#✰ — epigrams

[beforevenice]

lips of honey, eyes of fire.

// meleager, tr. by peter whigham, from greek anthology Epigrams

[evilios]

Let us hymn Paean the great god, Apollo; Immortal, gloriously formed, unshorn, soft-haired, Stern-hearted, king, delighting in arrows, giver of life, Joyous, laughing, slayer of giants, sweet-hearted, Son of Zeus, slayer of the dragon, lover of the laurel, Sweet of speech, of ample might, far-shooter, giver of hope, Creator of animals, divine, Jove-minded, giver of zeal, Mild, sweet-spoken, sweet-hearted, gentle-handed, Slayer of beasts, blooming, charmer of the spirit, soft-speaking, Shooter of arrows, desirable, healer, charioteer, Weaver of the world, Clarian, strong-hearted, father of fruits, Son of Leto, pleasant, delighting in the lyre, resplendent, Lord of the mysteries, prophet, magnanimous, thousand-shaped, Lover of the bow-string, wise, stiller of grief, sober, Lover of community, common to all, taking thought for all, benefactor of all, Blessed, making blessed, Olympian, dweller on the hills, Gentle, all-seeing, sorrowless, giver of wealth, Savior from trouble, rose-colored, man-breaker, path-opener, Glittering, wise, father of light, savior, Delighting in the dance, Titan, initiator, revered, Chanter of hymns, highest, stately, of the height, Phoebus, purifier, lover of garlands, cheerer of the spirit, Utterer of oracles, golden, golden-complexioned, golden-arrowed, Lover of the lyre, harper, hater of lies, giver of the soul, Swift-footed, swift-voiced, swift of vision, giver of seasons, Let us hymn Paean the great god, Apollo.

— Anonymous Hymn to Apollo recorded in Greek Anthology, Book IX under number 525 (trans. by W.R. Paton) It lists all of Apollo's epithets in alphabetical order.

[feuilletonette]

Bridgerton S3, they could never make me hate you.

I had been consuming a lot of contents albeit very much revolves around these two darlings, Penelope and Colin. I just couldn't get enough. I was simply never the same after Polin. Never.

It had been pressing weeks when I felt the shed of my old skin upon the compounding insinuations of loss affection toward men of haunting past. In which with all their might would do everything to sabotage the relationship, to run screaming and crying and throwing up to absolutely defy these insurmountable feelings, one could label within the word, love. Until they are utterly consumed by these thoughts and overwhelming need to express such affections where the only way to ever cope results to angry, passionate confessions of love.

I am wild to witness the stark difference of how we see Colin did none of those things because in my conclusion, he wasn't as emotionally constipated and the first three leads and it is such a refreshing medium to see without ever actually stripping him flat. That is what I want: a tender, loving, down bad softboy declaring that if his purpose was to love a woman as great as me, then he shall be a very fulfilled man, indeed.

The argument that he didn't say the 'I love you' enough debate was, in surface, quite understandable but if you start to analyse closely, after the proposal, almost every interactions he's had revolved around finding an opportunity to express his love and admiration to/for Penelope, especially in his conversation with his siblings.

He didn't need to scream his confession, he'd been attuned and embracing it (enthusiastically so) once realised, that is why he was never repulsed of having to speak of it the first place! In fact, he even actively communicates it in the most beautiful way possible.

He sought advice from Violet, followed Anthony straight away when he told him that he should tell her he loves her. Listen to Kate's marital advice. He's open, he's receiving help, he's trying to process his hurt and overcoming his triggers. He's learning to do better but it wasn't perfect. He made mistakes along the way but eventually led him to the path of acceptance.

He wanted to love her better, despite of and in spite of. Colin had always been introspective so when he had discovered the root of his actions, he gathered up the courage to be vulnerable and admit it to Penelope. That he was feeling envious because he never truly felt good enough. But this was recieve to be affirmed of his inherent worth. The thing I love about this couple is that they felt so human and that propelled them to move past such damaging beliefs of themselves to do better.

Don't even get me started with Penelope, I could make dissertations of how well she was written for all anyone could care. Miss girl is ambitious, I love how her mental glow-up was able to comply how well her physical glow-up was executed also. In the end, she needn't to choose between herself and the man she loves.

She can be both independent and cherished by a man, a man who constantly worked on himself because she mattered more than his ego. She may have wavered after various discouragement and she had tried, so so hard to give up her success but she couldn't. Whistledown is something she wouldn't compromise as it would mean betraying a part of herself. So I was glad that upon fighting for it, the people around her soon realised that this is something they could not deny and something they should fight with her not off of her. I'm glad that the show was able to depict that Penelope could have both. Being a succesful, career-driven woman should not cost you your love, or at least the right one. And it's a powerful message to have.

I also love this passage of weilding her power into more productive causes such as giving voice to the voicless. I hope we see more of it for the upcoming season.

Though, of course it's not perfect, with pacing issues and subplots with purpose I had hard time figuring. But if there's one thing I couldn't stress enough, season 3 has so much depth and I was very glad to dive upon the narrowest trenches of it.

It was so beautifully done and that is why I also stand that Polin have the strongest foundation so far as they navigate their biggest block and be the best versions of themselves together, and occasionally, with the help of one another.

P.S I am only talking about the show Polin, I hated the book, but I suppose this would be for another post.

[whereipostnotes]

Even in a crowded room, I'll keep my loving eyes fixated at you. Maybe, because I am too much in love with you, to look at someone else.

[gayalienwilde]

I love that everyone I've seen discuss Velvet Goldmine's soundtrack has said that Bowie refusing to let his songs be used was actually a blessing for the movie, because it's 100% true, but what's funny to me is that, even after all that, Bowie still ended up making it into the soundtrack since he does the backing vocals on "Satellite of Love". I think that's even more perfect than if his songs had been used because it shows how much Bowie was involved in the 70s scene and that it didn't matter if he wouldn't let his music be used, since he'd worked with so many people it makes sense for him to be somewhere in a song of that era used in this movie, so of course legally names and songs have to be replaced but the artistic influence cannot be escaped.

[lionofchaeronea]

An Epigram on Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

Anthologia Palatina XV.23, author unknown

If you wish to master grief, Open up this blessed book And come to it attentively-- Through it, you may easily see The richest way of thinking about What's to come, what is now, And what is past--how joy and pain Are no whit mightier than smoke.

εἰ λύπης κρατέειν ἐθέλεις, τήνδε μάκαιραν ἀναπτύσσων βίβλον ἐπέρχεο ἐνδυκέως, ἧς ὕπο γνώμην ὀλβίστην ῥεῖά κεν ὄψεαι ἐσσομένων, ὄντων ἠδὲ παροιχομένων, τερπωλὴν τ᾽ ἀνίην τε καπνοῦ μηδὲν ἀρειοτέρην.

[latin-literature-tourney]

Latin Literature Tournament - Round 1

Propaganda under the cut!

Cicero Propaganda:

This is literally the Cicero Website! You're gonna be on Classics Tumblr and not vote for him??

He saved the republic, you know

All kidding aside, he genuinely wrote some of the most marvelous prose in the Latin language

Martial Propaganda:

Dude basically invented the modern epigram

Was a Huge Bitch and could sling trash talk like no other. A funnier motherfucker you will never meet

Additional propaganda from his dear friend Pliny

[shayandas]

Writing love poems without being loved is perhaps one of the toughest things I do as a poet.

[dilutedh2so4]

Hera, tortured by the beauty of Ganymede, and with the soul-consuming sting of jealousy in her heart, once spoke thus: "Troy gave birth to a male flame for Zeus; therefore I will send a flame to fall on Troy - Paris, the bringer of woe. No eagle shall come again to the Trojans, but vultures to the feast, the day that the Danai gather the spoils of their labour."

-> Greek Anthology 9.77, Epigram of Antipater of Thessalonica

Sources: English, Greek

[catominor]

alternatively if you understand the commonalities of dress you could actually turn someone wearing a toga to the pub into comedy. hes so uptight he wears a toga to the pub etc etc

[dramatic-dolphin]

i was enjoying this book abt ancient rome and then it hit me with the "earth, lie lightly on her: she lay lightly on you." so now i'll be crying. thanks.

[sivavakkiyar]

Mike Davis, Late Victiorian Holocausts

[whereipostnotes]

Whenever we go out on a date, I wish to bring fresh flowers for you. Whenever I move away from you, I wish to write handwritten love letters and send them with pretty postcards for you. I would like to spend our precious time at small local cafes talking and looking at eachother smile. I would love to write love poems for you everyday through beautiful kisses. I want to be sneaky and check up on your annotated books to find what you like the most and plan our dates, outings and everything according to your likings. I want to spend time with you while listening to the rain at the house or the ocean waves at the beach or the birds chirping in the forest. At, the end of the day, I want go out for late night drives with you and spend sometime looking at the stars while lying on the rooftops or on the grass, with you and say to myself, "I have such a mesmerizing life because of you".

[gayalienwilde]

I love how in Velvet Goldmine the connections with real life are an open secret but there are also a lot of easter eggs for the most avid fans to enjoy. There are various degrees of references, from the more obvious ones to stuff like the club where Brian meets Curt, which is never named in the movie but if you're a fan you immediately know that it's supposed to be Max's Kansas City. Also the fact that these references have to be hidden to avoid getting sued is, in a meta way, kinda like the experience of watching old queercoded movies that couldn't legally be explicit, and being able to understand all the subtext and secret meanings that would fly over your average straight person's head, obviously Todd Haynes as a gay director is probably very familiar with this, so I really like that even in this explicitly queer movie there’s moments that have a double meaning that are specifically directed to a portion of viewers that know what they really mean, the movie even tells us so with the quote "Meaning is not in things but in between them", so the people that can read between the lines get the true meaning of the movie. In the end, even with its general appeal (since you don't need to know anything about the actual real life artists to enjoy the movie), Velvet Goldmine is a movie made by fans for fans, and I love that so much.

[lionofchaeronea]

Death of a Charioteer

Martial, Epigrams X.53

I am the famous Scorpus, glory of the shout-filled Circus, Source of your clapping, Rome, and your brief delight; Envious Lachesis snatched me away at twenty-seven-- Counting my victories, she thought me elderly.

Ille ego sum Scorpus, clamosi gloria Circi, Plausus, Roma, tui deliciaeque breves, Invida quem Lachesis raptum trieteride nona, Dum numerat palmas, credidit esse senem.

Mosaic depicting a charioteer of the albata (White) faction, one of the four factions that dominated Roman chariot racing, with his horse. Artist unknown; 1st half of 3rd cent. CE. From the Villa dei Severi, Baccano; now in the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome.

[assesofparnassus]

Versus

New Hampshiremen mock us Vermonters and the odd state that we are in. But we regard the Granite State fondly, as our feeble, bastard twin.

--Roderick Bates