Notes from Wikiquote
Well aware that thou art by nature mortal, magnify the desires of thy heart, delighting thyself in merriments; there is no enjoyment for thee after death. For I too am dust, though I have reigned over great Ninus. Mine are all the food that I have eaten, and my loose indulgences, and the delights of love that I have enjoyed; but those numerous blessings have been left behind. | H. L. Jones, The Geography of Strabo, vi, p. 340. | Know well that thou art mortal: therefore raise
Thy spirit high with long luxurious days.
When thou art dead, thou hast no pleasure then.
I too am earth, who was a king of men
O’er Nineveh. My banquets and my lust
And love-delights are mine e’en in the dust;
But all those great and glorious things are flown.
True doctrine for man’s life is this alone. | J. A. Symonds Jr., "Epitaph on Sardanapalus",
Studies of the Greek Poets (1873), p. 35. | Assured that you are doomed to die, do as your passions crave,
Rejoicing in good cheer; you’ll find no profit in the grave:
For I am ash who once was king of Nineveh the brave:
All that I ate or drank or learned of love’s delights, I have:
But of my rich possessions no penny could I save. | Sir William Marris, "The Tomb of Sardanapalus",
The Oxford Book of Greek Verse in Translation (1938)