Tag: Homeric Language

Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 7: Lines 82-98

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

This is the seventh installment of our working commentary on the Homeric “Battle of Frogs and Mice”. As always, we look forward to comments and suggestions.

82 ῞Υδρος δ’ ἐξαίφνης ἀνεφαίνετο, πικρὸν ὅραμα
83 ἀμφοτέροις• ὀρθὸν δ’ ὑπὲρ ὕδατος εἶχε τράχηλον.
84 τοῦτον ἰδὼν κατέδυ Φυσίγναθος, οὔ τι νοήσας
85 οἷον ἑταῖρον ἔμελλεν ἀπολλύμενον καταλείπειν.
86 δῦ δὲ βάθος λίμνης καὶ ἀλεύατο κῆρα μέλαιναν.
87 κεῖνος δ’ ὡς ἀφέθη, πέσεν ὕπτιος εὐθὺς ἐφ’ ὕδωρ,
88 καὶ χεῖρας ἔσφιγγε καὶ ὀλλύμενος κατέτριζε.
89 πολλάκι μὲν κατέδυνεν ὑφ’ ὕδατι, πολλάκι δ’ αὖτε
90 λακτίζων ἀνέδυνε• μόρον δ’ οὐκ ἦν ὑπαλύξαι.
91 δευόμεναι δὲ τρίχες πλεῖον βάρος εἷλκον ἐπ’ αὐτῷ•
92 ὕδασι δ’ ὀλλύμενος τοίους ἐφθέγξατο μύθους•
93 Οὐ λήσεις δολίως Φυσίγναθε ταῦτα ποιήσας,
94 ναυηγὸν ῥίψας ἀπὸ σώματος ὡς ἀπὸ πέτρης.
95 οὐκ ἄν μου κατὰ γαῖαν ἀμείνων ἦσθα κάκιστε
96 παγκρατίῳ τε πάλῃ τε καὶ εἰς δρόμον• ἀλλὰ πλανήσας
97 εἰς ὕδωρ μ’ ἔρριψας. ἔχει θεὸς ἔκδικον ὄμμα
97α ποινήν τ ἀντέκτισίν τ᾿ ὀρθήν ὅς κ᾿ ἀποδώσει,
98 τοῖς τίσουσί σε μυῶν στρατὸς οὐδὲ ὐπαλύξεις
98a ποινήν αὖ τείσεις σὺ μυῶν στράτῷ οὐδὲ ὐπαλύξεις

Continue reading “Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 7: Lines 82-98” →

Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 6: Lines 67-81

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ 1 Comment

This is installment five of a working commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice. We have posted a translation elsewhere and welcome comments or suggestions on any part of this project.

67 καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἔχαιρεν ὅτ’ ἔβλεπε γείτονας ὅρμους,
68 νήξει τερπόμενος Φυσιγνάθου• ἀλλ’ ὅτε δή ῥα
69 κύμασι πορφυρέοισιν ἐκλύζετο πολλὰ δακρύων
70 ἄχρηστον μετάνοιαν ἐμέμφετο, τίλλε δὲ χαίτας,
71 καὶ πόδας ἔσφιγγεν κατὰ γαστέρος, ἐν δέ οἱ ἦτορ
72 πάλλετ’ ἀηθείῃ καὶ ἐπὶ χθόνα βούλεθ’ ἱκέσθαι•
73 δεινὰ δ’ ὑπεστενάχιζε φόβου κρυόεντος ἀνάγκῃ.
74 οὐρὴν μὲν πρῶτ’ ἔπλασ’ ἐφ’ ὕδασιν ἠΰτε κώπην
75 σύρων, εὐχόμενος δὲ θεοῖς ἐπὶ γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι
76 ὕδασι πορφυρέοισιν ἐκλύζετο, πολλὰ δ’ ἐβώστρει•
77 καὶ τοῖον φάτο μῦθον ἀπὸ στόματός τ’ ἀγόρευσεν•
78 Οὐχ οὕτω νώτοισιν ἐβάστασε φόρτον ἔρωτος
79 ταῦρος ὅτ’ Εὐρώπην διὰ κύματος ἦγ’ ἐπὶ Κρήτην
80 ὡς μῦν ἁπλώσας ἐπινώτιον ἦγεν ἐς οἶκον
81 βάτραχος ὑψώσας ὠχρὸν δέμας ὕδατι λευκῷ

67 ἔχαιρεν: Note the imperfect tense of the verb indicating the continuing action
καὶ τὸ πρῶτον: “At first” adverbial accusative.
ὅρμους: “harbors”; Some manuscripts have λίμνας

68 νήξει: from νήχω “swim”; a post-Homeric word
ῥα: Line-final ῥα is comparatively rare in Homer; τε seems to be aparticle of choice for concluding a line.

69 κύμασι πορφυρέοισιν: “dark waves”; a Homeric phrase, see Il.21.326 (πορφύρεον δ’ ἄρα κῦμα διιπετέος ποταμοῖο) and Od. 11.243 (πορφύρεον δ’ ἄρα κῦμα περιστάθη οὔρεϊ ἶσον). This specific phrase occurs in the probably late Homeric Hymn to Athena (κύμασι πορφυρέοισι κυκώμενος, ἔσχετο δ’ ἅλμη, 12)

ἐκλύζετο: “he was splashed by”; used in conjunction with “waves” in Homer, see Il. 23.61 (ἐν καθαρῷ, ὅθι κύματ’ ἐπ’ ἠϊόνος κλύζεσκον)

πολλὰ δακρύων: “weeping much”; for Homer, it is heroic to cry.

70 ἄχρηστον: “useless”
μετάνοιαν: This is a post-Homeric word, fairly common in Attic Greek and later. Thucydides describes the Athenians’ repentance of their decision to destroy Mytiline: καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ μετάνοιά τις εὐθὺς ἦν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀναλογισμὸς ὠμὸν τὸ βούλευμα καὶ μέγα ἐγνῶσθαι, πόλιν ὅλην διαφθεῖραι μᾶλλον ἢ οὐ τοὺς αἰτίους. (Thucydides 3.36.4) Indeed, compounds with –νοια do not occur in Homer, but become popular in later philosophical and technical works.

τίλλε δὲ χαίτας: “he tore his hair”. Hair and clothing rending is part of a formulaic expression of grief. See Il. 22.406 where Hecuba tears her hair (τίλλε κόμην…)

ἐμέμφετο: “to reproach, find fault with” from μέμφομαι. This verb is found only in ἐπὶ- compounds in Homer, and seems to have a slightly different connotation.

71 ἔσφιγγεν: “he was squeezing”

ἦτορ πάλλετ’: “His heart was leaping”; from πάλλω which functions like an intransitive middle (i.e. πάλλομαι) in Homer. For this phrase, see Iliad 22.451-2: ἐν δ’ ἐμοὶ αὐτῇ / στήθεσι πάλλεται ἦτορ ἀνὰ στόμα, νέρθε δὲ γοῦνα.

72 πάλλετ’ ἀηθείῃ καὶ ἐπὶ χθόνα βούλεθ’ ἱκέσθαι: Some MSS omit this line

ἀηθείῃ: “the novelty” (lit, “unaccustomness”). Forms of this word do appear in Plato, but not earlier. For the form in epic poetry, See Apollonius Rhodius 2.1063-5 αὐτὰρ πασσυδίῃ περιώσιον ὄρνυτ’ ἀυτήν ἀθρόοι, ὄφρα κολῳὸν ἀηθείῃ φοβέωνται / νεύοντάς τε λόφους καὶ ἐπήορα δούραθ’ ὕπερθεν. The concept and lexical root was available, however: cf. Il. 10.493 (νεκροῖς ἀμβαίνοντες• ἀήθεσσον γὰρ ἔτ’ αὐτῶν)

ἱκέσθαι: from ἱκνέομαι, A good Homeric aorist infinitive in this position. Some MSS have ἰδέσθαι but in Homer with ἐπὶ this would be awkward.

73 δεινὰ: Adverbial, “terribly” used in the combination δεινὰ δ’ ὁμοκλήσας in the Iliad (e.g. 20.448).

ὑπεστενάχιζε: “groan beneath”; the compound is not Homeric, but στενάχιζε is.

φόβου κρυόεντος ἀνάγκῃ. “Chilling fear” is a Homeric combination (Il. 9.2) but the full phrase “by necessity of…” is a little tortured.

74 οὐρὴν μὲν πρῶτ’ ἔπλασ’ ἐφ’ ὕδασιν ἠΰτε κώπην
οὐρὴν: “tail”
ἠΰτε κώπην: “like a rudder”
ἐφ’ ὕδασιν: On this see above, 33: Homer does not use plural forms of ὕδωρ. Apollonius Rhodes does, see 3.876: οἵη δέ, λιαροῖσιν ἐν ὕδασι Παρθενίοιο

75 This line basically repeats the same thoughts as line 72
σύρων: “drag, draw” from σύρω
ἱκέσθαι: se on 72 above

76 ὕδασι πορφυρέοισιν: see above on line 69 for κύμασι πορφυρέοισιν. This particular image does not occur in Homer. Some MSS have κύμασι instead of ὕδασι here.

ἐκλύζετο: See on 69, the image is repeated.

πολλὰ: Adverbial accusative

ἐβώστρει: Related to βοάω (“to shout”); rare, but in the Odyssey (12.124). Other MSS have δ᾿ ἐβόα

77 καὶ τοῖον φάτο μῦθον ἀπὸ στόματός τ’ ἀγόρευσεν: This line is omitted by some texts. As a line of speech introduction it is a bit odd: ἀπὸ στόματός does not occur in Homer. ἀγόρευσεν occurs in the Iliad (8.29). Without the line, however, the following lines are indirect speech rather than direct.

78 ἐβάστασε: “to lift up”
φόρτον ἔρωτος: “cargo of love”; see Anacreon fr. 115.1 (φόρτον ῎Ερωτος)

79 ταῦρος ὅτ’ Εὐρώπην: Zeus, disguised as a bull, abducts Europe and takes her to Crete. She gave birth to Minos, Sarpedon and Rhadamanthys. See Apollodorus 3.1. In Homer, comparison to mythological examples (called paradeigmata) is a common motif. See Willcock XXXX and Edmunds XXXX.

80 ἁπλώσας: To make single, unfold, spread out as in ἱστία. Other MSS have instead ἐπιπλώσας
ἐπινώτιον: “on the back”

81 ὑψώσας: “raise on high”
ὠχρὸν δέμας: “pale skin”—perhaps the poet is thinking of the pale color of a frog’s skin

ὕδατι λευκῷ: This could be repunctuated as a question, but the word-order is imperfect. The phrase “white water” appears in Homer (see 23.282) but in connection with bathing.

Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 5: Lines 56-66

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ 2 Comments

This is installment five of a working commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice. We have posted a translation elsewhere and welcome comments or suggestions on any part of this project.

 

56 Πρὸς τάδε μειδήσας Φυσίγναθος ἀντίον ηὔδα•
57 ξεῖνε λίην αὐχεῖς ἐπὶ γαστέρι• ἔστι καὶ ἡμῖν
58 πολλὰ μάλ’ ἐν λίμνῃ καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ θαύματ’ ἰδέσθαι.
59 ἀμφίβιον γὰρ ἔδωκε νομὴν βατράχοισι Κρονίων,
60 σκιρτῆσαι κατὰ γαῖαν, ἐν ὕδασι σῶμα καλύψαι,
61 στοιχείοις διττοῖς μεμερισμένα δώματα ναίειν.
62 εἰ δ’ ἐθέλεις καὶ ταῦτα δαήμεναι εὐχερές ἐστι•
63 βαῖνέ μοι ἐν νώτοισι, κράτει δέ με μήποτ’ ὀλίσθῃς,
64 ὅππως γηθόσυνος τὸν ἐμὸν δόμον εἰσαφίκηαι.
65 ῝Ως ἄρ’ ἔφη καὶ νῶτ’ ἐδίδου• ὁ δ’ ἔβαινε τάχιστα
66 χεῖρας ἔχων τρυφεροῖο κατ’ αὐχένος ἅμματι κούφῳ.

 

56 μειδήσας: “Grinning”, often appears in responses to speeches in Homer, e.g. Il. 23.555 ( ῝Ως φάτο, μείδησεν δὲ ποδάρκης δῖος ᾿Αχιλλεὺς). This masculine participle seems a bit more popular in the Hellenistic period, see Ap. Rhodes 2.61 and Gr. Anth. 12.126.3.

ἀντίον ηὔδα: “He responded, answered back”; a typical Homeric speech introduction for answering.

57 ξεῖνε λίην αὐχεῖς ἐπὶ γαστέρι
λίην: “excessively”, adv.
αὐχεῖς: “You brag about ..” with ἐπὶ γαστέρι. αὐχεῖς is not a Homeric word, but it does appear in Aeschylus (Ag. 1497; cf. Eur. Her. 31 Χο. εἰ σὺ μέγ’ αὐχεῖς).

ἐπὶ γαστέρι: “on your belly” with the sense of “because of”. See Smyth §1689.2c. This is not a typical use of the preposition in Homer. The phrase does appear in the Odyssey (7.216: οὐ γάρ τι στυγερῇ ἐπὶ γαστέρι κύντερον ἄλλο) but the sense there seems more one of addition or comparison (“there is nothing more shameful beyond a belly”).

ἔστι καὶ ἡμῖν: Dative of possession with subject enjambed in the next line.

58 θαύματ’ ἰδέσθαι: This plural (θαύματ’) does not occur in Homer. For the singular with this infinitive, see Hom. Od. 13.108: φάρε’ ὑφαίνουσιν ἁλιπόρφυρα, θαῦμα ἰδέσθαι. The phrase-pattern may have a certain antiquity, however. Cf. the plural at Hes. Th. 834. The rhythmic shape is the same with either ending.

59 ἀμφίβιον…νομὴν: “amphibious realm”; lit. “a double-lived pasture”
Κρονίων: “Son of Kronos”, Zeus, a typical Homeric epithet for Zeus in this position.

60 σκιρτῆσαι κατὰ γαῖαν, ἐν ὕδασι σῶμα καλύψαι: The verb δίδωμι (here, ἔδωκε) often takes an infinitive (i.e. “Zeus grants that we dance upon the earth”). But combined here with the object ἀμφίβιον…νομὴν it seems a bit forced. The chiastic structure of this line (infinitive-prepositional phrases-infinitive) seems rather characteristic of Hellenistic play. Note as well the possible humorous foreshadowing in “covering the body in water” (σῶμα καλύψαι).

61 στοιχείοις: “Parts, or elements”; this is a lengthened or diminutive of στοῖχος which means “row or rank”. The meaning “parts” or “elements” is rather common in philosophical prose. But it also appears more colloquially as well, and a few times in Aesop as in Fab 32.2.9 (“The story shows that no place, no land, no sky nor any part of the water safekeeps murders of men”, ὁ μῦθος δηλοῖ, ὅτι τοὺς φονεῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὔτε γῆς οὔτε ἀέρος οὔτε ὕδατος στοιχεῖον οὔτε τόπος ἄλλος φυλάττει). The root noun certainly was available as early as Homer, cf. “in a ranked line” μεταστοιχί (Il. 23.358)
᾿Αναξίμανδρος Πραξιάδου Μιλήσιος. οὗτος ἔφασκεν ἀρχὴν
καὶ στοιχεῖον τὸ ἄπειρον, οὐ διορίζων ἀέρα ἢ ὕδωρ ἢ ἄλλο τι (Diog. Laert. 2.1)

διττοῖς: Un-Homeric. A word such διπλόος would be more common epic usage. Theognis has the non-Attic Δισσαί (837)

δώματα ναίειν: “to inhabit homes”, still governed by ἔδωκε, i.e. “Zeus has granted that we inhabit…” Cf. Hes. Th. 303: ἔνθ’ ἄρα οἱ δάσσαντο θεοὶ κλυτὰ δώματα ναίειν and νῆσος δενδρήεσσα, θεὰ δ’ ἐν δώματα ναίει (Odyssey 1.51)

μεμερισμένα: “divided” from μερίζω, “to divide”. This participle does not occur in Homer, but it can be found in a scholion to The Odyssey, which says of the Aethiopians: Αἰθίοπες ἀνατολικοὶ καὶ δυσμικοί. κατοικοῦσι δὲ ἀμφότεροι πρὸς τῷ ὠκεανῷ. τούτου χάριν φησὶν “ἔσχατοι ἀνδρῶν.” E. νενέμηνται, μεμερισμένοι εἰσίν. (Scholia in Odysseam, Book 1 Line 23.)This gives the boast of Phusignathos a comic effect by extending his range between the real and semi-mythical worlds. See also line 20, where Okeanoio is a given as a variant of Eridanoio.

62 δαήμεναι: from δάω Homeric infinitive, “to learn”, often with a genitive direct object in Homer Cf. Il. 21.487 (εἰ δ’ ἐθέλεις πολέμοιο δαήμεναι…)

εὐχερές: Lit. “ready-to-hand”, i.e. “easy”

63 βαῖνέ… ἐν: tmesis is common in Homer; ἐμβαίνω is often used with getting on ships.

ἐν νώτοισι: “on my back”. The plural is often used metaphorically in Homer for the sea (e.g. Od. 17.146: οἵ κέν μιν πέμποιεν ἐπ’ εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης.) but this dative form appears twice in references to portions of meat (Il. 7.321; Od. 14.437), although archaic poetry also uses it with horses (see Theognis 249: οὐχ ἵππων νώτοισιν ἐφήμενος• ἀλλά σε πέμψει)

κράτει δέ με μήποτ’ ὀλίσθῃς: from κρατέω (imperative singular, often confused with the third person indicative κρατεῖ); “Hold me tight so you don’t slip off”; The verb κράτει has no parallels in Homer but appears with a genitive object in Sophocles (Philokt. 1292: πρότεινε χεῖρα, καὶ κράτει τῶν σῶν ὅπλων).

64 γηθόσυνος: “Happy”, a Homeric adjective, e.g. Il. 4.272 ( ῝Ως ἔφατ’, ᾿Ατρεΐδης δὲ παρῴχετο γηθόσυνος κῆρ).

ὅππως …εἰσαφίκηαι: Uncontracted middle aorist optative from ὰφικνέομαι (optative because of ὅππως (lengthened from ὅπως for metrical reasons), object clause of effort). This is a Homeric form, though rare: μὴ καὶ ὑπὲρ μοῖραν δόμον ῎Αϊδος εἰσαφίκηαι, 30.336). In Homer, object clauses may take the subjunctive or optative where Attic might use future forms. See Smyth §2217.

65 ῝Ως ἄρ’ ἔφη καὶ: A typical speech conclusion, cf. Il. 1.584 (῝Ως ἄρ’ ἔφη καὶ ἀναΐξας δέπας ἀμφικύπελλον)

ὁ δ’: The particle δέ is frequently used to signal a subject change.

ἐδίδου: Imperfect, 3rd singular active. This form occurs once in Homer (Od. 11.289).

66 χεῖρας ἔχων τρυφεροῖο κατ’ αὐχένος:
τρυφεροῖο: Some manuscripts ἀπαλοῖο. Restored, the phrase recalls Iliadic battle language: ἀντικρὺ δ’ ἁπαλοῖο δι’ αὐχένος ἤλυθ’ ἀκωκή, Il.17.49.

κατ’ αὐχένος: “around, along the neck”. This combination is rare in the Classical period.

ἅμματι κούφῳ: “ghostly brine”; Some manuscripts have ἀλματι καλω̣῀,

 

Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 4: Lines 42-55

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ Leave a comment

This is installment four of a working commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice. We have posted a translation elsewhere and welcome comments or suggestions on any part of this project.

42 οὐδέποτε πτολέμοιο κακὴν ἀπέφυγον ἀϋτήν,
43 ἀλλ’ εὐθὺς μετὰ μῶλον ἰὼν προμάχοισιν ἐμίχθην.
44 ἄνθρωπον οὐ δέδια καί περ μέγα σῶμα φοροῦντα,
45 ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ λέκτρον ἰὼν ἄκρον δάκτυλον δάκνω,
46 καὶ πτέρνης λαβόμην, καὶ οὐ πόνος ἵκανεν ἄνδρα,
47 νήδυμος οὐκ ἀπέφυγεν ὕπνος δάκνοντος ἐμεῖο.
48 ἀλλὰ δύω μάλα πάντα τὰ δείδια πᾶσαν ἐπ’ αἶαν,
49 κίρκον καὶ γαλέην, οἵ μοι μέγα πένθος ἄγουσιν,
50 καὶ παγίδα στονόεσσαν, ὅπου δολόεις πέλε πότμος•
51 πλεῖστον δὴ γαλέην περιδείδια, ἥ τις ἀρίστη,
52 ἣ καὶ τρωγλοδύνοντα κατὰ τρώγλην ἐρεείνει.
53 οὐ τρώγω ῥαφάνους, οὐ κράμβας, οὐ κολοκύντας,
54 οὐ σεύτλοις χλωροῖς ἐπιβόσκομαι, οὐδὲ σελίνοις•
55 ταῦτα γὰρ ὑμέτερ’ ἐστὶν ἐδέσματα τῶν κατὰ λίμνην.

42-53: These lines are omitted by the major manuscripts but are part of the prosodia Byzantina (a collection of lines considered to be interpolations). Lines 44, 45 and 47 have metrical issues. We have included the lines for their stylistic difference and interest. The content is obviously satirical and a welcome break from the previous catalogue of food. Although the speech returns to the subject of food after this section at line 54, the problematic portion adds to the characterization of Crumbthief. Fusillo 1988 argues there are good reasons to consider all of these lines inserted in the 12th century.
 
 

42 ἀπέφυγον: An Attic form. ἀπὸ does not occur in compounds with φεύγω in Homer

πτολέμοιο: πολέμου; the form is very Homeric, e.g. Il. 7.232 (καὶ πολέες• ἀλλ’ ἄρχε μάχης ἠδὲ πτολέμοιο). In the non-Byzantine segments, however, the parodist seems to prefer the other form: e.g. 123, καὶ τοὺς μέν ῥ’ ἐκόρυσσεν ῎Αρης πολέμοιο μεμηλώς,which is an adaptation of a Homeric formula (13.469: βῆ δὲ μετ’ ᾿Ιδομενῆα μέγα πτολέμοιο μεμηλώς). Both spellings coexist in Homer

ἀϋτήν: “Battle cry”; the language in this section clearly borrows from martial Homeric passages.

43 μετὰ μῶλον: “into the fray” often in the phrase “fray of Ares”( μῶλον ῎Αρηος, 18.134). For this phrase, with the verb “to go”, cf. Il. 18.188 πῶς τὰρ ἴω μετὰ μῶλον).

προμάχοισιν ἐμίχθην: “I have mixed among the forefighters” the sentiment is Iliadic, see Il. 4.354: “[You will see] the dear father of Telemachus mixing among the forefighters” (Τηλεμάχοιο φίλον πατέρα προμάχοισι μιγέντα) and 13.642 for the combination with the participle (αὐτὸς δ’ αὖτ’ ἐξ αὖτις ἰὼν προμάχοισιν ἐμίχθη)

44 ἄνθρωπον οὐ δέδια καί περ μέγα σῶμα φοροῦντα
This line is ametrical; the last three feet scan well for dactylic hexameter (περ μέγα σῶμα φοροῦντα) but the first half does not.

δέδια: Perfect of δείδω Homer has δείδια (13.49) and this poem has the lengthened περιδείδια at line 51. For δέδια, see Sophocles Oed. Col. 1469 ( δέδια τόδ’• οὐ γὰρ ἅλιον).

φοροῦντα: “bearing”, here “having” (more like ἔχοντα). For this verb as denoting a physical attribute, see the quotation of Archestratos (4th Century BCE, Sicily) in Athenaeus 1.52.12 ἤδη χρὴ γεραόν, πολιὸν σφόδρα κρᾶτα φοροῦντα “an onld man with a very gray head”.

καί περ: This combination often signals a concessive use of the participle and in Homer typically appear separate as at Il. 1.577 (“I will advise mother even though she already knows herself,” μητρὶ δ’ ἐγὼ παράφημι καὶ αὐτῇ περ νοεούσῃ). The particle περ alone can signal concession in Greek poetry. See Smyth §2083a.

45 ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ λέκτρον ἰὼν ἄκρον δάκτυλον δάκνω
This line is also ametrical (only five feet).
ἄκρον δάκτυλον: “finger tip” or “toe-tip”

46 καὶ πτέρνης λαβόμην
πτέρνης: “ham”; See above on line 29: Πτέρνα mock-epic form adapted from Lat. perna. See LSJ s.v. The lateness of this noun and its probable adaptation from Latin points to a rather late provenance for the date of this poem, especially considering the number of times it occurs (29, 37, 224).

λαβόμην: This form only occurs here. In the middle, λαμβάνω means to “keep hold of” or “to make one’s own” and takes a genitive direct object.

καὶ οὐ πόνος ἵκανεν ἄνδρα: “no pain comes to the man”. For πόνος as simply “pain” see Simonides fr. 15.1 (αἰῶνι δ’ ἐν παύρωι πόνος ἀμφὶ πόνωι)

47 νήδυμος: “sweet”; a typical epithet of sleep (ὕπνος) in Homer, e.g. Il. 14.354 “Sweet sleep went to rush to the ships of the Achaeans” (βῆ δὲ θέειν ἐπὶ νῆας ᾿Αχαιῶν νήδυμος ῞Υπνος).

δάκνοντος ἐμεῖο: Most likely a genitive absolute (i.e. “Sweet sleep never flees when I bite”; but the force of the preposition in ἀπέφυγεν (on which, see above, line 42) might take a genitive object (i.e. “Sweet sleep never fled from my bite”) ἐμεῖο: ἐμοῦ

48 τὰ: The article in Homer is often used as a relative, see line 32 above.
δείδια: See on 44.
πᾶσαν ἐπ’ αἶαν: αἶα (“land”) is a good Homeric word. This phrase is common, see Il. 23.742: (χάνδανεν, αὐτὰρ κάλλει ἐνίκα πᾶσαν ἐπ’ αἶαν)

49 κίρκον: “hawk”; in Homer the hawk is described in a simile (Il. 17.755-759):
“As a flock of starlings or jackdaws moves on,
They squawk constantly when they see a hawk coming on,
Bearing murder for the small birds.
In this way, the sons of the Achaians shrieked when they saw
Aeneas and Hector, and they lost their battle-courage.”

τῶν δ’ ὥς τε ψαρῶν νέφος ἔρχεται ἠὲ κολοιῶν
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες, ὅτε προΐδωσιν ἰόντα
κίρκον, ὅ τε σμικρῇσι φόνον φέρει ὀρνίθεσσιν,
ὣς ἄρ’ ὑπ’ Αἰνείᾳ τε καὶ ῞Εκτορι κοῦροι ᾿Αχαιῶν
οὖλον κεκλήγοντες ἴσαν, λήθοντο δὲ χάρμης.
In the Odyssey, the hawk is a messenger of Apollo (15.526: κίρκος, ᾿Απόλλωνος ταχὺς ἄγγελος• ἐν δὲ πόδεσσι)

καὶ γαλέην: “weasel”

ἄγουσιν: sc. φέρουσιν

50 καὶ παγίδα στονόεσσαν, ὅπου δολόεις πέλε πότμος•
παγίδα: παγίς: “A snare, a trap” but here a “mousestrap”. Forms of this noun appear as early as Aristophanes (Birds, 194 and 527) and Aesop, although in both they refer to snares for birds. An earlier noun (πάγη) overlaps in meaning and both derive from πήγνυμι (“to fix, fasten”). An epigram in the Greek Anthology by Agatheus calls the Trojan Horse a “wooden trap” (αἴθε δ’ ᾿Επειὸς / κάτθανε πρὶν τεῦξαι δουρατέαν παγίδα).

στονόεσσαν: “greivous”, a Homeric adjective cf. Il. 24.721 (θρήνων ἐξάρχους, οἵ τε στονόεσσαν ἀοιδὴν)

δολόεις: “tricky, deceptive”; a post-classical adjectival form.

πέλε: A synonym for ἔστι. The middle form is more common in Homer. For this form, see Il. 19.365 (τοῦ καὶ ὀδόντων μὲν καναχὴ πέλε, τὼ δέ οἱ ὄσσε)

51 πλεῖστον δὴ γαλέην περιδείδια, ἥ τις ἀρίστη,
περιδείδια: “I really fear”. This is a good Homeric form: cf. Il. 10.93 αἰνῶς γὰρ Δαναῶν περιδείδια…). Cf. above on δέδια.

ἥ τις ἀρίστη: Another Homeric phrase in a familiar position. See 17.62. Here, however, the indefinite pronoun seems a bit forced.

52 ἣ καὶ τρωγλοδύνοντα
τρωγλοδύνοντα: “hole-dweller”. Cf. English “troglodyte”.

ἐρεείνει: “seek out”. In Homer, this verb means more frequently “to ask, inquire”. Cf. “to seek” and “to ask” on line 25 above.

53 ῥαφάνους: “cabbage”
κράμβας: “weeds”
κολοκύντας: “pumpkins”

54 οὐ σεύτλοις χλωροῖς: “pale beets”
ἐπιβόσκομαι: “to feed on” usually used of animals in Homer and without the prefix
σελίνοις: “parsely”

55 ἐδέσματα: See above on line 31: “all kinds of treats”; ἐδέσμασι is not found as early as Homer. It seems to rise in popularity in the 4th century BCE (appearing in Xenophon and Aristotle). Forms do appear in Aesop’s Fabulae as well.
κατὰ λίμνην: See above on line 17: “pond.” At Herodotus 4.132 we find βάτραχοι γενόμενοι ἐς τὰς λίμνας. The word λίμνη has a fairly extensive reach: it refers to several different bodies of water, including lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes.

Commentary on the Batrakhomuomakhia, Part 1 (lines 1-8)

~ sententiaeantiquae ~ 5 Comments

We are near completing draft commentary on the Homeric Battle of Frogs and Mice. Starting this week, we will be posting it in sequence on this website. We welcome additional comments and suggestions. For our translation, go here.

  1. ᾿Αρχόμενος πρώτης σελίδος[1] χορὸν ἐξ ῾Ελικῶνος
  2. ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐμὸν ἦτορ ἐπεύχομαι εἵνεκ’ ἀοιδῆς
  3. ἣν νέον ἐν δέλτοισιν ἐμοῖς ἐπὶ γούνασι θῆκα,
  4. δῆριν ἀπειρεσίην, πολεμόκλονον ἔργον ῎Αρηος,
  5. εὐχόμενος μερόπεσσιν ἐς οὔατα πᾶσι βαλέσθαι
  6. πῶς μύες ἐν βατράχοισιν ἀριστεύσαντες[2] ἔβησαν,
  7. γηγενέων ἀνδρῶν μιμούμενοι ἔργα Γιγάντων,
  8. ὡς λόγος ἐν θνητοῖσιν ἔην· τοίην δ’ ἔχεν ἀρχήν.

1 ᾿Αρχόμενος: “Beginning from”, a rather common motif in epic and hymnic poetry. Ap. Rhodes starts: ᾿Αρχόμενος σέο Φοῖβε παλαιγενέων κλέα φωτῶν (cf. Glei 112 ad loc.)

πρώτης σελίδος: translate as “page”. This phrase is associated with Homeric poetry in later writing as in the Gr. Anth (4.2: ῎Ανθεά σοι δρέψας ῾Ελικώνια καὶ κλυτοδένδρου / Πιερίης κείρας πρωτοφύτους κάλυκας / καὶ σελίδος νεαρῆς θερίσας στάχυν ἀντανέπλεξα …) or in the Vita Homeri (Plutarch) where the works of Homer are refered to as the “double pages of heroes” (δισσὰς ἡμιθέων γραψάμενος σελίδας / ὑμνεῖ δ’ ἡ μὲν νόστον ᾿Οδυσσῆος πολύπλαγκτον / ἡ δὲ τὸν ᾿Ιλιακὸν Δαρδανιδῶν πόλεμον) Cf. also Photius 187 (μηδ’ ἐς ῾Ομηρείην σελίδ’ ἔμβλεπε μηδ’ ἐλεγείην / μὴ τραγικὴν Μοῦσαν, μηδὲ μελογραφίην).Some texts have πρῶτον μουσῶν instead of πρώτης σελίδος but the phrase seems rather bland and, with the parallels above adduced, less engaged with poetic traditions.

χορὸν ἐξ ῾Ελικῶνος: see Hesiod Th. 1 (Μουσάων ῾Ελικωνιάδων ἀρχώμεθ’ ἀείδειν) . Heliconian Muses are special to Hesiod but not to be differentiated from the Olympian Muses. Mt. Helicon is in Thrace, but this epithet may have been brought by Thracians to Olympus; see West 1966, 152.

2 ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐμὸν ἦτορ ἐπεύχομαι: introduces indirect statement, accusative subject χορὸν. In Homer ἐπεύχομαι means something closer to “boast” or “threaten” (cf. Il. 21.109; see Od. 15.353 for accusative plus infinitive construction). Here it means more like “to pray or hope”, which is also possible in Homer; see Muellner 1976, 17-67.

εἵνεκ’ ἀοιδῆς: trans as “song” . In Homer, aoidê indicates the action of a performing bard. Cf. Od. 1.340-341. (οἶνον πινόντων• ταύτης δ’ ἀποπαύε’ ἀοιδῆς / λυγρῆς, ἥ τέ μοι αἰὲν ἐνὶ στήθεσσι φίλον κῆρ)

ἣν νέον ἐν δέλτοισιν ἐμοῖς : which I just recently wrote on my tablets” νέον, neuter singular adjective used as adverb. This line is close to a fragment from Callimachus’ Aetia (1.21-22: καὶ γὰρ ὅτε πρώτιστον ἐμοῖς ἐπὶ δέλτον ἔθηκα / γούνασιν, ᾿Α[πό]λλων εἶπεν ὅ μοι Λύκιος•) The earliest appearance of writing with delt- is in Aeschylus. Cf. Prometheus Bound, 789: ἣν ἐγγράφου σὺ μνήμοσιν δέλτοις φρενῶν. Cf. also Eur. Iphigenia Taurica : ἐς τήνδε δ’ ὤικισ’ αἶαν. αἵδ’ ἐπιστολαί, / τάδ’ ἐστὶ τἀν δέλτοισιν ἐγγεγραμμένα. For additional association between delt- and Homer, see Gr. Anth 12.2.1-2: Μὴ ζήτει δέλτοισιν ἐμαῖς Πρίαμον παρὰ βωμοῖς

3 ἐπὶ γούνασι θῆκα: Tmesis with unagumented aorist. Homeric poetry drops augments frequently.

4 δῆριν ἀπειρεσίην: “endless strife”; cf. Il. 17.158 for the stife in war; cf. Od. 24.515: υἱός θ’ υἱωνός τ’ ἀρετῆς πέρι δῆριν ἔχουσι.” δῆριν: line-initial on Hes. Scutum (251 and 306). Cf. Nicander 450. In this position, ἀπειρεσίην appears at Il. 20.58 and Od. 11.621

πολεμόκλονον ἔργον ῎Αρηος: transfered epithet from Ares to the work. Epithet applied to Athena at Anacreonta fr. 55.33

5 εὐχόμενος μερόπεσσιν ἐς οὔατα πᾶσι βαλέσθαι : See line 2 for indirect statement.μερόπεσσιν: “mortals” (see μερόπεσσι βροτοῖσιν, 2.285). The term only appears in the plural and has its origins in meromai plus ops (literally “dividing the voice”, meaning “articulate” or having language). In Homer, the word is only used as an adjective for brotos or anthrôpos. For the imagery of sound striking the ears, see Il. 10.535 ἵππων μ’ ὠκυπόδων ἀμφὶ κτύπος οὔατα βάλλει.

6 πῶς μύες ἐν βατράχοισιν : Used here as an indirect interrogative, i.e. “tell you how the Mice went amog the frogs”. The indirect interrogative use of this form is not common in Homer (though the direct use is).

ἀριστεύσαντες ἔβησαν: various MSS have the future ἀριστεύσοντες instead. The aorist form of this particple does not occur in early poetry. The form ἔβησαν is used with the aorist participle at Od. 5.107. But here the periphrasis has the effect of a progressive aspect: “they went about triumphing among the frogs”.

7 γηγενέων ἀνδρῶν μιμούμενοι ἔργα Γιγάντων
γηγενέων, “earth-born”; Mice live in the earth and are born from it. For the giants, see Hes. Th. 185 and fr. 43a 65 (ἐν Φλέγρηι δ]ὲ Γίγαντας ὑπερφιάλους κατέπεφ[νε). For the connection between the Giants and Mice, both were children of the earth. The comparison to giants is also likely pejorative (giants were arrogant and challenged the cosmic order). And thus absurd. μιμούμενοι is later than Homer (the participle does not occur in hexameter poetry).

8 ὡς λόγος ἐν θνητοῖσιν ἔην• τοίην δ’ ἔχεν ἀρχήν.
Some MSS have epos instead of λόγος (which would be more Homeric). Homeric heroes “enjoy stories” (ἧστό τε καὶ τὸν ἔτερπε λόγοις, ἐπὶ δ’ ἕλκεϊ λυγρῷ, 15.393).
τοίην δ’ ἔχεν ἀρχήν: “this sort of beginning”. This creates a ring structure with the beginning of the proem (᾿Αρχόμενος) and creates the general sort of introduction that is not uncommon to the transition to the actual narrative.