Καλαμίτης
Kalamites, Calamites; reed-like
Translated by Jennifer Benedict10 Mar 2008Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
Either in reference to the stalk of the grain; or a proper name. And Demosthenes in the [speech] On the Crown [writes]: "in the shack next to the hero Kalamites."1
And the feminine form [is] Kalamitis.2
"[She] cherished the grasshopper for two years."3 Meaning loved [it].4
And the feminine form [is] Kalamitis.2
"[She] cherished the grasshopper for two years."3 Meaning loved [it].4
Greek original · Adler’s text
Καλαμίτης· ἢ ἐπὶ τῆς καλάμης τοῦ σίτου· ἢ κύριον ὄνομα. καὶ Δημοσθένης ἐν τῷ ὑπὲρ τοῦ Στεφάνου· ἐν τῷ κλισίῳ τῷ πρὸς τῷ Καλαμίτῃ ἥρωϊ. καὶ θηλυκὸν ἡ Καλαμῖτις. δισσοὺς ἐς λυκάβαντας ἐφίλατο τὴν καλαμῖτιν. ἀντὶ τοῦ ἐφίλησεν.
Betacode
*kalami/ths: h)\ e)pi\ th=s kala/mhs tou= si/tou: h)\ ku/rion o)/noma. kai\ *dhmosqe/nhs e)n tw=| u(pe\r tou= *stefa/nou: e)n tw=| klisi/w| tw=| pro\s tw=| *kalami/th| h(/rwi+. kai\ qhluko\n h( *kalami=tis. dissou\s e)s luka/bantas e)fi/lato th\n kalami=tin. a)nti\ tou= e)fi/lhsen.
Notes (4)
- 1Demosthenes 18.129 (web address 1 below). There is some debate over the identity of "the hero Kalamites" (
tw=| Kalami/th| h(/rwi ). This may be a physician or bone-setter (one who uses splints,ka/lamoi ) named Heros who is mentioned in Demosthenes 19.249. Alternatively it may be a hero named "Kalamites", possibly identical with the Lycian "Hero [Author, Myth] Physician". See Essay 6 in Goodwin's edition of Demosthenes: also Bonner (below) pp. 43-48. ↩ - 2Either a woman's proper name or the noun meaning "grasshopper", derived from the insect's presence in grain fields among the stalks (
kala/mai ). ↩ - 3Greek Anthology 7.198.5 (Leonidas of Tarentum), an epitaph for Philaenis's pet grasshopper; see also epsilon 3926 which quotes this line. Also refer to Gow and Page (vol. I, 114), (vol. II, 330-332), and another extract from this epigram at tau 1159. Gow and Page (vol. I, 114) note that here the Anthologia Palatina (AP) transmits
kalami/thn , the masculine accusative singular form of the headword. However, Gow and Page (ibid.) follow the AP scribe designated C (the Corrector) and the Suda in readingkalami=tin , the feminine form, which is not found elsewhere, and has puzzled scholars both ancient and modern; cf. Gow and Page (vol. II, 331) and the previous note. Indeed, Paton (113) translates this noun as "a thing that looked like a straw". ↩ - 4The form quoted from the poem is
e)fi/lato , a form of the third person singular, aorist middle indicative, common in epic. The entry glosses this with the Attic form of the verb more common in classical and later Greek literature.
See also kappa 194 and kappa 198. ↩
References
Campbell Bonner, "Notes on a Certain Use of the Reed, with Special Reference to Some Doubtful Passages," Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 39, (1908), pp. 35-48
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1965)
W.R. Paton, trans., The Greek Anthology, vol. II, (London, 1919)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge, 1965)
W.R. Paton, trans., The Greek Anthology, vol. II, (London, 1919)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from5 entries
- δ1545Δρυοκοίτηςoak-dweller"Shedding her virgin tears, the maiden Myro built a common tomb for the locust which sings in the fields and the oak-dweller cicada."
- ε3926Ἐφίλατοcherished[Meaning he/she/it] loved. "For two years [she] cherished the grasshopper."
- κ194Καλάμηstalk[Meaning] the ear of the grain.
- κ195Καλάμηstalk; stubble[The term is taken] from wood [ka=lon], [i.e.] timber; but [it is] the same from "burning" [kau/sews].
- κ198Καλαμώμενοςstalk-binding, reaping[Meaning one] gathering ears of grain. For a 'stalk' [is] the ear of the grain. Also [sc. attested is] 'they bind stalks', [meaning] they make a profit.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history8 revisions · last 11 Mar 2021
- expanded n.2, added to bibliography, added cross-reference — Ronald Allen
- cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
- punctuation typo n.2 — Ronald Allen
- tweaked note — Catharine Roth
- coding — David Whitehead
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- added bibliography — Catharine Roth
- another keyword; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Jennifer Benedict