Mérimée and the Classics

Speranza

Πᾶσα γυνὴ χόλος ἐστὶν· ἔχει δ’ ἀγαθάς δύο ὥρας, Τὴν μίαν ἐν θαλάμῳ, τὴν μίαν ἐν θανάτῳ.

Woman is like poison; but she has two good hours, in bed, and dead.
Palladas

When Prospero Mérimée published his novella "Carmen" in 1845, he chose to open it with this misogynistic epigram from Palladas.

Mérimée also tried to translate it into French and did not exactly succeed due to the epigram’s complexity.

One should understand that woman is a source of anger and rage.

But she has two good hours: in her bridal room and on her death.

The picture is clear: a true story once told to Mérimée, the assassination of a frivolous mistress by a jealous lover.