Ἀπώλεσας τὸν οἶνον ἐπιχέας ὕδωρ
you ruined the wine by pouring in water
Translated by William Hutton24 Nov 2000Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
[sc. A proverbial saying] in reference to those who make a mess of things that were previously going well by means of some small fault. Or in reference to those who get what they want by deceit and who deal with things in an insincere fashion. This proverb originated in the Cyclops of Aristias, as Khamaileon says in his book About Satyr-plays.1
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἀπώλεσας τὸν οἶνον ἐπιχέας ὕδωρ· ἐπὶ τῶν τὰ καλῶς πρότερον γενόμενα ὕστερον μικροῦ τινος ἕνεκεν κακοῦ ἀνατρεπόντων. ἢ ἐπὶ τῶν ἃ χαρίζονται δολούντων καὶ μὴ ἀκέραια παρεχομένων. αὕτη δὲ ἡ παροιμία γέγονεν ἐκ τοῦ Ἀριστίου Κύκλωπος, ὥς φησι Χαμαιλέων ἐν τῷ περὶ Σατύρων.
Betacode
*)apw/lesas to\n oi)=non e)pixe/as u(/dwr: e)pi\ tw=n ta\ kalw=s pro/teron geno/mena u(/steron mikrou= tinos e(/neken kakou= a)natrepo/ntwn. h)\ e)pi\ tw=n a(\ xari/zontai dolou/ntwn kai\ mh\ a)ke/raia parexome/nwn. au(/th de\ h( paroimi/a ge/gonen e)k tou= *)aristi/ou *ku/klwpos, w(/s fhsi *xamaile/wn e)n tw=| peri\ *satu/rwn.
Notes (1)
- cf. Diogenianus 2.32 and other paroemiographers; Tosi (cited under alpha 378) no.2205.
- 1On Aristias of Phleious (C5 BCE) see generally OCD(4) s.v. (p.154); this is his fr. 4 Nauck. On the Peripatetic philosopher and scholar Khamaileon of Pontic Herakleia (C4/3) see generally OCD(4) p.304, s.v. Chamaeleon. The claim in alpha 3907 that Khamaileon mentioned a Cyclops called Aristios [sic] is of course a misunderstanding of the present entry. ↩
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Revision history6 revisions · last 30 Aug 2015
- my typo — David Whitehead
- updated 2 refs — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- added primary note; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- modified translation; added note and keyword — David Whitehead
- Translated — William Hutton