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		<title>Euripides -- Medea [Μήδεια], l. 1090ff (431 BC) [tr. @sentantiq (2020)]</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/euripides/84588/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 18:17:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Euripides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anxiety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[childrearing]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[CHORUS: I say that mortals who have no experience Of and have never had children Have a better chance for happiness Than those who bear them. ΚΥΚΛΩΨ: καί φημι βροτῶν οἵτινές εἰσιν πάμπαν ἄπειροι μηδ᾿ ἐφύτευσαν παῖδας προφέρειν εἰς εὐτυχίαν τῶν γειναμένων. By missing out on the burden of how to rear children properly, and [&#8230;]]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="hangingindent">CHORUS: I say that mortals who have no experience<br />
Of and have never had children<br />
Have a better chance for happiness<br />
Than those who bear them.</p>
<p></p>
<p class="hangingindent">ΚΥΚΛΩΨ: καί φημι βροτῶν οἵτινές εἰσιν<br />
πάμπαν ἄπειροι μηδ᾿ ἐφύτευσαν<br />
παῖδας προφέρειν εἰς εὐτυχίαν<br />
τῶν γειναμένων.</p>
<p></p>
<br><b>Euripides</b> (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist<br><i>Medea</i> [Μήδεια], l. 1090ff (431 BC) [tr. @sentantiq (2020)] 
						<br><br><span class="cite">
						

By missing out on the burden of how to rear children properly, and bequeathing them an adequate inheritance, all the while not knowing if the children will turn out to be good people or bad ones. Oh, yeah, and they might die prematurely.

(<a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0113%3Acard%3D1081#:~:text=%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%AF%20%CF%86%CE%B7%CE%BC%CE%B9%20%CE%B2%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%84%E1%BF%B6%CE%BD%20%CE%BF%E1%BC%B5%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%AD%CF%82%20%CE%B5%E1%BC%B0%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BD%0A%CF%80%CE%AC%CE%BC%CF%80%CE%B1%CE%BD%20%E1%BC%84%CF%80%CE%B5%CE%B9%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%B9%20%CE%BC%CE%B7%CE%B4%E1%BE%BD%20%E1%BC%90%CF%86%CF%8D%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%BD%0A%CF%80%CE%B1%E1%BF%96%CE%B4%CE%B1%CF%82%20%CF%80%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%AD%CF%81%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BD%20%CE%B5%E1%BC%B0%CF%82%20%CE%B5%E1%BD%90%CF%84%CF%85%CF%87%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BD%0A%CF%84%E1%BF%B6%CE%BD%20%CE%B3%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%AD%CE%BD%CF%89%CE%BD.">Source (Greek)</a>). Other translations: <br><br>

<blockquote><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab">I maintain,<br>
They who in total inexperience live,<br>
Nor ever have been Parents, are more happy<br>
Than they to whom much progeny belongs.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/nineteentragedi01wodhgoog/page/298/mode/2up?q=%22have+been+parents%22">Wodhull</a> (1782)]  </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>This truth to all will I declare,<br>
The free, th' unwedded, those that claim<br>
No title to a father's name,<br>
Uncumber'd with that care,<br>
The paths of life with purer pleasure trace,<br>
Than those that own a numerous race,<br>
Their inexperience yet untaught<br>
Who have no child.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Bacch%C3%A6_Ion_Alcestis_Medea_Hippolytu/L8tCAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22to%20a%20father%27s%20name%22">Potter</a> (1814)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And now I aver that of mortals those<br>
Who have never wed, or known children theirs,<br>
Than parents are happier far.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Medea_(Webster_1868)#:~:text=And%20now%20I%20aver%20that%20of%20mortals%20those%0AWho%20have%20never%20wed%2C%20or%20known%20children%20theirs%2C%0AThan%20parents%20are%20happier%20far.">Webster</a> (1868)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And amongst mortals I do assert that they who are wholly without experience and have never had children far surpass in happiness those who are parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Plays_of_Euripides_(Coleridge)/Medea#:~:text=And%20amongst%20mortals%20I%20do%20assert%20that%20they%20who%20are%20wholly%20without%20experience%20and%20have%20never%20had%20children%20far%20surpass%20in%20happiness%20those%20who%20are%20parents.">Coleridge</a> (1891)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And I say that those men who are entirely free from wedlock, and have not begotten children, surpass in happiness those who have families.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15081/pg15081-images.html#MEDEA:~:text=And%20I%20say%20that%20those%20men%20who%20are%20entirely%20free%20from%20wedlock%2C%20and%20have%20not%20begotten%20children%2C%20surpass%20in%20happiness%20those%20who%20have%20families">Buckley</a> (1892)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>Now this I say — calm bliss, that ne'er<br>
<span class="tab">Knew love's wild fever of the blood,<br>
<span class="tab">The pains, the joys, of motherhood,<br>
Passeth all parents' joy-blent care.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Tragedies_of_Euripides_(Way)/Medea#:~:text=Now%20this%20I,joy%2Dblent%20care.">Way</a> (Loeb) (1894)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And thus my thought would speak: that she<br>
<span class="tab">Who ne'er hath borne a child nor known<br>
<span class="tab">Is nearer to felicity.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/35451/pg35451-images.html#:~:text=And%20thus%20my%20thought%20would%20speak%3A%20that%20she%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Who%20ne%27er%20hath%20borne%20a%20child%20nor%20known%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20Is%20nearer%20to%20felicity">Murray</a> (1906)]  </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>This I say, that those who have never<br>
Had children, who know nothing of it,<br>
In happiness have the advantage<br>
Over those who are parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/euripides-medea-warner.ocr/page/96/mode/2up?q=1090">Warner</a> (1944)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And this is my opinion: those men or women<br>
Who never had children of their own at all<br>
Enjoy the advantage in good fortune<br>
Over those who are parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/medeaotherplays0000euri/page/50/mode/2up?q=%22this+is+my+opinion%22">Vellacott</a> (1963)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>My conclusion is that people<br>
Who’ve never borne children<br>
Are much happier<br>
Than parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/euripides-medea-podlecki_20220818/page/63/mode/2up?q=%22never+borne+children%22">Podlecki</a> (1989)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>I say that those mortals who are utterly without experience of children and have never borne them have the advantage in good fortune over those who have. <br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0114%3Acard%3D1081#:~:text=I%20say%20that%20those%20mortals%20who%20are%20utterly%20without%20experience%20of%20children%20and%20have%20never%20borne%20them%20have%20the%20advantage%20in%20good%20fortune%20over%20those%20who%20have.">Kovacs</a> (Loeb) (1994); tr. <a href="https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/greekromanmyth/chapter/medea/#euripides:~:text=I%20say%20that%20those%20mortals%20who%20are%20utterly%20without%20experience%20of%20children%20and%20have%20never%20borne%20them%20have%20the%20advantage%20in%20good%20fortune%20over%20those%20who%20have.">Kovacs / Zhang / Rogak</a>]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And I declare that, in the matter of happiness, those mortals who have produced children are less fortunate than those who have no experience at all of parenthood. <br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/medeaotherplays0000euri_d3q9/page/78/mode/2up?q=%22and+i+declare+that%22">Davie</a> (1996)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>So I have this view that those who have no children, children that they have given birth to and have raised, those people are much happier than those who do have any!<br>
[tr. <a href="https://bacchicstage.wpcomstaging.com/euripides/medea/#:~:text=So%20I%20have%20this%20view%20that%20those%20who%20have%20no%20children%2C%20children%20that%20they%20have%20given%20birth%20to%20and%20have%20raised%2C%20those%20people%20are%20much%20happier%20than%20those%20who%20do%20have%20any!">Theodoridis</a> (2004)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>I have come to believe that human beings who <br>
have never had the experience of rearing <br>
children, are much better off than <br>
those of us who are parents. <br>
[tr. <a href="https://diotima-doctafemina.org/translations/greek/euripides-medea/#:~:text=I%20have%20come%20to%20believe%20that%20human%20beings%20who%C2%A01090%0Ahave%20never%20had%20the%20experience%20of%20rearing%C2%A0%0Achildren%2C%20are%20much%20better%20off%20than%C2%A0%0Athose%20of%20us%20who%20are%20parents.%C2%A0">Luschnig</a> (2007)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>So I can claim that among human beings<br>
those who have no experience of children,<br>
who have never given birth to offspring,<br>
such people have far more happiness<br>
than those who have been parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250428122658/https://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/euripides/medeahtml.html#:~:text=So%20I%20can%20claim%20that%20among%20human%20beings%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%20%5B1090%5D%0Athose%20who%20have%20no%20experience%20of%20children%2C%0Awho%20have%20never%20given%20birth%20to%20offspring%2C%0Asuch%20people%20have%20far%20more%20happiness%0Athan%20those%20who%20have%20been%20parents.">Johnston</a> (2008)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>And I say people who have no experience and no children are far more happy than those who have them.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Euripides_Medea/kNBUEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22and%20i%20say%20people%22">Ewans</a> (2022)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>I do declare that those among mortals who are wholly without experience of children’s birth far surpass in happiness those who are parents.<br>
[tr. <a href="https://chs.harvard.edu/primary-source/euripides-medea/#:~:text=I%20do%20declare%20that%20those%20among%20mortals%20who%20are%20wholly%20without%20experience%20of%20children%E2%80%99s%20birth%20far%20surpass%20in%20happiness%20those%20who%20are%20parents.">Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25</a>]</blockquote><br>						</span>
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		<title>Wolfe, Tom -- The Bonfire of the Vanities, ch. 21 (1987)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/wolfe-tom/69990/</link>
		<comments>https://wist.info/wolfe-tom/69990/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jun 2024 18:46:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Wolfe, Tom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boy]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[And in that moment Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later. For the first time he realized that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, [&#8230;]]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And in that moment Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later. For the first time he realized that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could, out of a sense of duty and, perhaps love, adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life.</p>
<br><b>Tom Wolfe</b> (1930–2018) American author and journalist [Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr.]<br><i>The Bonfire of the Vanities</i>, ch. 21 (1987) 
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		<title>Holland, Barbara -- When All the World Was Young, ch. 1 (2005)</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/holland-barbara/55728/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 05 Sep 2022 19:57:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Holland, Barbara]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[My friends and I were all deathly afraid of our fathers, which was right and proper and even biblically ordained. Fathers were angry; it was their job.]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My friends and I were all deathly afraid of our fathers, which was right and proper and even biblically ordained. Fathers were angry; it was their job.</p>
<br><b>Barbara Holland</b> (1933–2010) American author<br><i>When All the World Was Young</i>, ch. 1 (2005) 
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