Κρόμμυα ἐσθίειν
to eat onions
Translated by David Whitehead6 Sep 2001Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
Equivalent to crying. For when Alyattes sent to Bias the sage [telling him] to make haste and come to him, "I", Bias said, "have something to tell Alyattes: eat onions".1
And Aristophanes [writes]: "then you had better not eat an onion".2 Meaning you should wail even without onions. And another saying: "to smell onions",3 in reference to those who are weeping.
And Aristophanes [writes]: "then you had better not eat an onion".2 Meaning you should wail even without onions. And another saying: "to smell onions",3 in reference to those who are weeping.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Κρόμμυα ἐσθίειν· ἴσον τῷ κλαίειν· Ἀλυάττῃ γὰρ πέμψαντι πρὸς Βίαντα τὸν σοφόν, ἵνα θᾶττον παρ' αὐτὸν ἥκοι, ἐγώ, φησίν, Ἀλυάττῃ κελεύω κρόμμυα ἐσθίειν. καὶ Ἀριστοφάνης· κρόμμυόν τ' ἄρ' οὐκ ἔδῃ. ἀντὶ τοῦ κλαύσῃ καὶ χωρὶς κρομμύων· ἀντὶ τοῦ δακρύσεις καὶ χωρὶς κρομμύωνος. καὶ ἑτέρα παροιμία· κρομμύων ὀσφραίνεσθαι, ἐπὶ τῶν κλαιόντων.
Betacode
*kro/mmua e)sqi/ein: i)/son tw=| klai/ein: *)alua/tth| ga\r pe/myanti pro\s *bi/anta to\n sofo/n, i(/na qa=tton par' au)to\n h(/koi, e)gw/, fhsi/n, *)alua/tth| keleu/w kro/mmua e)sqi/ein. kai\ *)aristofa/nhs: kro/mmuo/n t' a)/r' ou)k e)/dh|. a)nti\ tou= klau/sh| kai\ xwri\s krommu/wn: a)nti\ tou= dakru/seis kai\ xwri\s krommu/wnos. kai\ e(te/ra paroimi/a: krommu/wn o)sfrai/nesqai, e)pi\ tw=n klaio/ntwn.
Notes (3)
- 1From Diogenes Laertius 1.83. For Bias see beta 270. ↩
- 2Aristophanes, Lysistrata 798, followed by comment from the scholia there (unhelpful: this is a retort to an offer of a kiss). ↩
- 3Aristophanes, Frogs 654. ↩
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Revision history3 revisions · last 18 Mar 2013
- Revised — David Whitehead
- another keyword — David Whitehead
- set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead