Humanitext Reader

Theophrastus · Fragments §190.1

Three Sources of Honey and Honey from the Air

Passage 196 of 196 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes the three sources of honey (flowers, air, and reeds), explaining the conditions under which honey from the air falls on oak and linden leaves, their physical properties, and the affinity between bees and oaks.

§190.1Fr. 190 Ὅτι αἱ τοῦ μέλιτος γενέσεις τριτταί· ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθῶν καὶ ἐν οἷς ἄλλοις ἐστὶν ἡ γλυκύτης· ἄλλη δʼ ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος ὅταν ἀναχυθὲν ὑγρὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου συνεψηθὲν πέσῃ· γίνεται δὲ τοῦτο μάλιστα ὑπὸ πυραμητόν· ἄλλη δʼ ἐν τοῖς καλάμοις.
That the generations of honey are threefold: either from flowers and other things in which sweetness is present; another from the air, when moisture that has been dispersed is condensed by the sun and falls (and this happens especially around the wheat-harvest); and another in reeds.
Πίπτει δὲ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος μέλι καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ προστυχόντα τῶν φυτῶν.
The honey from the air falls both upon the earth and upon whatever plants it happens to meet.
Εὑρίσκεται δὲ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῖς φύλλοις τῆς δρυὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς φιλύρας διότι πυκνότητα ἔχει ταῦτα καὶ ἔνικμά ἐστι.
And it is found especially on the leaves of the oak and on the linden, because these have density and are moist.
Δεῖ δὲ μήτε τελείως εἶναι ξηρὰ ἴνα μὴ εἰς αὑτὰ ἕλκῃ, μήτε μανὰ ἵνα μὴ διίῃ· ταῦτα δὲ καὶ ἔνικμα καὶ πυκνότητα ἔχει, τὰ δὲ τῆς φιλύρας καὶ γλυκύτητα.
They must be neither completely dry, so that they do not draw (the moisture) into themselves, nor porous, so that they do not let it pass through; and these have both moisture and density, and those of the linden have sweetness as well.
Ἔχει δέ πως ἡ μέλιττα οἰκείωσίν τινα πρὸς τὴν δρῦν.
And the bee seems to have a certain natural affinity with the oak.

Notes

  1. §190.1ἐν οἷς ἄλλοις — A case of attraction (or assimilation) of the relative pronoun. Instead of ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν οἷς ἐστὶν ..., the antecedent is drawn into the relative clause and attracted to the dative case of the relative pronoun, resulting in ἐν οἷς ἄλλοις.
  2. §190.1ὑπὸ πυραμητόν — The preposition ὑπό with the accusative (πυραμητόν, 'wheat-harvest') expresses proximity in time ('around', 'about'). Here it refers to the period of the wheat harvest near the summer solstice.
  3. §190.1ἵνα μὴ εἰς αὑτὰ ἕλκῃ ... ἵνα μὴ διίῃ — The subjects of the subjunctive verbs ἕλκῃ and διίῃ (3rd person singular present subjunctive of διίημι) are the preceding neuter plural noun (ταῦτα, referring to τὰ φύλλα, 'the leaves'), thus taking singular verbs according to classical grammar rules. The latter verb means 'to let pass through' or 'penetrate'.

Cite this passage

Theophrastus, Fragments §190.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0093.tlg010x09.humanitext-grc1:190.1

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