Μελαμπύγου τύχοις
may you meet a black-bottom
Translated by David Whitehead9 Aug 2006Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
Black-bottoms were braggarts, sons of Limne. When they were behaving most disgracefully, their mother said they should watch out in case they fell in with a hairy-arse. So when they had fallen in with Heracles they were tied up on a [?]pole. Then he saw them laughing and bending down, and he asked the reason. They replied that it was a saying of their mother's, "we will fall in with a hairy-arse"; and Heracles laughed and released them from their ties.1
[Note] that white-bottomed men used to be ridiculed in comedy as effeminate.2
[Note] that white-bottomed men used to be ridiculed in comedy as effeminate.2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μελαμπύγου τύχοις· Μελάμπυγοι ἐγένοντο πέρπεροι, Λίμνης υἱοί. ἀκολασταινόντων αὐτῶν πολλά, ἡ μήτηρ ἔλεγε φυλάσσεσθαι μήποτε ἐμπέσωσιν εἰς δασύπρωκτον. ἐμπεσόντες οὖν εἰς Ἡρακλέα ἐν ἀνωφόρῳ ἐδέθησαν. εἶτα ὁρῶν αὐτοὺς γελῶντας καὶ κατακύπτοντας ἐπυνθάνετο τὴν αἰτίαν. οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον, ὅτι λόγιον ἦν τὸ τῆς μητρός, ἐμπεσεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς εἰς δασύπρωκτον· καὶ γελάσαντα τὸν Ἡρακλέα ἀφεῖναι αὐτοὺς τῶν δεσμῶν. ὅτι τοὺς λευκοπύγους ὡς γυναικώδεις ἐκωμῴδουν.
Betacode
*melampu/gou tu/xois: *mela/mpugoi e)ge/nonto pe/rperoi, *li/mnhs ui(oi/. a)kolastaino/ntwn au)tw=n polla/, h( mh/thr e)/lege fula/ssesqai mh/pote e)mpe/swsin ei)s dasu/prwkton. e)mpeso/ntes ou)=n ei)s *(hrakle/a e)n a)nwfo/rw| e)de/qhsan. ei)=ta o(rw=n au)tou\s gelw=ntas kai\ kataku/ptontas e)punqa/neto th\n ai)ti/an. oi( de\ e)/legon, o(/ti lo/gion h)=n to\ th=s mhtro/s, e)mpesei=sqai h(ma=s ei)s dasu/prwkton: kai\ gela/santa to\n *(hrakle/a a)fei=nai au)tou\s tw=n desmw=n. o(/ti tou\s leukopu/gous w(s gunaikw/deis e)kwmw/|doun.
Notes (2)
- See also mu 987.
- 1Also in Photius mu229 Theodoridis, and see the other references there, including several of the paroemiographers. ↩
- 2From the scholia to Aristophanes, Lysistrata 802; and cf. lambda 335. ↩
Linked from3 entries
- κ1405ΚέρκωπεςKerkopes, Cercopes, Monkey-menThere were two brothers on [the] earth, who displayed every sort of wickedness, and they were called Kerkopes, taking this name from the terrible nature of their deeds. For one of them was called Passalos and the other…
- λ335Λευκοπύγουςwhite-bottomed[Meaning] cowardly [men], like brave men [are] black-bottomed.
- μ987Μὴ σύ γε μελαμπύγου τύχῃςtake care you don't meet a black-bottom[Meaning] take care you don't meet someone virile and strong. [A proverbial phrase] in reference to those behaving unlawfully; as [if to say] take care you don't meet someone strong and pay the penalty.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 10 Sep 2016
- modified hw, at the prompting of Prof J C McKeown — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- another x-ref — David Whitehead
- set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead