Μάκελλα
mattock
Translated by David Whitehead4 Feb 2007Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
[Meaning an agricultural/horticultural] fork.1
Aristophanes [writes]: "o fool, fool, do not stir up the cowardly wrath of the gods, so that justice may not utterly destroy your entire race with Zeus's mattock". It is said in reference to blasphemers.2
Aristophanes [writes]: "o fool, fool, do not stir up the cowardly wrath of the gods, so that justice may not utterly destroy your entire race with Zeus's mattock". It is said in reference to blasphemers.2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Μάκελλα· δίκελλα. Ἀριστοφάνης· ὦ μῶρε, μῶρε, μὴ θεῶν κίνει φρένας δειλάς, ὅπως μή σου γένος πανώλεθρον Διὸς μακέλλῃ πᾶν ἀναστρέψῃ δίκη. ἐπὶ τῶν βλασφήμων εἴρηται.
Betacode
*ma/kella: di/kella. *)aristofa/nhs: w)= mw=re, mw=re, mh\ qew=n ki/nei fre/nas deila/s, o(/pws mh/ sou ge/nos panw/leqron *dio\s make/llh| pa=n a)nastre/yh| di/kh. e)pi\ tw=n blasfh/mwn ei)/rhtai.
Notes (2)
- 1Similarly glossed in other lexica; and for the glossing word see delta 1087. ↩
- 2Aristophanes, Birds 1238-40 (here misquoted: 'cowardly',
deila/s , should be 'terrible',deina/s ), with scholion. Dunbar 625 adduces tragedic precedents (Aeschylus, Agamemnon 525-6; Sophocles fr.727) for the phrase and concept of 'Zeus's mattock'. Again at mu 1338. ↩
References
Aristophanes, Birds, edited with introduction and commentary by Nan Dunbar (Oxford 1995)
Linked from2 entries
- δ1087Δίκελλαfork, mattock[Meaning a] farm implement [of that name]. "[For] those obtaining their livelihood not with oxen and fork, but with horse and sword." Also [sc. attested is the related noun] dikelli/ths ["fork-man/fork-user"].
- 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…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 29 Apr 2013
- Revised — David Whitehead
- another x-ref — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords — David Whitehead
- set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead