Οὐχ οἷός τ' εἴμ'
I am not such as
Translated by Ronald Allen24 Aug 2010Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
"[I am not such as] to scare away the laughter, seeing a lionskin laid upon a saffron robe."1 The saffron robe [is] a Dionysiac garment; but [Dionysus] was wearing a lionskin like Herakles.2 The saying is applied to things that are anomalous.
And elsewhere: "he was not such as to comply voluntarily."3
And elsewhere: "he was not such as to comply voluntarily."3
Greek original · Adler’s text
Οὐχ οἷός τ' εἴμ' ἀποσοβῆσαι τὸν γέλων, ὁρῶν λεοντῆν ἐπὶ κροκωτῷ κειμένην· Διονυσιακὸν φόρημα ὁ κροκωτός· ἐφόρει δὲ λεοντῆν ὡς Ἡρακλῆς. τάττεται δὲ ἡ παροιμία ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνομοίων. καὶ αὖθις· οὐχ οἷός τ' ἦν ἐθελοντὴς συνυπακούειν.
Betacode
*ou)x oi(=o/s t' ei)/m' a)posobh=sai to\n ge/lwn, o(rw=n leonth=n e)pi\ krokwtw=| keime/nhn: *dionusiako\n fo/rhma o( krokwto/s: e)fo/rei de\ leonth=n w(s *(hraklh=s. ta/ttetai de\ h( paroimi/a e)pi\ tw=n a)nomoi/wn. kai\ au)=qis: ou)x oi(=o/s t' h)=n e)qelonth\s sunupakou/ein.
Notes (3)
- For the headword phrase (part of the first quotation given), see also omicron 990 and omicron 987.
- 1Herakles in Aristophanes, Frogs 45-6 (web address 1); see further, next note. ↩
- 2Following a scholion to the aforementioned passage. The
krokwto/s (generally an adjective, saffron-colored; but also, as a substantive, a full length yellow tunic; see LSJ s.v. and cf. kappa 2460 and kappa 2461) was a woman's dress, typically worn at festivals, and a traditional attribute of Dionysus (Dover, p. 40). ↩ - 3Polybius 24.11.7 (web address 2), already at alpha 3897 with fuller context. It describes the reluctance of Philopoemen (ca. 253-182; cf. phi 409 and see OCD(4) s.v.) to abandon lawful procedure; Walbank, pp. 264-6. ↩
References
K.J. Dover, ed., Aristophanes Frogs, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993
F.W. Walbank, A Historical Commentary on Polybius, vol. III, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979
F.W. Walbank, A Historical Commentary on Polybius, vol. III, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from2 entries
- κ2460Κροκωτόςkrokotos, saffron-colored robeA Dionysiac outer-garment. Aristophanes [writes]: "but I am unable to hold back from laughing, when I see a lionskin worn over a krokotos." For [Dionysus] was wearing both a krokotos and a lionskin, like Herakles. For…
- ο989Οὐχ οἷονnot only not"Not only were they not heeding them, but they simply deemed it not worthy to listen." Polybius [writes]: "not only was he not heeding what they were saying, but he could not bear putting them forth."
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 7 Mar 2021
- tweaked link — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- modified tr; another keyword; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ronald Allen