Humanitext Reader

Callimachus · Iambs §1.1-1.4r

Return of Hipponax and the Cup of the Seven Sages

Passage 1 of 22 · Greek

Summary

The satirist Hipponax returns from the dead to address the scholars of Alexandria, recounting the story of Bathykles' golden cup passed among the Seven Sages (starting with Thales), Aesop's fable about the animal voices transferred to humans, and the dispute between the laurel and the olive.

§1.2v## Fol. 2 verso Ἀκούσαθ’ Ἱππώνακτος· [ο]ὐ γὰρ ἀλλ’ ἥκω ἐκ τῶν ὅκου βοῦν κολλύ[βου π]ιπρήσκουσιν, φέρων ἴαμβον οὐ μάχην [ἀείδ]οντα [τὴνΒο]υπ[άλ]ειον, [και]νά.
Hear the words of Hipponax; for indeed I have come from the place where they sell an ox for a penny, bearing an iambic verse that does not sing of the battle with Bupalus, new...
. [. . . ἄ]νθρωπος [.
man...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]ἒιν §1.2r## Fol. 2 recto ὤπολλον. . . . . . . ς παρ’ αἰπόλῳ μυῖαι. . φεικες. ’πὸ θύματος Δελφοῦ.
Apollo... like flies at a goat-herd's place...from the sacrifice of a Delphian.
αιμιν. . . . . . . .
to us...
ιν ὦ’κάτη πλήθευς. . ιλοις έν. . . . . . . πνοὴν ἀναλώσει. . . . ν. . . . . λον τὸν τὸν τρίβωνα γυμνώ[σ.
O Hecate of the crowd,...will spend his breath...bare the worn cloak...
. σωπὴ γενέσθω καὶ γράφεσθε τὴν ῥῆσιν.
Let there be silence, and write down my speech.
ἀνὴρ Βαθυκλῆς Ἀρκάς—οὐ μακρὴν ἄξω. . . ν. σ. . . ´. . . ινε, καὶ γὰρ οὐδ’ μέγα σχολάζ[ων] εἰμὶ πὰρ μέσον δινεῖν. . . ευαχερο. . . ς· τ. . . π. ’λαιστι λαιστι. . . ´. . .
A man named Bathykles, an Arcadian—I shall not spin it out long—...for indeed neither am I at leisure to whirl around the middle...
ἐγένετο πά [ν] δ’ εἶχεν οἷσιν ἀνθρώποις θεοὶ τελευ.
it happened, and he had all that men...
. . . . . ας ἐπίστανται. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
the gods know the end...
τοὺς μὲν ἔνθα, τοὺς δ’ ἔνθα ἔστησέ ‹κ›ου κλωστῆρας· εἶχε γὰρ δεσμὸς μέλλοντας ἤδη παρθένοις ἀλινδεῖσθαι.
...some here, others there he set the spinners; for a bond held those who were already about to couple with maidens.
‹ἔπλευσεν ἐς Μίλητον· ἦν γὰρ ἡ νίκη Θάλητος, ὅς τ’ ἦν τἄλλα δεξιὸς γνώμῃ,› §1.3v## Fol. 3 verso καὶ τῆς Ἀμάξης ἐλέγετο σταθμήσασθαι τοὺς ἀστερίσκους, ᾗ πλέουσι Φοίνικες.
He sailed to Miletus; for the victory belonged to Thales, who in other respects was clever in mind, and was said to have measured the stars of the Wain, by which the Phoenicians sail.
εὗρεν δ’ ὁ προυσέληνο[ς] αἰσίῳ σίττῃ ἐν τοῦ Διδυμέος τὸν γέρ [ο]ντα κων ‹εί›ῳ ξύοντα τὴν γῆν καὶ γράφοντα τὸ σχῆμα τοὐξεῦρ’ ὁ φρὺξ Εὔφορβ[ος], ὅστις ἀνθρώπων τρ[ίγ]ωνα καὶ σκ [αληνὰ] πρῶτος ἔγρ[α]ψε καὶ κύκλον ἑπ[ταμήκε’, ἠδὲ νηστεύειν τῶν ἐμπνεό [ντ]ων ε[ἶπεν· οἱ δ’ ὑπήκουσαν οὐ πάντες, ἀλλ’ οὕς εἶχεν [οὕτερος δαίμων.
And the man older than the moon, with a favorable bird-cry, found the old man in the temple of Didymeus, scraping the earth and drawing the figure which the Phrygian Euphorbus discovered, who first of men drew triangles and scalene figures, and a circle of seven lengths, and told them to fast from breathing things; and they obeyed, not all of them, but those who were possessed by the other god.
πρὸς δή [μ]ιν ὧδ’ ἔφησε. [ ἐκεῖ[νο] τοὐλόχρυσον ἐξ.
To him he spoke thus: "That golden thing...
[ οὑμὸ[ς] πατὴρ ἐφεῖτο του[ δοῦ [ναι] τίς ὑμέων τῶν σοφ[ῶν ὀνήιστος τῶν ἑπτά·
my father commanded...
κὴγὼ σοὶ δίδωμ[’ ἀριστεῖον. [Θάλης δὲ τῷ] σκίπωνι τοὔδα[φος πλήξας [καὶ τ]ὴν ὑπήνην τὴτέρῃ [λαβῶν χειρὶ ἐξεῖ[π]ε· τὴν δόσιν μὲν [οὐκ ἀπαρνεῦμαι σὺ δ’ ἐ[.
to give to whichever of you wise men is most profitable, of the seven; and so I give you this prize." Thales, striking the ground with his staff, and grasping his beard with his other hand, spoke: "The gift indeed I do not refuse; but you...
. ]. . εῶνος μὴ λό[ Βί‹α›ς [. . . . . . . . . . ] ειλ[ §1.3r## Fol.
Bias...
3 recto ἀλλ’ ἢν ὁρῇ τις, οὗτος Ἀλκμέων φήσει, καὶ φεῦγε, βάλλει, φεῦγ’, ἐρεῖ, “τὸν ἄνθρωπον. . . . . . τὴν γλῶσσαν ε‹ὶ›λῶν ὡς κύων ὅταν πίνῃ.
But if anyone sees him, "This is Alcmeon," he will say, and "Flee, he strikes, flee from the man!" rolling his tongue like a dog when it drinks.
. . . . . . . . . . τὰ τρά]χηλα γυμνάζει.
...trains the neck.
. . . . . . . . . χλωρὰ σῦκ[α. . .
...green figs...
§1.4v## Fol. 4 verso τἀπὶ Κρόνου· τοῖς ἄντιτ’ ἄ[λλ]οτ’ [ἤλλαξεν, λέγουσι, καί κως [ο] ὐ[κ ὀ]νημέναις [ὀργαῖς δίκαιος ὁ [Ζεύ]ς, οὐ δίκα[ια] δ’ αἰσύμνων τῶν ἑρπετῶν [μ]ὲν ἐξέκοψε τὸ φθέ[γμα, γένος δὲ τοῦτ’ ἀ[νιγ]ρόν, ὥσπερ οὐ κάρτος ἡμέων ἐχόντων χἠτέροις ἀπάρξασθαι, [ἤμει]ψ’ ἐς ἀνδρῶν· καὶ κενὸς [φρ]ε[νῶν] δῆμος [πλεί]ω φιλόψου ψιττακοῦ λε[λήκασιν.
In the time of Cronus; Zeus changed those things with others, they say, and somehow with displeasing anger, Zeus being just, but the rulers unjust, he cut off the voice of the creeping things, and transferred this troublesome race to humans, as if we did not have the power to share even with others; he changed it to men; and the empty crowd of minds babble more than a parrot fond of dainties.
οἱ [δὲ] τραγῳδοὶ τῶν θάλασσαν οἰ[κεύντων ἔχο[υ]σι φωνήν· οἱ δὲ πάντες [ὑμνῳδοὶ καὶ που[λ]ύμυθοι καὶ λάλοι πε[φύκασιν ἐκεῖθεν, ὠνδρόνικε, ταῦτα δ’ Α[ἴσω]πος ὁ Σαρδιην〈ὸ〉ς εἶπεν, ὅντιν’ οἱ Δελφοὶ ᾄδοντα μῦθον οὐ καλῶς ἐδέξαντο.
And the tragic actors have the voice of those who dwell in the sea; and all the singers and those of many stories and the talkative are born from there, O Andronicus.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This Aesop of Sardis said, whom the Delphians did not welcome kindly when he sang his fable.
ἡ] ζοὴ μετέστραπται.
...
. . §1.4r## Fol.
...life is overturned...
4 recto κρηγύως ἐπαιδεύθην. . . . . . . . . . καὶ θεοὺς ἀπρηγεῦντας·
I was educated honestly,...
. . . . . μοχθηρὸς ἐξεκνήμωσε. . . . . . . ἂν ἦν ὀνήισ[το]ς ἄκου[ε] δὴ τὸν αἶνον·
...and gods who do not help;...a wretched man stripped...would have been most profitable.
ἔ[ν κοτε Τμώλῳ δάφνην ἐλαίῃ νεῖ[κος οἱ πάλαι Λυδοὶ λέγουσι θέσθαι· καὶ γὰ[ρ ἦν τανύπτορθον καλόν τε δένδρο[ν σείσασ[α] τοὺς ὅρπηκ[ας.
Hear now the fable: once on Tmolus, the laurel-tree set a dispute with the olive-tree, as the ancient Lydians say; for indeed it was long-branched and a beautiful tree...
. . . .
shaking its branches...
.
...

Notes

  1. ¦92¦ο]ὐ γὰρ ἀλλ’ — Idiomatic expression showing strong assertion (literally "for it is not but that..."), here translated as "for indeed".
  2. ¦112¦κλωστῆρας — Literally "spinners" or "threads of fate", referring metaphorically to the Fates (Moirai) or the thread of destiny/death.
  3. ¦121¦ὁ προυσέληνο[ς] — Literally "older than the moon", a traditional epithet of the Arcadians (based on the myth that they existed before the moon). Here it refers to the Arcadian messenger sent by Bathykles.
  4. ¦163¦τῶν ἑρπετῶν — Genitive of separation dependent on the verb ἐξέκοψε (cut off, deprive). ἑρπετά (literally "creeping things") is used here generically for animals.
  5. ¦201¦ἔ[ν κοτε Τμώλῳ — Hyperbaton with the particle ποτε inserted between the preposition ἐν and its noun Τμώλῳ. It sets the scene of the dispute between the laurel and the olive on Mount Tmolus.

Cite this passage

Callimachus, Iambs §1.1-1.4r. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0533.tlg007.humanitext-grc1:1.1-1.4r

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