Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This lays cities low, this drives men from their homes, this trains and warps honest souls till they set themselves to works of shame; this still teaches folk to practise villainies, and to know every godless deed. But all the men who wrought this thing for hire have made it sure that, soon or late, they shall pay the price.
οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώποισιν οἷον ἄργυρος
κακὸν νόμισμ᾿ ἔβλαστε. τοῦτο καὶ πόλεις
πορθεῖ, τόδ᾿ ἄνδρας ἐξανίστησιν δόμων·
τόδ᾿ ἐκδιδάσκει καὶ παραλλάσσει φρένας
χρηστὰς πρὸς αἰσχρὰ πράγμαθ᾿ ἵστασθαι βροτῶν·
πανουργίας δ᾿ ἔδειξεν ἀνθρώποις ἔχειν
καὶ παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν εἰδέναι.
ὅσοι δὲ μισθαρνοῦντες ἤνυσαν τάδε,
χρόνῳ ποτ᾿ ἐξέπραξαν ὡς δοῦναι δίκην.
κακὸν νόμισμ᾿ ἔβλαστε. τοῦτο καὶ πόλεις
πορθεῖ, τόδ᾿ ἄνδρας ἐξανίστησιν δόμων·
τόδ᾿ ἐκδιδάσκει καὶ παραλλάσσει φρένας
χρηστὰς πρὸς αἰσχρὰ πράγμαθ᾿ ἵστασθαι βροτῶν·
πανουργίας δ᾿ ἔδειξεν ἀνθρώποις ἔχειν
καὶ παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν εἰδέναι.
ὅσοι δὲ μισθαρνοῦντες ἤνυσαν τάδε,
χρόνῳ ποτ᾿ ἐξέπραξαν ὡς δοῦναι δίκην.
Original text (Ancient Greek)
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Notes from Wikiquote
Money! There's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money.
Variants
(tr. Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, 1938; line 295)