Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THESUS: SIX LETTERS by EURIPIDES

First Line: LETTERS I CANNOT READ, I HAVE NO SKILL
Last Line: THE LAST REMAINING ONE IS LIKE THE THIRD.
Subject(s): LETTERS;

LETTERS I cannot read, I have no skill;
But I will tell their shapes and give clear signs.
A circle measured with the compasses --
And in the middle is a clear device.
The second sign is fashioned of two lines,
And these are parted by a third between.
The third is like a twisted lock of hair,
While in the fourth one line stands up erect,
And on it are three others propped askew.
The fifth is not so easy to describe:
Two lines there are that straddle off apart,
But run together to a single foot:
The last remaining one is like the third.



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