Ὁ Σικελικὸς τὴν θάλασσαν
the Sicilian (and) the sea
Translated by David Whitehead1 Nov 2001Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
The story goes that a Sicilian merchant-shipper was shipwrecked with his cargo of figs; he then sat on a rock, saw that the sea was calm, and said: "I know what you want - you want figs".
Greek original · Adler’s text
Ὁ Σικελικὸς τὴν θάλασσαν· Σικελικός, φασίν, ἔμπορος σῦκα ἄγων ἐναυάγησεν· εἶτα ἐπὶ πέτρας καθήμενος, ὁρῶν τὴν θάλασσαν γαληνιῶσαν ἔφη· οἶδ' ὃ θέλεις· σῦκα θέλεις.
Betacode
*(o *sikeliko\s th\n qa/lassan: *sikeliko/s, fasi/n, e)/mporos su=ka a)/gwn e)naua/ghsen: ei)=ta e)pi\ pe/tras kaqh/menos, o(rw=n th\n qa/lassan galhniw=san e)/fh: oi)=d' o(\ qe/leis: su=ka qe/leis.
Notes
- This version of the story (cross-referenced at sigma 393) is hard to understand as it stands. One would be tempted to prefer Apostolius 13.6, where the participle describing the sea is 'was savage',
a)grioume/nhn . However, the Suda'sgalhniw=san actually occurs in one of the Fables (no.223) of Aesop, 'A Shepherd and the Sea', where the full sense is revealed. Sitting by a calm sea, the shepherd decides to become a merchant-shipper, and so sells his flocks and buys dates (sic). He is shipwrecked in a storm and barely survives. Later the sea is calm again, and when another man comments on this, the ex-shepherd replies: 'it wants your dates'.
See also under omicron 120.
Linked from1 entry
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 9 May 2015
- coding — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- expanded note; another keyword — David Whitehead
- augmented note — David Whitehead
- set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead