Ἐξηκεστίδης
Exekestides
Translated by David Whitehead29 Jun 2007Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
[sc. is the nominative] and it declines *)echkesti/dou [in the genitive].
Aristophanes [uses the name]: in reference to those who are helpless. For this man they criticise as an alien and a vagrant. Aliens have a superior knowledge of the roads. So when they had lost their way from the road and wandered off [the Athenians] used to say 'not even Exekestides would find the right road'. So [the name] is applied to those who have wandered off from the road.
Aristophanes [uses the name]: in reference to those who are helpless. For this man they criticise as an alien and a vagrant. Aliens have a superior knowledge of the roads. So when they had lost their way from the road and wandered off [the Athenians] used to say 'not even Exekestides would find the right road'. So [the name] is applied to those who have wandered off from the road.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἐξηκεστίδης καὶ κλίνεται Ἐξηκεστίδου. Ἀριστοφάνης· ἐπὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων. τοῦτον γὰρ ὡς ξένον διαβάλλουσι καὶ πλάνον. οἱ δὲ ξένοι μᾶλλον ἴσασι τὰς ὁδούς. ἐξαπορήσαντες οὖν τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ ἀποπλανηθέντες εἶπον· οὐδ' ἂν Ἐξηκεστίδης εὕροι τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν. εἴρηται οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν ὁδοῦ ἀποπλανηθέντων.
Betacode
*)echkesti/dhs kai\ kli/netai *)echkesti/dou. *)aristofa/nhs: e)pi\ tw=n a)mhxa/nwn. tou=ton ga\r w(s ce/non diaba/llousi kai\ pla/non. oi( de\ ce/noi ma=llon i)/sasi ta\s o(dou/s. e)caporh/santes ou)=n th=s o(dou= kai\ a)poplanhqe/ntes ei)=pon: ou)d' a)\n *)echkesti/dhs eu(/roi th\n eu)qei=an o(do/n. ei)/rhtai ou)=n e)pi\ tw=n o(dou= a)poplanhqe/ntwn.
Notes
- After the opening grammatical point, the entry derives from the scholia to Aristophanes, Birds 11 (web address 1), where this proper name appears: Peisetairos says to Euelpides that 'not even Exekestides' could find his way home from where they are.
On Exekestides, again at Birds 764-5 (kappa 352) and 1527 and evidently a topical and notorious figure at the time of this play (414 BCE), see Dunbar 137-8.
For the proverb implied by the last sentence here see (e.g.) Appendix Proverbiorum 2.70.
References
Aristophanes, Birds, edited with introduction and commentary by Nan Dunbar (Oxford 1995)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
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Revision history8 revisions · last 16 Jan 2016
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaked note — Catharine Roth
- upgraded link — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- typo — David Whitehead
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes — David Whitehead
- added link, set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead