Οὐκ ἐτὸς ἀφ' ἡμῶν εἰσιν αἱ τραγῳδίαι οὐδὲν γάρ εἰσι πλὴν Ποσειδῶν καὶ σκάφη
no wonder tragedies [come] from us for they are nothing but Poseidon and a boat
Translated by David Whitehead28 May 2010Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
A proverbial phrase in reference to those involved in the same thing but content to think of nothing else. The sense [is]: we [sc. women] are nothing but sex and childbirth. For Poseidon copulated with Tyro and produced Neleus and Pelias.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Οὐκ ἐτὸς ἀφ' ἡμῶν εἰσιν αἱ τραγῳδίαι· οὐδὲν γάρ εἰσι πλὴν Ποσειδῶν καὶ σκάφη· παροιμία ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγκυλινδουμένων τῷ αὐτῷ πράγματι, ἄλλο δὲ μηδὲν νοεῖν ἀνεχομένων. ὁ δὲ νοῦς· οὐδὲν ἐσμὲν εἰ μὴ συνουσιάζειν καὶ τίκτειν. ὁ γὰρ Ποσειδῶν ἐμίγη τῇ Τυροῖ καὶ ἐγέννησε Νηλέα καὶ Πελίαν.
Betacode
*ou)k e)to\s a)f' h(mw=n ei)sin ai( tragw|di/ai: ou)de\n ga/r ei)si plh\n *poseidw=n kai\ ska/fh: paroimi/a e)pi\ tw=n e)gkulindoume/nwn tw=| au)tw=| pra/gmati, a)/llo de\ mhde\n noei=n a)nexome/nwn. o( de\ nou=s: ou)de\n e)sme\n ei) mh\ sunousia/zein kai\ ti/ktein. o( ga\r *poseidw=n e)mi/gh th=| *turoi= kai\ e)ge/nnhse *nhle/a kai\ *peli/an.
Notes
- Aristophanes, Lysistrata 138-9 (with 'we' for the Suda's 'they'), with scholion. See web address 1.
In the myth in question, the subject of Sophocles' lost Tyro (and already in Homer, Odyssey 11.235-259), Poseidon seduced Tyro by taking on the form of her lover, the river Enipeus; their twin sons were then exposed in a boat.
For 'no wonder', see already omicron 888, omicron 889.
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from1 entry
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 27 Feb 2021
- another cross-reference — Catharine Roth
- coding — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented note; more keywords — David Whitehead
- added link, set status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead