Τα εφήμερα
Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης (1836–1904), 1888
A katharevousa essayist falls asleep by the Kifissos and overhears mayflies, who live four hours, philosophise about sex, death and reputation. Satire disguised as natural history. A wry, philosophical satire that moves quickly through mayfly debates on sex, death and reputation, with a melancholy undertow.
Feels like wonder and melancholy. About time and memory.
Who it’s for
You may enjoy this if you like philosophical satire, talking insects, and mock-serious essays that turn human vanity inside out. The Greek is katharevousa, a deliberately archaic register, so even native readers may need patience with the long sentences and old vocabulary.
Why read it
It gives you a short, sharp thought experiment about time and reputation, and the pleasure of watching a skeptic use the style he mocked to mock everything else.
Pages from the book
We get drunk in advance on wine we will never drink.
Αλλόκοτον όσον και κοινόν είναι το αίσθημα το άγον ημάς να μεριμνώμεν περί γεγονότων, τα οποία ενδέχεται να επέλθωσιν, όταν δεν θα υπάρχωμεν πλέον, και ν’ αποδίδωμεν μεγάλην σημασίαν εις την περί ημών γνώμην ανθρώπων, οίτινες δεν εγεννήθησαν ακόμη. Μεθύομεν προκαταβολικώς δι’ οίνου, τον οποίον ουδέποτε θα πίωμεν. Ο πάγκοινος και ανεκρίζωτος εκ της καρδίας ημών πόθος μακράς υπάρξεως μ’ εφαίνετο κατά την στιγμήν εκείνην τόσον άτοπος και παράλογος, ώστε ησχυνόμην ν’ ανήκω εις το μωρόν και τρισάθλιον ανθρώπινον γένος και εζήλευα τας πετώσας υπεράνω του ρεύματος μικράς χρυσαλλίδας, τας οποίας επέμενα να ταυτίζω μετά των τρισολβίων εφημέρων. The luckiest creature dies without ever knowing the fear of death.
Μόνον το εφήμερον περί ουδενός έχει να σκεφθή ή ν’ αποφασίση· ζη την μικράν αυτού ζωήν πτερυγίζον χωρίς ουδέποτε να στραφή να κοιτάξη προς δεξιάν ή αριστεράν· το τέλος του επέρχεται άνευ νόσου, άνευ οδύνης και άνευ τρόμου του θανάτου· δεν αισθάνεται εξαντλουμένας του σώματος και της ψυχής του τας δυνάμεις, αλλ’ αποθνήσκει δια μιας εντός δευτερολέπτου, κατά την διάρκειαν ερωτικού σπασμού. Three hours of flight, then a fall like snow that the fish eat.
Τα εφήμερα δύναταί τις να παρατηρήση προ πάντων τας μεσημβρινάς ώρας του θέρους, εξορμώντα εκ του ύδατος ανά πυκνά σμήνη και ομοιάζοντα μικράς καταλεύκους πεταλούδας δύο περίπου εκατοστομέτρων μήκους. Είς τινας χώρας και ιδίως εν Βελγίω και ενιαχού της Γαλλίας είναι κατά τας υγράς ημέρας του θέρους τόσον πολλά, ώστε σχηματίζουσι νεφελώδη θόλον υπεράνω του ρύακος ή της λίμνης. Τα νέφη ταύτα μένουσι μετέωρα επί τρεις ώρας, όσον δηλ. διαρκεί ο βίος των αποτελούντων ταύτα ζωυφίων, περί δε την δύσιν της μόνης αυτών ημέρας τα πτώματα αυτών αρχίζουσι να καταπίπτωσιν ως μικραί νιφάδες χιόνος, τας οποίας καταπίνουσιν απλήστως οι ιχθύες. Τα εφήμερα ουδέποτε αναπαύονται, αλλ’ η ζωή αυτών συνοψίζεται εις έν μόνον τρίωρον ή τετράωρον πτερύγισμα. Ολίγας δε στιγμάς προ του θανάτου, καταπίπτουσιν εκ της γαστρός της θηλείας εν σχήματι βότρυος τα ωά, τα επί τινας στιγμάς επιπλέοντα και έπειτα βυθιζόμενα εις το ύδωρ του ποταμού. Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης.Roïdis was a lifelong skeptic who wrote his sharpest satire in katharevousa — the very purist register he mocked — and left his finest story unfinished at his death in 1904.
Books that feel like this
More by Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης
Πάρεργα (πρόλογος)
Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης, 1893
Why one writer would rather read Spencer than write a page: a comic, sharp argument against Greece's language split.
Αι εξοχαί των Αθηνών
Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης, 1896
A sharp-eyed walker tours Athens' forgotten outskirts in the 1890s, mourning the streams and trees that progress has buried under dust.
Η Πάπισσα Ιωάννα
Εμμανουήλ Ροΐδης, 1866
An irreverent, learned satire in which a clever girl from Mainz climbs to St Peter's chair — and every institution along the way is mocked in polished, delicious prose. 30 words max.
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Questions readers ask
- Is Τα εφήμερα for me?
- You may enjoy this if you like philosophical satire, talking insects, and mock-serious essays that turn human vanity inside out. The Greek is katharevousa, a deliberately archaic register, so even native readers may need patience with the long sentences and old vocabulary.
- What is Τα εφήμερα like?
- A wry, philosophical satire that moves quickly through mayfly debates on sex, death and reputation, with a melancholy undertow. Feels like wonder and melancholy. About time and memory.
- What should I read after Τα εφήμερα?
- If you liked Τα εφήμερα, try The Education of Henry Adams (Henry Adams), Around the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne) and The Time Machine (H. G. Wells).
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