Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

EROTIC IN GREEK LITERATURE

and when he beheld a charming woman, he stood still with astonishment, believing that it was a ghost and a delusion caused by evil spirits. But soon afterwards, when he was aware of the corpse beside her, and saw her tears, and her divine face scratched by her nails, he hit upon the truth and took her for a lady who was inconsolable for the loss of her husband. He pulled out a little food from his knapsack, offered it to her in a friendly manner with the addition of all the consolation he could think of, and entreated her with the greatest emotion not to persist in her useless grief or wear out her beautiful breast with unprofitable sighs. ‘We must all die! That cannot be altered!’ said he, ‘we must at one time go into the same little house,’ and did everything else to heal these sores in her heart. But her anguish increased still more at his words of consolation, she got angry, beat her bosom in a rage, tore her hair from her head and strewed it over her beloved husband.

“But the soldier was not a man to allow himself to be so easily discouraged; he continued his consolatory arguments and did all he could to persuade the lady to take some food. Her companion was at first overcome, the smell of the wine, like nectar, had excited her desires ; she shyly reached out her hand to the friendly man, refreshed herself with food and drink, and began herself to attack her lady’s obstinacy.

“<What good will it do you?’ she said, °if hunger now should consume you—if you bury yourself alive—if you drive your pure spirit away before destiny calls it from you? O dear lady, your departed husband knows nothing of your sorrow, your torments do not affect him ! Can you restore him to life in spite of the unalterable will of destiny, should you not rather put aside your womanish prejudices and enjoy the joys of life so long as it is permitted you? Look, even this corpse should teach you how fugitive life is!”

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