Drink deep in the river of classics

About five or six decades ago, students offering English for their degree were encouraged to do classics. Some students used to ask the professor, “Why classics?”

The bespectacled professor looked at them hard and said, “Classics mean the study of ancient Greek and Roman culture, especially their languages and literature.” He reminded them that S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike studied classics at Oxford University. The study of Western Classical Culture made him a brilliant English speaker and writer. There were others who read classics at Peradeniya and Kelaniya Universities. However, today’s university students do not seem to have a soft corner for classics.

With the introduction of Information Technology and a host of science subjects, Western Classical Culture has been thrown to the back seat. Today’s university students know that a knowledge of classics is not going to earn their bread and butter. So, they leave classics to old blokes who prefer to drink deep in Greek and Roman literature. In the Digital Age, pulp novels are leagues ahead of classical literature.

Celebrated writers here and abroad are well versed in classical literature. It is a rule of the thumb that those who do not have even a nodding acquaintance of Greek and Roman literature should not dabble in writing. Putting together English words and sentences will not make anyone a good writer. Effective writing needs a deep knowledge of classical literature. Greek and Roman classical tales have inspired many speakers and writers.

Fiddler in Rome

Most of us have heard the expression “to fiddle while Rome was burning.” It simply means doing nothing or having a good time when you are faced with a grave problem. The striking image of the fiddler comes from a legend that says the Roman emperor Nero ignored a fire that was destroying huge chunks of the city of Rome. Instead of trying to douse the fire, Nero preferred to spend his time playing the fiddle or the violin.

Pandora opened the box and evils escaped into the world

Some historians, however, say that Nero cared for his people. He was, of course, fond of music and the violin had not been invented yet. Nero, in fact, helped the citizens after the city was destroyed by fire. Whatever that may be, Nero has gone down in history as a happy-go-lucky emperor who was selfish to his marrow bone!

On many occasions we have heard the expression, “opening a Pandora’s box,” when we invite a lot of unexpected troubles. The origin of the expression can be traced to a Greek legend according to which the Titan god Prometheus stole fire from heaven and gave it to mankind. It infuriated Zeus, the king of the gods.

He chained Prometheus to a rock and sent birds to eat his liver every day. Zeus then created Pandora, the first woman, and sent her to Prometheus’s brother Epimetheus as a gift. Zeus gave the girl a closed box and told her that it contained her dowry and it must not be opened. As might be expected, Pandora slowly opened the box and hate, jealousy and other evils escaped into the world. However, Pandora also let out hope. Therefore, mankind is not doomed to despair.

Fabian tactics

Another expression we use today is “Fabian tactics.” When you adopt Fabian tactics, you avoid direct confrontation to wear out the enemy. The term is also used to refer to patient, long-term planning to achieve a difficult object. Unknown to many of us, the phrase goes back to the third century BC when the Roman General Fabius Maximus battled against Hannibal of Carthage. Knowing that Hannibal was a formidable enemy, Fabius Maximus did not engage in a direct confrontation. He instructed his men to ambush Carthaginian soldiers and conduct hit-and-run raids. Fabius eventually wore down Hannibal and won the war. However, it took a long time to do so.

When we refer to a precarious or potentially dangerous situation we use the phrase “Sword of Damocles.” Its origin too is quite interesting. When Damocles pestered King Dionysius I with constant speeches about the joys of royal power, the king decided to teach him a lesson. He invited Damocles to a banquet and casually pointed to a sword that was suspended above his head by a single strand of hair. The king told him that the sword represented the danger that comes with great power. According to the legend, Damocles could not enjoy the banquet!

There are many such legends and stories waiting to be picked up by those who care to drink deep in the river of Western Classical Culture!