Solon 13.74ff (West) Hamilton, Richard Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Fall 1977; 18, 3; Periodicals Archive Online pg. 185

" 

Solon 13.74ff (West) 

Richard Hamilton 

KEp8ErX Tot 8VT)TOLC W7T<Xcav &8rXvaToL, 
" ~"t' ,..... ) ,/... , c\ ~ , Z \ 
ft.TT] U ES ft.VTWV ft.Va..,.,ft.LVETft.L, T]V 01TOTE EVC 

1TEfL!fT]L TELCOfLEVT]V, aAAoTE aAAoc EXEL. (74-76) 

THE GODS give gains to mortals; from them ate appears." Who 
or what is 'them'? There are three possible referents: gains, 
mortals or gods. A few commentators have chosen 'mortals'; 

the vast majority are content with 'gains'. The third possibility, 'gods', 
although it deserves serious consideration, has to my knowledge 
never been proposed. 

From time to time 'mortals' is suggested as the referent for 'them' 
rather than 'gains', but it has not won much approvaP Vlastos says 
that it "seems less likely on stylistic grounds" but does not elaborate.2 

Romisch argues that ate is made visible to mortals rather than by 
them and cites Iliad 17.244 as proof.3 Linforth gives several reasons: 
"the unemphatic position of the ft.lhwv, the ease with which it is re­
ferred to KEp8w, and the statement which follows ... all argue against 
this view."4 Many critics either reject 'mortals' in favor of 'gains' 
without comment5 or do not even suggest that there is a choice.6 

1 So w. C. Greene, Moira (Cambridge [Mass.] 1944) 37 n.151, citing Wehrli and Reinhardt, 
and, apparently, M. L. West, Studies in Greek Elegy and Iambus (Berlin 1974) 181: "it is to the 
gods that they [men] must look for increase, bur their own conduct is the cause of Ate and 
the punishment of Zeus." R. Lattimore, "The First Elegy of Solon ," AlP 68 (1947) 178 n.50, 
is less positive: "this is also possible, but not, I believe, necessary." 

2 G. Vlastos, "Solonian Justice," CP 41 (1946) 78 n.90. So also E. Romisch, Swdien zur 
iilteren griechischen Elegie (frankfurt 1933) 25: "das ist schon sprachlich vollig unmoglich." 

3 Romisch, op.cit. (supra n.2) 25. 
4 1. M. Linforrh, Solon the Athenian (Berkeley 1919) 242-
5 K. Ziegler, "Solon als Mensch und Dichter," N.Jbb 49 (1922) 204; W. Jaeger, Paideia f2 

(transl. G. Highet, Oxford 1945) 451 n.52; A. W. Allen, "Solon's Prayer to the ['vluses," 
TAPA 80 (1949) 60 n.21; G. Muller, "Der homerische Ate-Begriff und Solons Musenelegie," 
Navicula Chiloniensis (Leiden 1956) 11 n.l; D. A. Campbell, Greek Lyric Poetry (New York 
1967) 240; D. E. Gerber, Euterpe (Amsterdam 1970) 130. 

6 U. von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Sappho und Simonides (Berlin 1913) 267; C. M. Bowra, 
Early Greek Elegists (Cambridge [Mass.] 1938) 98; A. Masaracchia, Solone (Florence 1958) 239; 
K. Bi.ichner, "Solons Musengedicht," Hermes 87 (1959) 169; H. Frankel, Early Greek Poetry 
and Philosophy (transl. M. Hadas and J. Willis, New York 1975) 236. 

185 



186 SOLON 13.74ff (WEST) 

The difficulty with taking 'gains' as the referent for 'them' is that 
then we have the gods giving gains which bring ate, whereas earlier 
in the poem Solon had distinguished god-given wealth, which is 
secure, from wealth violently obtained (to use Gerber's phrase), 
which brings ate (9-13): "this time there is no distinction between 
honest and dishonest riches."7 Frequently scholars interpret the 
latter passage in terms of the former: "it is wealth in the hands of 
irresponsible men that brings arT,,';8 "sie ersteht aus unrecht erwor­
benem Besitz, das erhellt aus der Beziehung zu v. 13 der Elegie";9 
"verses 74-76 can be brief because the point had been developed at 
length in 7-32."10 Muller and Campbell cite fr.6.3f (West): "surfeit 
bears hybris when much wealth follows men whose mind is not 
sound."11 But then we must ask why Solon would clearly specify 
both agent (men) and causes (much wealth, unsound mind) in fr.6 
but say simply 'gains' in fr.13. If these critics are correct, we must 
conclude of Solon that "he is too vague."12 

A different solution is possible, one that is much simpler and that 
requires no supplements by the reader. If we understand 'gods', not 
'gains' or 'mortals', as the referent for 'them' (and it is the nearest of 
the three), we have an entirely different statement that is wholly in 
keeping with the rest of the poem: "the gods give wealth to mortals; 
and from the gods ate appears." The idea is then restated more specif­
ically: "Zeus sends ate as punishment," just as earlier (53-55) Solon 
amplified his statement that Apollo makes one a prophet by saying 
that a man recognizes evil from afar (i.e., is a prophet) "if the gods 
are with him" (Campbell's phrase). The point of 74-75, then, is that 
the gods give both good (gains) and evil (ate), just as Solon said in 
63-64: "Fate brings to mortals evil and good; the gifts of the im-

7 Linforth, op.cit. (supra n.4) 110. Similarly J. Stallmach, Ate (Meisenheim 1968) 61 n.87: 
"es besteht eine Unausgeglichenheit mit dem Anfang der Elegie." MUller, op.cit. (supra 
n.5) 8 n.l explains: "der handgreifliche Widerspruch zwischen v.74f und v.9f kommt auf 
das Konto von Solons mUhsam ringender Ausdrucksweise." 

8 Campbell, op.cit. (supra n.5) 240. Many commentators simply translate K£pom as 'lust' 
or 'greed': Lin fort h, op.cit. (supra n.4) 241; Bowra, op.cit. (supra n.6) 98; Ziegler, op.cit. 
(supra n.5) 200; Greene, op.cit. (supra n.l) 37; A. Lesky, A History of Greek Literature 
(transl. J. Willis and C. de Heer, L6ndon 1966) 125. 

9 Romisch, op.cit. (supra n.3) 25. 
10 Allen, op.cit. (supra n.5) 60 n.21. 
11 Campbell, op.cit. (supra n.5) 240: MUller, op.cit. (supra n.5) 12. 
12 Lattimore, op.cit. (supra n.1) 179. 



RICHARD HAMIL TON 187 

mortal gods are unavoidable."13 In fact Solon has simply been alter­
nating this idea, that the gods give good and evil (A), with the idea 
that man is ignorant (B) throughout the final section of the poem: 

A. Fate gives mortals good and evil (the gifts of the gods are 
unavoidable) 63-64. 

B. No one knows where he will hold his course once a 
thing is begun (risk is in all deeds) 65-66. 
A. One trying to succeed falls into ate, 
B. lacking forethought 67-68. 

A. The gods give (even) the unsuccessful one good luck, 
B. (and) release from ignorance 69-70. 

B. No end of wealth is clearly established for men (who 
always try for more) 71-73. 

A. The gods give men gains and ate (which comes sooner or 
later) 74-76. 

We find the same ideas, structure and language in Theognis 
133-42: 

A. The gods give ate and gain (mortals are not the cause) 
133-34. 

B. No mortal acts knowing whether the end will be good or 
bad 135-36. 

B. Often thinking he will do evil a man does good and 
vice versa 137-38. 

C. No mortal gets as much as he wishes; "the limits of 
grievous helplessness hold him back" (Gerber) 139-40. 

B. We mortals know nothing and think in vain 141. 

A. The gods complete all according to their intention 142. 

A pleasant consequence of understanding 'gods' as the referent for 
'them' is that the long-standing dispute over the object of EXEt in 76 

13 Clearly there is no distinction here between Fate and the gods, just as there is none 
between Apollo and the gods in 53-55 or, as I have argued above, between the gods and 
Zeus in 74-76. 



188 SOLON 13.74ff (WEST) 

can now be resolved.14 Since 'gains' is eliminated from the immediate 
context, the only possible object is ate.1S 

BRYN MAWR COLLEGE 

June, 1977 

14 For 'gains': Ziegler, op,cit. (supra n.5) 204; Allen, op.cit. (supra n.5) 60; MUller, op.cit. 
(supra n.5) 11 n.l; Frankel, op.cit. (supra n.6) 236 n.41. For ate: Wilamowitz, op.cit. (supra 
n.6) 263; Linforth, op.cit. (supra n.4) 241; Romisch, op.cit. (supra n.2) 26; Masaracchia, 
op.cit. (supra n.6) 243; Campbell, op.cit. (supra n.5) 240; Gerber, op.cit. (supra n.5) 130. 
Undecided: Jaeger, op.cit. (supra n.5) 451 n.52; Lattimore, op.cit. (supra n.l) 178; BUchner, 
op.cit. (supra n.6) 169 n.1. 

15 D. E. Gerber has pointed out to me that Theognis 230-31 may support my interpreta­
tion: "there a.ppocvVTJ has supplanted alJava'Tot, and when this was done am-ulV was also 
changed fO am-fie. In other words, it looks as though Theognis may have taken am-wv in 
Solon to refer to tilJava'Tot." I would like to thank also J. H. Gaisser, M. L. Lang, R. Lattimore 
and P. M. Smith.