Ὀρτυγοκόπος
quail-tapping, quail-tapper
Translated by William Hutton12 Jun 2005Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
A sort of game, in which they stand quails in a circle and hit them on the head. The one who downs a quail in the circle, takes as many in a row as he is able; but the one who misses lets the other one hit the quails, and they take turns doing this. Thus [Plato] says in Alcibiades: "you must [be] looking to Meidias the quail-tapper and others of his ilk."1 In Phaedo [he says] that the contest is not against just anybody, but against the best; so there must be no slackening of the spirit.2
"[...] no quail-tapping and no flinching over such matters."3
"[...] no quail-tapping and no flinching over such matters."3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ὀρτυγοκόπος· παιδιά τις, ἐν ᾗ ὄρτυγας ἱστᾶσιν ἐν γύρῳ, οὓς τύπτουσιν εἰς τὴν κεφαλήν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐν τῷ γύρῳ καταβαλὼν τὸν ὄρτυγα λαμβάνει ἑξῆς, οὓς ἂν δύνηται· ὁ δ' ἀποτυχὼν παρέχει θατέρῳ τοὺς ὄρτυγας τύπτειν· καὶ τοῦτ' ἀνὰ μέρος ποιοῦσι. λέγει οὖν ἐν Ἀλκιβιάδῃ· οὐκ, ἀλλὰ πρὸς Μειδίαν δεῖ σε ἀποβλέποντα τὸν ὀρτυγοκόπον καὶ τοιούτους ἄλλους. ἐν Φαίδωνι· ὅτι οὐ πρὸς τοὺς τυχόντας ὁ ἀγών ἐστι, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀρίστους· διόπερ οὐ ῥαθυμητέον. μηδὲ ὀρτυγοκοπεῖν μηδὲ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπτοῆσθαι.
Betacode
*)ortugoko/pos: paidia/ tis, e)n h(=| o)/rtugas i(sta=sin e)n gu/rw|, ou(\s tu/ptousin ei)s th\n kefalh/n. kai\ o( me\n e)n tw=| gu/rw| katabalw\n to\n o)/rtuga lamba/nei e(ch=s, ou(\s a)\n du/nhtai: o( d' a)potuxw\n pare/xei qate/rw| tou\s o)/rtugas tu/ptein: kai\ tou=t' a)na\ me/ros poiou=si. le/gei ou)=n e)n *)alkibia/dh|: ou)k, a)lla\ pro\s *meidi/an dei= se a)poble/ponta to\n o)rtugoko/pon kai\ toiou/tous a)/llous. e)n *fai/dwni: o(/ti ou) pro\s tou\s tuxo/ntas o( a)gw/n e)sti, pro\s de\ tou\s a)ri/stous: dio/per ou) r(aqumhte/on. mhde\ o)rtugokopei=n mhde\ peri\ ta\ toiau=ta e)ptoh=sqai.
Notes (3)
- All but the last sentence of this entry (for which see n.3 below) is taken verbatim from Photius, Lexicon omicron532 Theodoridis. A rather different explanation of the game is to be found in Pollux 9.102 + 107-109 and in the scholia to Aristophanes, Plutus [Wealth] 1036. The scholia to Aristophanes, Birds 1297 seem more in line with Photius and the Suda. See also sigma 1266.
The translation 'quail-tapping', which sounds marginally less brutal than -striking or the like, comes from Dunbar 643-4. - 1A ungrammatical garbling of a quotation from Plato, Alcibiades 1 120A (web address 1). ↩
- 2There is no such quotation in Plato's Phaedo. Adler's apparatus notes two suggested emendations:
e)m *fa/wni , a play by Plato Comicus (Bernhardy); ande)mfai/nwn , 'indicating', i.e. no second quotation here (Leopardi). The latter has won considerable support: besides Adler's comments see Theodoridis ad loc. ↩ - 3Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.6.1. ↩
References
Aristophanes, Birds, edited with introduction and commentary by Nan Dunbar (Oxford 1995)
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 24 Apr 2014
- cross-reference — Catharine Roth
- updated primary note; more keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes; tweaks to headword and tr — David Whitehead
- Translated — William Hutton