Aeschylus
Aeschylus
Aeschyluswas an ancient Greek tragedian. His plays, alongside those of Sophocles and Euripides, are the only works of Classical Greek literature to have survived. He is often described as the father of tragedy: critics and scholars' knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving plays. According to Aristotle, he expanded the number of characters in theater to allow conflict among them, whereas characters previously had interacted only...
NationalityGreek
ProfessionPoet
truth pain suffering
The truth Has to be melted out of our stubborn lives By suffering. Nothing speaks the truth, Nothing tells us how things really are, Nothing forces us to know What we do not want to know Except pain. And this is how the gods declare their love.
truth lying lips
For the lips of Zeus do not know how to lie, but bring to fulfilment every word.
truth lying men
Oaths are not the credit of men but men of oaths.
pain truth want
Nothing forces us to know What we do not want to know Except pain
war firsts truth-is
Truth is always the first casualty of war.
happiness prayer mind
But from the good health of the mind comes that which is dear to all and the object of prayer-happiness.
wise believe pride
Search well and be wise, nor believe that self-willed pride will ever be better than good counsel.
evil far ignorant rather wise
I would far rather be ignorant than wise in the foreboding of evil.
greek-poet mother obedience parent success
Obedience is the mother of success, and success the parent of salvation.
advice rebuke
to give advice and to rebuke the sufferer.
gods greek-poet rail upright
For this is the mark of a wise and upright man, not to rail against the gods in misfortune.
pain wall suffering
Oh, it is easy for the one who stands outside the prison-wall of pain to exhort and teach the one who suffers.
pain ends extremity
Take courage; pain's extremity soon ends.
pain memories rain
In visions of the night, like dropping rain, Descend the many memories of pain.