gnomes with drums

 gnomes with drums 

Today’s bit of wisdom - because wisdom always comes in bits - is from Palladas of Alexandria, a teacher of classics (ancient, pagan literature) in the age of the rise of Christianity, that is, sometime during the late fourth or early fifth century. Scholars differ about his dates, but he was almost certainly affected by the campaign of destruction and plundering of pagan temples under Bishop Theophilos (“friend of God”).

     Palladas lost his teaching job, but he seems to have come to terms with Christianity’s “violent advent,” as one scholar has described it; his marriage may have been preparation, as Palladas describes it. He (Palladas, not the scholar) continued to find buyers for his books even after he left academia; he seems even to have found work, though it’s unclear what the work was.

     What he didn’t find was relief in marriage or belief in the Christian God. (Which was a worse trial, “the unknown God” or “the unnamed wife,” is another matter of scholarly disagreement.) Palladas did seem to have found some sustenance, however, in a poetry that has been described as Swiftian, “imbued with [the] deep-rooted, bitter pessimism,” that has comforted many an unhappily married, and many an ungodly,  man.

Tony Harrison’s marvelous translation: Fate didn't hustle Gessius to his death.
                                                                           He ran there well before it, out of breath.

I have known some philosophers, some of whom I have also enjoyed knowing; but for the most part, as soon as they start trying to figure out how things work – instead of how this thing works and that thing works and the third doesn’t – they leave me behind. I still don’t see why tomorrow should be anything like today, which as far as I can tell doesn’t resemble yesterday even if/when wears the same shirt and pants. I don’t see how Australian butterflies are connected with Danish bees, except that we are convinced they must be. I’m not sure we wouldn’t all be happier if the law of gravity were repealed.

     So, I have to absorb the little wisdom that I can from people – like Palladas – that don’t know shit about metaphysics so have to talk about one thing at a time.

You can find that kind of one-off, antick wisdom almost every day on my Facebook page or my Twitter feed. Tech services says you can get to either by clicking somewhere over in that ➠➠ direction. Or, you can some days.

04.18.17