Two Poems from Antiquity

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Best of All

Best of all is never to be born, never to see the blood-
     orange sun swelter the hills and high meadows.
But once you're born then best of all to hurry on through
     the gates of hell and, once inside, lie
down under a caprocked gash of moldering earth.

~Theognis



Adonis in the Underworld

Of all the pleasures in the upper world,
     what I miss most is sunlight,
after that the stars, a full moon, summer's
     late season harvest of fruits
cucumber, apple, pomegranate, pear.

~Praxilla


Translated by Sherod Santos