Σιμωνίδης ὁ Κεῖος - Τὸ φευγαλέον τῆς ζωῆς

Τρία ἀποσπάσματα ποιημάτων.
Ἀπόδοσις εἰς τὴν νέα Ἑλληνική, ὑπὸ Γεωργίου Σκιαδᾶ.

Ἀπόσπασμα 6

Ἄνθρωπος ἐὼν μήποτε φήσῃς ὅ,τι γίνεται αὔριον μηδ᾿ ἄνδρα ἰδὼν ὄλβιον, ὅσον χρόνον ἔσσεται· ὠκεῖα γὰρ οὐδὲ τανυπτερύγου μυίας οὕτως ἡ μετάστασις.

Ὡς ἄνθρωπος μὴν πεῖς ποτὲ τὶ αὔριο θὰ γίνει μηδὲ ὅταν δεῖς καλότυχον, γιὰ πόσο χρόνο θά ΄ναι· διότι ἡ μετάπτωση εἶναι πιὸ γρήγορη, ἀπὸ τῆς γοργόφτερης μύγας.

Ἀπόσπασμα 9

Ἀνθρώπων ὁλίγον μὲν κράτος, ἄπρακτοι δὲ μεληδόνες, αἰῶνι δὲ παύρῳ πόνος ἀμφὶ πόνῳ· ὁ δ᾿ ἄφυκτος ὁμῶς ἐπικρεμᾶται θάνατος· κείνου γὰρ ἴσον λάχον μέρος οἵ τ᾿ ἀγαθοὶ ὅστις τε κακός.

Τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἶναι λίγη ἡ δύναμη, κι ἀνώφελες οἱ φροντίδες, στὴ λιγοστὴ ζωὴ πόνος πάνω στὸν πόνο· κι ὁ ἀναπόφευκτος τὸ ἴδιο ἐπάνω σ᾿ ὅλους κρέμεται θάνατος· ἀπὸ κεῖνον ἴσο μερίδιο ἐπήρανε, καὶ οἱ καλοὶ καὶ οἱ κακοί.

Ἀπόσπασμα 10

... οὐκ ἔστιν κακὸν ἀνεπιδόκητον ἀνθρώποισ΄· ὀλίγῳ δὲ χρόνῳ πάντα μεταρρίπτει θεός.

... κακὸ δὲν ὑπάρχει, ποὺ ἄνθρωπος νὰ μὴν τὸ ἀνιμένει· σὲ λίγο χρόνο ὅλα τ᾿ ἀλλάζει ὁ θεός.

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"Coward"

I miss my friends and my guitar
I'm knowing I can travel far
But now I'm only standing here
Completely paralyzed with fear

The fear of who I come to be
Of all the weaknesses in me
I truly thought I was prepared
But now I'm panicked and I'm scared

But how did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
(Coward, coward, coward...)

I lived alone and I was free
To do whatever came to me
But I was craven to [?]
If only I could ever dare

To care but someone else but me
If I would do [?], three
But them I look all of the three
You turn it into starting real

But how did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a...
How did I become a...
How did I become a coward?
(Coward, coward, coward...)

Little girl, little boy
Do you feel my fear?
And do you feel my joy?
Now you've entered my body
Straight to my heart
And into my soul
Grow, grow

And now the voice inside my head
Is telling me to go ahead
You're not (coward! coward!)

But how did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a coward?
How did I become a...
How did I become a...
How did I become a coward?