Cato's Distichs

“Cato's Distichs” is a collection of moral advice, instructions, and appeals, composed by an unknown author in the 3rd–4th century AD, voiced in hexameter couplets. The late antique tradition attributed these texts to the ancient Roman statesman Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder (234–149 BC), who for centuries served as a model of courage and civic virtue and was considered an indisputable authority on moral issues. Exceptionally popular during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, “Cato’s Couplets” became one of the bridges that connect ancient and post-ancient Europe in a continuous cultural and ideological continuity. The publication contains a full translation of “The Couplets” into Ukrainian, accompanied by reflections and considerations shared with the reader by the translator.