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Herodotus, Histories 1.32.6 · 1.32.6

What luck keeps away

Solon — ὁ μὲν δὴ μέγα πλούσιος ἀνόλβιος δὲ δυοῖσι προέχει τοῦ εὐτυχέος μοῦνον, οὗτος δὲ τοῦ πλουσίου καὶ ἀνόλβου πολλοῖσι· ὃ μὲν ἐπιθυμίην ἐκτελέσαι καὶ ἄτην μεγάλην προσπεσοῦσαν ἐνεῖκαι δυνατώτερος, ὃ δὲ τοῖσιδε προέχει ἐκείνου· ἄτην μὲν καὶ ἐπιθυμίην οὐκ ὁμοίως δυνατὸς ἐκείνῳ ἐνεῖκαι, ταῦτα δὲ ἡ εὐτυχίη οἱ ἀπερύκει, ἄπηρος δὲ ἐστί, ἄνουσος, ἀπαθὴς κακῶν, εὔπαις, εὐειδής.

"The very rich but unblessed man surpasses the lucky one in two things only, but the lucky man surpasses the rich and unblessed in many. The rich man is better able to fulfil his desires and to bear a great ruin when it falls on him; the other surpasses him in these: he is not so able to bear ruin and desire as the other, but his good luck keeps these off him; he is sound of limb, free of sickness, untouched by troubles, blessed in his children, and fair to look on."

Word by word

Solon

ὁhotheμὲνmèn—δὴdḕ—μέγαmégaveryπλούσιοςploúsiosrichἀνόλβιοςanólbiosunblessedδὲdèbutδυοῖσιdyoîsiin two thingsπροέχειproécheisurpassesτοῦtoûtheεὐτυχέοςeutychéoslucky manμοῦνονmoûnononly,οὗτοςhoûtosthe lucky manδὲdèbutτοῦtoûtheπλουσίουplousíourichκαὶkaìandἀνόλβουanólbouunblessedπολλοῖσιpolloîsiin many·ὃhòthe rich manμὲνmèn—ἐπιθυμίηνepithymíēnhis desiresἐκτελέσαιektelésaito fulfilκαὶkaìandἄτηνátēnruinμεγάληνmegálēna greatπροσπεσοῦσανprospesoûsanfalling on himἐνεῖκαιeneîkaito bearδυνατώτεροςdynatṓterosbetter able,ὃhòthe otherδὲdèbutτοῖσιδεtoîsidein theseπροέχειproécheisurpassesἐκείνουekeínouhim·ἄτηνátēnruinμὲνmèn—καὶkaìandἐπιθυμίηνepithymíēndesireοὐκouknotὁμοίωςhomoíōssoδυνατὸςdynatòsableἐκείνῳekeínōias the otherἐνεῖκαιeneîkaito bear,ταῦταtaûtatheseδὲdèbutἡhēhisεὐτυχίηeutychíēgood luckοἱhoioff himἀπερύκειaperýkeikeeps,ἄπηροςápērossound in bodyδὲdèandἐστίestíhe is,ἄνουσοςánousosfree of sickness,ἀπαθὴςapathḕsuntouchedκακῶνkakônby troubles,εὔπαιςeúpaisblessed in children,εὐειδήςeueidḗsfair to look on.

The setting

Solon compares the rich man and the lucky man point by point.

A note on this passage

Solon argues like a man keeping accounts. The rich man has two advantages: he can buy what he wants, and he can afford to survive atē when it falls on him. Atē is an old and heavy word. In Homer it is both the disaster and the god-sent blindness that walks a man into it; Agamemnon blames Atē for his quarrel with Achilles. The rich man can pay for his ruin. The lucky man simply never meets it.

Then the list, five adjectives in a row with no connecting words: apēros, anousos, apathēs kakōn, eupais, eueidēs. Three begin with a-, "without": without injury, without sickness, without suffering. Two begin with eu-, "well": well-childed, well-looking. Greek can build a whole life out of prefixes, and Solon does: the lucky man is defined by what never happened to him and by the few good things that did.

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Herodotus, Histories 1.32.6 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/herodotus/1.32.6/