Salt Lake Telegram | 1902-02-07 | Page 2 | Euripides and Kipling

Euripides Euripides- end and nd Kipling To 10 the Editor of ot The Times Times Sir Sir Mr Kipling Is not the first poet to attack the worship of sport I happened today to light upon a a. passage In one of ot the fragments fragments frag frag- ments of Euripides the Euripides the few lines which are practically all that remain of his cat play s which pates ates rather curiously ly Mr Kipling's diatribes diatribes dia dia- dia tribes against fools and muddied muddied muddled mud died oafs I 1 fancy that the passage has never been put into English before so I Iam Iam Iam am compelled to append a version of my own which however lacking in elegance represents I hope the spirit of the original original original nal with tolerable accuracy Of all the myriad pI plagues gu that harass harap ar Greece c Tie sure the tribe of athletes is js the worst l They learn n not how to make a a livelihood livelihood- I O And would r not If it they could u for how w should they v Slaves to a i gullet Wt panders f to a efU paunch Add even v a sliver stiver to their fathers fathers' t store storeNor t Nor can they suffer poverty nor suit Their g ways a ahse hse to Os varying fates f s for being i used i To no h wise habits hardly ca Can thee they change 1 in a adverse youth te teI I lasts fortune While their he r bright They walk admired the darlings of ot the 1 crowd But when the bitterness J of ot age are is come Like worn-out worn garments they are cast aside And much h I 1 bla blame e the custom of ot the the Greeks Who gath gather r from Stat afar to see these men i Honoring their Useless sports sportS' which d do but serve serveTo serveTo To Jo whet the appetite of ot greedy folk tolk For grant a wrestled well or won wonA wonA A footrace deftly pitched a quoit or orA struck i A rl ringing r blow how has he served the State t Why SJ do ye crown crover him Will he quoit in Do b battle hand r for his country or go forth To box Ith th foes who come in armor clad When swords ar are drawn we put these follies from us liS But wise and good men Inen these us well to wreathe With crowns 1 of ct lau laurel el they who rule the State Calm tumults and avert the woes of war Yours January From the London Times