Μῶρα
foolish [things], stupid [things]
Translated by Nick Nicholas6 Aug 2009Vetting: high3 revisions
Translation
Meaning senseless [ones], absurd [ones]. "And there is a saying of the older generation: however many senseless, foolish distresses we choose, they all do us good in the end."1 It is said that Poseidon and Athena disputed over Attica, and Athena won; and that Poseidon, defeated and disappointed, cursed the city and wished that the Athenians would always make bad choices; and that when Athena heard this she added to the curse, that they should make bad choices yet succeed.2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μῶρα· ἀνόητα, παράλογα. λόγος τέ τοι τίς ἐστι τῶν γεραιτέρων, ὅσ' ἀνόητ' ἄχη μῶρα βουλευσόμεθα, ἅπαντ' ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον ἡμῖν ξυμφέρειν. λέγεται ὅτι Ποσειδῶν καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ ἐφιλονείκησαν περὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς, νικῆσαι δὲ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν· καὶ ἡττηθέντα τὸν Ποσειδῶνα καὶ λυπηθέντα καταράσασθαι τῇ πόλει καὶ λέγειν αὐτόν, ὅτι γένοιτο τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἀεὶ κακῶς βουλεύεσθαι· ἀκούσασαν δὲ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν τῆς καταρᾶς προσθεῖναι, ὅτι κακῶς βουλεύεσθαι, καὶ ἐπιτυγχάνειν.
Betacode
*mw=ra: a)no/hta, para/loga. lo/gos te/ toi ti/s e)sti tw=n geraite/rwn, o(/s' a)no/ht' a)/xh mw=ra bouleuso/meqa, a(/pant' e)pi\ to\ be/ltion h(mi=n cumfe/rein. le/getai o(/ti *poseidw=n kai\ *)aqhna= e)filonei/khsan peri\ th=s *)attikh=s, nikh=sai de\ th\n *)aqhna=n: kai\ h(tthqe/nta to\n *poseidw=na kai\ luphqe/nta katara/sasqai th=| po/lei kai\ le/gein au)to/n, o(/ti ge/noito tou\s *)aqhnai/ous a)ei\ kakw=s bouleu/esqai: a)kou/sasan de\ th\n *)aqhna=n th=s katara=s prosqei=nai, o(/ti kakw=s bouleu/esqai, kai\ e)pitugxa/nein.
Notes (2)
- For this headword, neuter plural, see also mu 1338.
- 1Aristophanes, Ecclesiazusae 473-475 (web address 1).
a)/xh is garbled fora)\n kai\ : "however many senseless and foolish [things] we might choose...". ↩ - 2Explanation taken from the scholia ad loc. The same passage and explanation are given at gamma 195. ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from4 entries
- γ195Γεραίτεροςmore reverend, rather reverend[Meaning] more/rather ancient. "For there is a certain story of the more reverend ones: as many things as we might plan that are not worth the hearing or foolish, all things turn out for us for the best." For Poseidon…
- μ1338Μῶρά μοι δοκεῖς φρονεῖνyou seem to me to think foolish thingsMeaning you are naive, now wishing to mollify, since time has reached a critical juncture. Ajax says [this] to Tecmessa. And elsewhere: "isn't your plan foolish, to strive for tyranny without a rabble and allies, a…
- μ1341Μωρόςdull, stupid[Meaning] one who is mindless.
- μ1342ΜῶροςfoolishIn Attic writers it takes a circumflex on the penult. "O foolish men, you do not know what that wisest tragedian said: 'The tongue has sworn, but the mind was unsworn'."
Neighbouring entries
Revision history3 revisions · last 22 Sep 2020
- tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Nick Nicholas