MEDEA: I shall never accept the favors of friends of yours,
Nor take a thing from you, so you need not offer it.
There is no benefit in the gifts of a bad man.[ΜΉΔΕΙΑ: οὔτ᾽ ἂν ξένοισι τοῖσι σοῖς χρησαίμεθ᾽ ἂν
οὔτ᾽ ἄν τι δεξαίμεσθα, μηδ᾽ ἡμῖν δίδου:
κακοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς δῶρ᾽ ὄνησιν οὐκ ἔχει.]Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Medea [Μήδεια], l. 616ff (431 BC) [tr. Warner (1944)]
(Source)
(Source (Greek)). Other translations:No use I of thy friends
Will make, nor aught accept; thy presents spare.
For nothing which the wicked man can give
Proves beneficial.
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]I shall not use thy friends, nor will accept
Aught of thy treasures: give not me; the gifts
Of a bad man can bring no good with them.
[tr. Potter (1814)]Guest-friends of thine shall never profit me.
Nor will I aught of thee: proffer me nothing,
For there's no service in a bad man's gift.
[tr. Webster (1868)]I will have naught to do with friends of thine, naught will I receive of thee, offer it not to me; a villain's gifts can bring no blessing.
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]I will neither use thy friends, nor will I receive aught; do not give to me, for the gifts of a bad man bring no assistance.
[tr. Buckley (1892)]Thy friends! — nothing will I of friends of thine.
No whit will I receive, nor offer thou.
No profit is there in a villain's gifts.
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]The gifts of a bad man bring no good with them.
[tr. Morgan; Bartlett's (1903)]I will not seek thy friends. I will not take
Thy givings. Give them not. Fruits of a stem
Unholy bring no blessing after them.
[tr. Murray (1906)]Nothing would induce me to have dealings with your friends,
Nor to take any gift of yours; so offer none.
A lying traitor's gifts carry no luck.
[tr. Vellacott (1963)]I wouldn’t have any dealings with your friends,
Nor take what you gave, don’t bother offering.
“The gifts of an evil giver bring no gain.”
[tr. Podlecki (1989)]I will accept no help from your friends nor will I take anything from you, so do not offer it. The gifts of a base man bring no benefit.
[tr. Kovacs (Loeb) (1994)]I would not on any terms resort to friends of yours or accept anything from you; make me no such offer; gifts from wicked people bring only harm.
[tr. Davie (1996)]I need neither your money nor your friends. Gifts from an evil man are of no use at all to anyone.
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]We will not be making use of your friends;
I will not take anything from you; don’t give me anything.
The gift of a bad man brings no pleasure.
[tr. Luschnig (2007)]I’ll accept no assistance from your friends,
nor anything from you. Don’t make the offer.
Gifts from a worthless man are without value.
[tr. Johnston (2008)]I would not use your friends nor take a thing from you, so do not give; the gifts of a bad man can do great harm.
[tr. Ewans (2022)]Neither would I make use of your xenoi, nor would I accept anything from you; cease to offer it. Gifts from a kakos man bring no benefit.
[tr. Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25]I will accept no help from your friends nor will I take anything from you, so do not offer it. The gifts of a dishonourable man bring no benefit.
[tr. Kovacs / Zhang / Rogak]
Quotations about:
rebuff
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