And in the midst the frankincense sends forth
Its holy perfume; and the water's cold,
And sweet, and pure; and golden bread's at hand,
And duly honour'd tables, groaning under
Their weight of cheese and honey;—then an altar,
Placed in the centre, all with flow'rs is crown'd,
And song and feasting occupies the house,
And dancing, and all sorts of revelry:—
Therefore it does become right-minded men
First with well-omen'd words and pious prayers
To hymn the praises of the Gods; and so,
With pure libations and well-order'd vows,
To win from them the power to act with justice—
For this comes from the favour of the Gods;
And you may drink as much as shall not hinder
You from returning home without assistance,
Unless, indeed, you're very old: and he
Deserves to be above his fellows lauded
Who drinks and then says good and witty things,
Such as his memory and taste suggests,—
Who lays down rules, and tells fine tales of virtue;
Not raking up the old Titanic fables,
Wars of the Giants, or the Lapithæ,
Figments of ancient times, mere pleasing trifles,
Full of no solid good; but always speaking
Things that may lead to right ideas of God.
8. And the exquisite Anacreon says—
I do not love the man who, 'midst his cups,
Says nothing but old tales of war and strife,
But him who gives its honour due to mirth,
Praising the Muses and the bright-faced Venus.
And Ion of Chios says—
Hail, our great king, our saviour, and our father!
And let the cupbearers now mix us wine
In silver jugs: and let the golden bowl
Pour forth its pure libations on the ground,
While duly honouring the mighty Jove.
First of the Gods, and first in all our hearts,
We pour libations to Alcmena's son,
And to the queen herself,—to Procles too,
And the invincible chiefs of Perseus' line.
Thus let us drink and sport; and let the song
Make the night cheerful; let the glad guests dance;
And do thou willingly preside among us:
But let the man who's a fair wife at home
Drink far more lustily than those less happy.
Those also who were called the seven wise men used to make drinking parties; "for wine comforts the natural moroseness of old age," as Theophrastus says, in his treatise on Drunkenness.
