Μαρσύας
Marsyas
Translated by Ross Scaife ✝20 Nov 2003Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
A story is told about Hormisdas the Persian [sc. king],3 who deserted to Constantine the Great.4 This man, after going out on a hunt and returning to the palace, when the men invited to dinner did not stand in the proper way, he threatened to inflict on them the death of Marsyas. Having learned about this from one who heard it, some of the Persians after the father's death proclaimed the younger [sc. son] king; Hormisdas they locked up in a prison and iron fetters. But his wife let him out after introducing a metal file hidden in a fish, and then he ran off to Constantine as a suppliant. The story [is] clear.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μαρσύας· ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῶν Ἰουδαίων Κριτῶν καὶ Μαρσύας ἐγένετο σοφός, ὅστις ἐφεῦρε διὰ μουσικῆς αὐλοὺς ἀπὸ καλάμων καὶ χαλκοῦ· ὃς παραφρονήσας ἔρριψεν εἰς ποταμὸν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀπώλετο· καὶ ὠνομάσθη ὁ ποταμὸς Μαρσύας· περὶ οὗ μῦθος φέρεται, ὅτι ἑαυτὸν ἀποθεώσας ἀπώλετο. κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους ἐγένετο καὶ τὰ κατὰ Ἰάσονα καὶ τοὺς Ἀργοναύτας, ὡς Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Ῥόδιός φησι. λέγεται μῦθος, ὅτι ἐξεδάρη ὑπὸ Ἀπόλλωνος. καὶ φέρεται λόγος περὶ Ὁρμίσδου τοῦ Πέρσου, ὃς ηὐτομόλησε πρὸς Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν μέγαν. ἐξελθὼν γὰρ ἐπὶ θήραν οὗτος καὶ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ὑποστραφείς, τῶν κεκλημένων ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον οὐκ ἐξαναστάντων κατὰ τὸ καθῆκον, ἠπείλησε τὸν Μαρσύου θάνατον αὐτοῖς ἐπιθήσειν. τοῦτο παρά τινος ἀκηκοότος ἀναμαθόντες οἱ τῶν Περσῶν μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν νεώτερον ἀναγορεύουσι βασιλέα· τὸν δὲ ἀποκλείουσιν ἐν εἱρκτῇ καὶ σιδήροις πεδοῦσιν· ὃν ἡ γαμετὴ διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἰχθύος μηχανῆς ῥίνην εἰσενεγκοῦσα ἐξήγαγε, καὶ ἀποδρὰς ἱκέτης πρὸς Κωνσταντῖνον ἔρχεται. ἡ ἱστορία δήλη.
Betacode
*marsu/as: e)n toi=s xro/nois tw=n *)ioudai/wn *kritw=n kai\ *marsu/as e)ge/neto sofo/s, o(/stis e)feu=re dia\ mousikh=s au)lou\s a)po\ kala/mwn kai\ xalkou=: o(\s parafronh/sas e)/rriyen ei)s potamo\n e(auto\n kai\ a)pw/leto: kai\ w)noma/sqh o( potamo\s *marsu/as: peri\ ou(= mu=qos fe/retai, o(/ti e(auto\n a)poqew/sas a)pw/leto. kata\ de\ tou\s au)tou\s xro/nous e)ge/neto kai\ ta\ kata\ *)ia/sona kai\ tou\s *)argonau/tas, w(s *)apollw/nios o( *(ro/dio/s fhsi. le/getai mu=qos, o(/ti e)ceda/rh u(po\ *)apo/llwnos. kai\ fe/retai lo/gos peri\ *(ormi/sdou tou= *pe/rsou, o(\s hu)tomo/lhse pro\s *kwnstanti=non to\n me/gan. e)celqw\n ga\r e)pi\ qh/ran ou(=tos kai\ ei)s ta\ basi/leia u(postrafei/s, tw=n keklhme/nwn e)pi\ to\ dei=pnon ou)k e)canasta/ntwn kata\ to\ kaqh=kon, h)pei/lhse to\n *marsu/ou qa/naton au)toi=s e)piqh/sein. tou=to para/ tinos a)khkoo/tos a)namaqo/ntes oi( tw=n *persw=n meta\ qa/naton tou= patro\s to\n new/teron a)nagoreu/ousi basile/a: to\n de\ a)poklei/ousin e)n ei(rkth=| kai\ sidh/rois pedou=sin: o(\n h( gameth\ dia\ th=s tou= i)xqu/os mhxanh=s r(i/nhn ei)senegkou=sa e)ch/gage, kai\ a)podra\s i(ke/ths pro\s *kwnstanti=non e)/rxetai. h( i(stori/a dh/lh.
Notes (4)
- See generally OCD(4) s.v. Marsyas(1). The present material comes from late-antique historiography; probably Eunapius in the case of the second paragraph.
- 1For 'pipes' (auloi) see alpha 4447. ↩
- 2alpha 3419. ↩
- 3cf. mu 1048. ↩
- 4kappa 2284. ↩
Linked from2 entries
- μ1048Μικρολόγοςpetty-minded, reckoning within narrow margins[Meaning one who is] short-sighted, parsimonious. And Eunapius [writes]: "with Hormisdas the Persian within a narrow margin of having reversed the circumstances [...]"
- μ1056Μικροῦ δεῖνto lack little[Meaning] within a small amount. Also [sc. attested] without the [verb] 'to lack': "[Hormisdas] [lacking] little from reversing the circumstances [...]." Meaning within a bit, within a small amount.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 9 Aug 2014
- Revised — David Whitehead
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- x-ref — David Whitehead
- modified aspects of translation; supplied notes; augmented keywords — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ross Scaife ✝