Βλάκα
idiot, fool
Translated by Jennifer Benedict11 Dec 2001Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
Accusative case.1
[Meaning] a simpleton and a mindless person. It is said because of a certain fish, similar to the (?)sheatfish, so useless that not even a dog could make use of it.2 [In book] four of Republic [Plato says]: "our condition was idiotic."3 As someone might say of the breath from a marine creature, which is insensate. Others [derive it] from Blakeia, the place in Kyme, which Aristotle mentions.4 And in Alexandria there is a blakennomion tax, which astrologers pay, because fools go to them.5
"They let [him], resting and being a fool [sc. as he was], go weep."6
And the accusative of the plural [is]bla/kas .
It [sc. the sense of this word] is a certain fool who does not know how to decide his affairs.
[Meaning] a simpleton and a mindless person. It is said because of a certain fish, similar to the (?)sheatfish, so useless that not even a dog could make use of it.2 [In book] four of Republic [Plato says]: "our condition was idiotic."3 As someone might say of the breath from a marine creature, which is insensate. Others [derive it] from Blakeia, the place in Kyme, which Aristotle mentions.4 And in Alexandria there is a blakennomion tax, which astrologers pay, because fools go to them.5
"They let [him], resting and being a fool [sc. as he was], go weep."6
And the accusative of the plural [is]
It [sc. the sense of this word] is a certain fool who does not know how to decide his affairs.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Βλάκα· αἰτιατική. τὸν εὐήθη καὶ ἀνόητον. εἴρηται δὲ ἀπὸ ἰχθύος τινὸς, ὁμοίου σιλούρῳ, ἀχρήστου δὲ οὕτως ὡς μηδὲ κύνα αὐτῷ χρῆσθαι. Πολιτείας δʹ· βλακικόν τε ἡμῶν τὸ πάθος. ὡς εἰ λέγοι τις πνευμονίαν ἀπὸ τοῦ θαλαττίου ζῴου ὄντος ἀναισθήτου. οἱ δ' ἀπὸ τοῦ πρὸς τῇ Κύμῃ χωρίου τῆς Βλακείας, οὗ μνημονεύει καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης. καὶ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ δὲ τέλος τι βλακεννόμιον, ὃ οἱ ἀστρολόγοι τελοῦσι, διὰ τὸ τοὺς μωροὺς εἰσιέναι πρὸς αὐτούς. ἐλινύοντα καὶ βλακεύοντα κλάειν ἐῶσι. καὶ ἡ αἰτιατικὴ τῶν πληθυντικῶν βλάκας. ἔστι δὲ μωρός τις μὴ εἰδὼς τὰ πράγματα διακρῖναι.
Betacode
*bla/ka: ai)tiatikh/. to\n eu)h/qh kai\ a)no/hton. ei)/rhtai de\ a)po\ i)xqu/os tino\s, o(moi/ou silou/rw|, a)xrh/stou de\ ou(/tws w(s mhde\ ku/na au)tw=| xrh=sqai. *politei/as d#: blakiko/n te h(mw=n to\ pa/qos. w(s ei) le/goi tis pneumoni/an a)po\ tou= qalatti/ou zw/|ou o)/ntos a)naisqh/tou. oi( d' a)po\ tou= pro\s th=| *ku/mh| xwri/ou th=s *blakei/as, ou(= mnhmoneu/ei kai\ *)aristote/lhs. kai\ e)n *)alecandrei/a| de\ te/los ti blakenno/mion, o(\ oi( a)strolo/goi telou=si, dia\ to\ tou\s mwrou\s ei)sie/nai pro\s au)tou/s. e)linu/onta kai\ blakeu/onta kla/ein e)w=si. kai\ h( ai)tiatikh\ tw=n plhquntikw=n bla/kas. e)/sti de\ mwro/s tis mh\ ei)dw\s ta\ pra/gmata diakri=nai.
Notes (6)
- Same material in Photius and elsewhere.↩
- 1Of the noun
bla/c (beta 314), evidently extracted from somewhere. ↩- 2cf. sigma 417. ↩
- 3Plato, Republic 432D (web address 1 below). ↩
- 4Aristotle fr. 525 Rose. ↩
- 5Unattested outside these lexica. ↩
- 6Quotation unidentifiable, but perhaps Aelian (so Adler), as this conjunction of verbs is found in him: History of Animals 4.43. See again at epsilon 861, and cf. kappa 1702.
- 1Of the noun
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from6 entries
- β314Βλάξslack[Meaning] soft, sluggish; relaxed; or stupid.
- β316Βλακεύεταιgets lazy, is lazy[*blakeu/etai] and blakeu/ei: [meaning he/she/it] acts soft. Damascius [writes]: "and spurring on with his speech those who were lazy in action. For idleness he considered not of less account than any [other] evil, but…
- β317Βλακείαlaziness, sloth[Meaning] disdain, stupidity. "Grooms used to take a three-obol [wage] on account of sloth."
- β318Βλακείαlaziness, slackness, sloth[Meaning] leisure, relaxation, looseness. "For he did not entrust matters to the slacknesses or cowardices of generals; rather, he himself presented himself as a general and took the initiative on the war."
- β319Βλακικῶςlazily, slacklyMeaning slowly. "How lazily you are serving."
- ε861Ἐλινύεινto rest[Meaning] to campaign. [Them] idling or spending time. And [sc. also attested is the phrase] "may [he] make fate rest." Meaning may [he] put an end to misfortune. Herodotos [writes]: "the army crossed in seven days and…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 26 Aug 2015
- Revised — David Whitehead
- betacode and other cosmetics — David Whitehead
- tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- tweaked translation, new note 6, tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- tweaked tr; x-refs; more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict