently and rouses him up to dance and brings forth words which were better unspoken.”  — Homer

Homer• “Whenever a man is tired, wine is a great restorer of strength.” — Homer (left)

• “Wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile.” — Homer

• “Drink to me with your eyes alone. … And if you will, take the cup to your lips and fill it with kisses, and give it so to me.” — Philostratus

• “When a man drinks wine at dinner, he begins to be better pleased with himself.” — Plato

• “Boys should abstain from all use of wine until after their eighteenth year, for it is wrong to add fire to fire.” — Plato

• “Nothing more excellent or valuable than the juice of the grapes was ever granted by the Gods to man. — Plato (left)

• “Wine fills the heart with courage” — Plato

• “The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarism when they learnt to cultivate the olive and the vine.” — Thucydides

• “So far as drinking is concerned, you have my hearty approval; for wine does of a truth moisten the soul and lull our griefs to sleep … [and with small cups] we shall … be brought by its gentle persuasion to a more sportive mood.” — Xenophon, quoting Socrates

 

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