Annotation Key:
- highlighted yellow: word/person/place to look up
- highlighted green: put in common terms
- highlighted blue: multiple possible meanings
- highlighted red: common theme
- underlined: context
..................
One thing the Chian poet said very well indeed:
"Like the generation of leaves is the generation of men."
Yet few among mortals who hear this with their ears lay it away in their hearts, for each man has Hope,
Hope which grows by nature in the hearts of the young.
So long as a man possesses the much-desired flower of
youth,
his spirit is light and foolish, and he thinks to no
purpose;
for he has no expectation of growing old or of dying,
nor, while he is healthy, does he entertain thoughts of
pain.
Childish and vain are those who think thus and do not
know
how brief is the time of youth and life
for mortals. But you, heed what I say as you move toward
life's boundary:
stand firm in endurance, taking delight in all good
things.
'One thing': the poet said many things very well; one of many
'the Chian poet...indeed': Homer, author of the Illiad and the Odyssey (1)
' "Like the...men." ': paraphrasing a quote from Homer that discusses how, like the generations of men, old leaves die and fly away as new younger leaves sprout (2)
'Few among mortals': mortals vs immortals; gods vs humans; the idea he presents is typically only known to gods thus the few mortals who understand and take heed are special/gifted. This adds credibility to his assertions that follow.
'lay it...hearts': understand and believe the idea and allow it to change their behavior/thinking
'Hope': both the idea of hope and possible invocation of Elpis, the goddess of Hope (3). The idea that people do not listen to ideas that they do not like as Hope (or wishful thinking) is common especially when discussing the idea that the youth replace the old and youth does not last.
'grows...young': Hope is a natural thing for the young to believe in because their spirits have not yet been crushed by old age; they see anything as a possibility because they are strong and beloved in society.
'much-desired...youth': poetic epithet to compare youth to a flower; flower meaning virginity, blooming, spring, rebirth; youth is always desired
'spirit...foolish': etymology of spirit (from spiritus) means breath or soul; saying that a person's spirit is a certain way is to assert that they are this way to their vary core. (4) Youth are often thought of as foolish and light-hearted in Greek culture because they do not have age and experience. In a culture that honors elders, it is common for the old to think that they young knows nothing.
'thinks to no purpose': does not think about the future or implications of their actions
'no...dying': repetition of the idea that the youth don't think about the future when they are no longer young; think they will be young and live forever
'nor...pain': repetition of the idea that the youth only think in the present and don't consider other possibilities
'Childish...life': repetition of the idea that youth and life are short; reveals the author's moral ideas that those who do not realize these things (presumably the young) are 'childish' and 'vain'. Vain in this sense is taken to mean worthless, rather than the popular definition of self-absorbtion, per its use and etymology (5)
'for mortals': repetition of the division between mortals/immortals, gods/humans
'you': italicized, this likely means that the audience is an individual who is young and special to Simonides because he is privileged to receive his wise guidance
'heed what I say': take it to heart; repetition that most young people hear but don't listen or act on learning that youth is not forever
'life's boundary': the gates of Hades; on your deathbed; old age
'firm in endurance': continue to endure and don't change from who you are
'taking...things': possibly inferring that old age makes people stop taking delight in all things the way that young people do because they become disillusioned that youth and life goes on forever once they hit this time. The speaker would like his young potentially lover to understand this fact early on so that he can continue to be young at heart even into old age, not having been disillusioned by the fact that his youth would not last forever.
Resources used:
(1) Greek Lyric
(2) https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/227064-like-the-generations-of-leaves-the-lives-of-mortal-men
(3) http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Elpis.html
(4) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=spirit
(5) http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=vain&searchmode=none
I chose to annotate the poem the way I did because it relatively duplicates the way I annotate on a regular basis. First reading the poem and noting along the way what to focus on and why, then analyzing it as necessary and looking things up as I go. I also felt that it would be easy to follow even though typed. I chose this poem in particular because it was straightforward, but still poetic and the main idea -that the youth don't value life or understand it the way the elderly do- is relevant even today.
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