Tuesday Poem: from Fragment 542, Simonides Of Keos

“So I shall never waste my life-span in a vain useless hope, seeking what cannot be, a flawless man among us all who feed on the fruits of the broad earth. If I find him, I will bring you news.

But I praise and love every man who does nothing base from free will. Against necessity, even gods do not fight.”

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by Simonides, ca. 556 – 468 BC

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On Sunday, I discussed Mary Renault’s novel The Praise Singer, which is based on the life of the lyric poet, Simonides of Keos, during the classical Greek era....