Cast among the waves, then thrown
On the beach to be met
By men like beasts. There may you
Chew slaves' dark bread
Full of foulness, and shudder,
Freezing, in foam and sea-tangle,
Piss, and puke like a dog,
Helpless, your teeth hammered, broken,
And lost. Let you laugh, then, like you did
Before, pledging our friendship.

--Archilochos

Or:

i hope you end up lost at sea.
and you wash up on a desert island.
and the only people there are hairy savages.
and they only give you moldy old bread to eat.
and you can't chew it because your teeth are all broken.
and you end up on all fours puking.
and you're covered in seaweed.
and it's freezing cold.

and i hope you look as happy
as you did when we swore
best friends forever.


I used this text. And didn't stick too closely, either.


As long as I'm at it:

Listen, lads, you'd better know
what the women get up to while we're gone
and what they'll say when we get back:
"My lover returns from his journey,
and his large ship batters the waves in his haste.
Why didn't he die at sea?
For I have found a youth
who has never worn ox-hide.
[...] at night.
[...]
Straightly [...]
My glances are wound around [...]
like silk threads."

--Xenander