Ὄψις

sight

Translated by Marcelo Boeri2 Mar 2004Vetting: high11 revisions

6 notes · 161 words
[Meaning] seeing.1
Also contemplation.
"So the things before the city shone with silver and bronze, and nothing was more delightful for them or appeared more terrible to the enemies than that sight".2
[Note] that sight distinguishes the twelve colors:3 white and black, and the intermediates, [i.e.] yellow and grey, pale, red, blue, purple, bright, dark. Hearing distinguishes a high and low sound, smelling distinguishes good and bad odors, and the intermediates: rotten and wet [odors], whether melted or smoky. Taste distinguishes sweet and bitter flavors, and the intermediates. For there are seven flavors: sweet, bitter, sharp, acrid, astringent (?), spongy (?), salt, sour.4 Touch distinguishes many things, heavy, light objects, and the intermediates: rough, smooth and the intermediates; dry and wet objects. And the senses are in the head and are peculiarly adapted to the organs and are enclosed by them, but touch passes through the head and the body and is common to every sense.5
Look under [the entry] 'senses/sensations'.6

Greek original · Adler’s text

Ὄψις· ὅρασις. καὶ ἡ θεωρία. τὰ μὲν οὖν πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀργύρῳ καὶ χρυσῷ περιελάμπετο, καὶ τῆς ὄψεως ἐκείνης οὐδὲν οὔτε τοῖς σφετέροις ἐπιτερπέστερον οὔτε τοῖς πολεμίοις παρέστη φοβερώτερον. ὅτι ἡ ὄψις τῶν δώδεκα χρωμάτων ἐστὶ κριτική, λευκοῦ καὶ μέλανος καὶ τῶν μεταξύ, ξανθοῦ καὶ φαιοῦ, ὠχροῦ, ἐρυθροῦ, κυανοῦ, ἁλουργοῦ, λαμπροῦ, ὀρφνίου. ἡ δὲ ἀκοὴ κριτική ἐστιν ὀξέος καὶ βαρέος φθόγγου, ἡ δὲ ὄσφρησις κριτικὴ εὐωδῶν καὶ δυσωδῶν ὀσμῶν καὶ τῶν μεταξύ, σηπομένων τε καὶ βρεχομένων ἢ τηκομένων ἢ θυμιωμένων. ἡ δὲ γεῦσις κριτικὴ γλυκέων τε καὶ πικρῶν χυμῶν καὶ τῶν μεταξὺ εʹ· ἑπτὰ γάρ εἰσι χυμοί, γλυκύς, πικρός, ὀξύς, δριμύς, στυφύς, σομφός, ἁλυκός, στρυφνός. ἡ δὲ ἁφὴ πλειόνων ἐστὶ κριτική· βαρέων, κούφων καὶ τῶν μεταξύ· τραχέων καὶ λείων καὶ τῶν μεταξύ· ξηρῶν καὶ ὑγρῶν. καὶ αἱ μὲν δʹ αἰσθήσεις ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ εἰσι καὶ ἰδιάζουσιν καὶ περικλείονται ὀργάνοις, ἡ δὲ ἁφὴ καὶ διὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ διὰ τοῦ σώματος κεχώρηκε καί ἐστι κοινὴ πάσης αἰσθήσεως. ζήτει ἐν τῷ αἰσθήσεις.

Betacode
*)/oyis: o(/rasis. kai\ h( qewri/a. ta\ me\n ou)=n pro\ th=s po/lews a)rgu/rw| kai\ xrusw=| periela/mpeto, kai\ th=s o)/yews e)kei/nhs ou)de\n ou)/te toi=s sfete/rois e)piterpe/steron ou)/te toi=s polemi/ois pare/sth foberw/teron. o(/ti h( o)/yis tw=n dw/deka xrwma/twn e)sti\ kritikh/, leukou= kai\ me/lanos kai\ tw=n metacu/, canqou= kai\ faiou=, w)xrou=, e)ruqrou=, kuanou=, a(lourgou=, lamprou=, o)rfni/ou. h( de\ a)koh\ kritikh/ e)stin o)ce/os kai\ bare/os fqo/ggou, h( de\ o)/sfrhsis kritikh\ eu)wdw=n kai\ duswdw=n o)smw=n kai\ tw=n metacu/, shpome/nwn te kai\ brexome/nwn h)\ thkome/nwn h)\ qumiwme/nwn. h( de\ geu=sis kritikh\ gluke/wn te kai\ pikrw=n xumw=n kai\ tw=n metacu\ e#: e(pta\ ga/r ei)si xumoi/, gluku/s, pikro/s, o)cu/s, drimu/s, stufu/s, somfo/s, a(luko/s, strufno/s. h( de\ a(fh\ pleio/nwn e)sti\ kritikh/: bare/wn, kou/fwn kai\ tw=n metacu/: traxe/wn kai\ lei/wn kai\ tw=n metacu/: chrw=n kai\ u(grw=n. kai\ ai( me\n d# ai)sqh/seis e)n th=| kefalh=| ei)si kai\ i)dia/zousin kai\ periklei/ontai o)rga/nois, h( de\ a(fh\ kai\ dia\ th=s kefalh=s kai\ dia\ tou= sw/matos kexw/rhke kai/ e)sti koinh\ pa/shs ai)sqh/sews. zh/tei e)n tw=| ai)sqh/seis.

Notes (6)

  1. 1That is to say, the activity of sight. For this distinction see Aristotle, De anima 426a13-16; 428a6-7. ↩
  2. 2Quotation not identified by Adler but identifiable via the TLG as Josephus, Jewish War 5.351 (web address 1). See on this Theodoridis' Photius edition, vol.II p.LXXXVI. ↩
  3. 3Sic -- but only ten will be mentioned. ↩
  4. 4Photius (next note) mentions seven flavors. The Suda seems to list eight, but the word stufu/s is attested only here (not in Photius or LSJ). ↩
  5. 5Photius, Bibliotheca 439a39-b16 (Life of Pythagoras), attributing the information to "Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle." ↩
  6. 6alphaiota 326. ↩

External resources

Neighbouring entries

ο1080Ὄψιμονlateο1081Ὀψινόνlateο1082Ὄψιςsightο1083Ὀψισθένταarriving late, at a late arrivalο1084Ὀψιτέλεστονlate-fulfilled, late of fulfilment
Revision history11 revisions · last 16 Mar 2021
  1. cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
  2. expanded note 5 — Catharine Roth
  3. tweaked translation and notes — Catharine Roth
  4. tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
  5. tweaked link — Catharine Roth
  6. Revised — David Whitehead
  7. tweaked tr; another note; cosmetics — David Whitehead
  8. expanded n.2; more keywords — David Whitehead
  9. fixed link — Catharine Roth
  10. cosmetics; raised status — David Whitehead
  11. cosmetics, link — Catharine Roth
  12. Translated — Marcelo Boeri

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