Ὄρνις
bird
Translated by Catharine Roth18 Jul 2010Vetting: high2 revisions
Translation
[A term for] an omen, a prophecy. Aristophanes in Wealth [writes]: "receive the man and the bird of the god." That is, the portent; for they used to call 'bird' generally any portent either inhibiting or encouraging: a bird, an utterance, a sneeze, and the like.1 And elsewhere: "no one knows my treasure, unless some bird [knows]." This [is] proverbial. No one knows what I said, except if some bird [knows]. In reference to unknown things. And elsewhere: "no one sees me, except the bird flying by."2 And elsewhere: "whatever interprets a prophecy, you consider it a bird: for a voice is a bird for you, you call a sneeze a bird, a portent, a voice, a servant (whatever concerns prophecy), a donkey -- [you call a] bird."3
And the plural [is]tou\s o)/rnis .4
And the plural [is]
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ὄρνις· ἡ κλῃδών, τὸ μάντευμα. Ἀριστοφάνης Πλούτῳ· δέχου τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ τὸν ὄρνιν τοῦ θεοῦ. τουτέστι τὸ σύμβολον· κοινῶς γὰρ πᾶν σύμβολον ἐφεκτικὸν ἢ προτρεπτικὸν ὄρνιν ἐκάλουν. ὄρνις, ἐπιφώνησις, πταρμός, καὶ τὰ ὅμοια. καὶ αὖθις· οὐδεὶς ἄρ' οἶδε τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἐμόν, πλὴν εἴ τις ὄρνις. παροιμιακὸν τοῦτο, οὐδεὶς οἶδε τί ὡμίλησα, πλὴν εἴ τις ὄρνις. ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγνώστων. καὶ αὖθις· οὐδείς με θεωρεῖ, πλὴν ὁ παριστάμενος ὄρνις. καὶ αὖθις· ὄρνιν νομίζετε πάνθ' ὅσα μαντείας διακρίνει· φήμη γὰρ ὑμῖν ὄρνις ἐστι, πταρμόν τ' ὄρνιθα καλεῖτε, ξύμβολον φωνήν, θεράποντα, καὶ ὅσα περὶ μαντείας, ὄνον ὄρνιν. καὶ τὸ πληθυντικὸν τοὺς ὄρνις.
Betacode
*)/ornis: h( klh|dw/n, to\ ma/nteuma. *)aristofa/nhs *plou/tw|: de/xou to\n a)/ndra kai\ to\n o)/rnin tou= qeou=. toute/sti to\ su/mbolon: koinw=s ga\r pa=n su/mbolon e)fektiko\n h)\ protreptiko\n o)/rnin e)ka/loun. o)/rnis, e)pifw/nhsis, ptarmo/s, kai\ ta\ o(/moia. kai\ au)=qis: ou)dei\s a)/r' oi)=de to\n qhsauro\n to\n e)mo/n, plh\n ei)/ tis o)/rnis. paroimiako\n tou=to, ou)dei\s oi)=de ti/ w(mi/lhsa, plh\n ei)/ tis o)/rnis. e)pi\ tw=n a)gnw/stwn. kai\ au)=qis: ou)dei/s me qewrei=, plh\n o( parista/menos o)/rnis. kai\ au)=qis: o)/rnin nomi/zete pa/nq' o(/sa mantei/as diakri/nei: fh/mh ga\r u(mi=n o)/rnis e)sti, ptarmo/n t' o)/rniqa kalei=te, cu/mbolon fwnh/n, qera/ponta, kai\ o(/sa peri\ mantei/as, o)/non o)/rnin. kai\ to\ plhquntiko\n tou\s o)/rnis.
Notes (4)
- 1Aristophanes, Wealth [Plutus] 63 (web address 1), with scholion. ↩
- 2Aristophanes, Birds 601 (web address 2), with scholion. Adler regarded this material as ending at 'unknown things' but in fact it continues to here; cf. omicron 822. ↩
- 3Aristophanes, Birds 719-721 (web address 3); cf. omicroniota 167. ↩
- 4Accusative plural of an i-stem noun, with long iota. ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 3 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from2 entries
- κ1770Κληδονισμοίomen[Meaning] rumour, oracle. Also [sc. attested is the term] klhdonismoi/ ["omenizings"], [meaning] surveillances through words.
- ο822υνκνοων—Οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἐμὸν πλὴν εἴ τις ἄρ' ὄρνιςno one knows my treasure unless some bird [knows]Proverbial. [Meaning] no one knows what I said, except if some bird [knows]. In reference to unknown things. Again: 'no one sees me, except the bird flying by'. Aristophanes [says this].
Neighbouring entries
Revision history2 revisions · last 18 Jul 2013
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth