Ἔχεις τι
you have something!
Translated by Ross Scaife ✝18 Jan 2004Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
Used of those hunting, either a snake or a fish. One says, "you have something" instead of "you have caught something." Socrates used to counsel himself that he had seized on a thought, referring to his mind, but using the expression for those hunting. For they speak thus to fishermen and fowlers, "you have something?" The old man says, "By Zeus, not I." "Nothing at all?" "Nothing but my cock in my right [hand]". He means his genitals. And he mimics masturbating himself.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ἔχεις τι· ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρευόντων ἤτοι ὄφιν ἢ ἰχθύν. λέγεται δὲ τὸ ἔχεις τι, ἀντὶ τοῦ εἴληφάς τι. συνεβούλευε γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Σωκράτης ὥσπερ ἀναπτῆναι τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐάσαντι τὴν φροντίδα, τῇ τῶν ἀγρευόντων χρησάμενος λέξει. τοῖς γὰρ ἁλιεῦσιν ἢ τοῖς ὀρνιθοθήραις οὕτω φασίν, ἔχεις τι; ὁ δὲ γέρων φησί, μὰ τὸν Δί', οὐδὲν ἔγωγε. οὐδὲν πάνυ; οὐδέν, πλὴν τὸ πέος ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ. τουτέστι τὸ αἰδοῖον. καὶ μιμεῖσθαι τὸν δερμύλλοντα ἑαυτόν.
Betacode
*)/exeis ti: e)pi\ tw=n a)greuo/ntwn h)/toi o)/fin h)\ i)xqu/n. le/getai de\ to\ e)/xeis ti, a)nti\ tou= ei)/lhfa/s ti. sunebou/leue ga\r au)tw=| o( *swkra/ths w(/sper a)napth=nai th\n dia/noian, e)a/santi th\n fronti/da, th=| tw=n a)greuo/ntwn xrhsa/menos le/cei. toi=s ga\r a(lieu=sin h)\ toi=s o)rniqoqh/rais ou(/tw fasi/n, e)/xeis ti; o( de\ ge/rwn fhsi/, ma\ to\n *di/', ou)de\n e)/gwge. ou)de\n pa/nu; ou)de/n, plh\n to\ pe/os e)n th=| decia=|. toute/sti to\ ai)doi=on. kai\ mimei=sqai to\n dermu/llonta e(auto/n.
Notes
- Aristophanes, Clouds 733-734 (two quickfire exchanges between Sokrates and Strepsiades), with comment from the scholia there; cf. pi 987.
"This reflects a common assumption of vulgar humour, that an adult male cannot be in bed alone and awake for long without masturbating" (K.J. Dover ad loc.)
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Revision history4 revisions · last 21 Nov 2012
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweak — David Whitehead
- x-ref — David Whitehead
- modified translation at one point; supplied note; augmented keywords — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ross Scaife ✝