Φεισόμεθα
shall we spare
Translated by David Whitehead17 Jan 2010Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
"For why [shall we spare] any of these, any more than wolves? Or what others even more hateful than these might we punish?" That is, we shall spare wolves rather than these. Perhaps also a proverb was involved, since in the old days they used to kill wolves in Attica. And wolf-killing was the law [or: the custom]. Hence he who killed a wolf-cub received a talent, while he [who killed] a full-grown [wolf got] two.1
Greek original · Adler’s text
Φεισόμεθα γάρ τι τῶνδε μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς ἢ λύκων; ἢ τίνας τισαίμεθ' ἄλλους τῶνδ' ἂν ἐχθίους ἔτι; τουτέστι μᾶλλον λύκων φεισόμεθα ἤπερ τούτων. μήποτε δὲ καὶ παροιμιῶδες ἐγένετο, ἐπεὶ τοπαλαιὸν τοὺς λύκους ἀπέκτεννον ἐν τῇ Ἀττικῇ. καὶ νόμος ἦν λυκοκτονεῖν. διὸ ὁ μὲν φονεύων τέκνον λύκου τάλαντον ἐλάμβανεν, ὁ δὲ τέλειον δύο.
Betacode
*feiso/meqa ga/r ti tw=nde ma=llon h(mei=s h)\ lu/kwn; h)\ ti/nas tisai/meq' a)/llous tw=nd' a)\n e)xqi/ous e)/ti; toute/sti ma=llon lu/kwn feiso/meqa h)/per tou/twn. mh/pote de\ kai\ paroimiw=des e)ge/neto, e)pei\ topalaio\n tou\s lu/kous a)pe/ktennon e)n th=| *)attikh=|. kai\ no/mos h)=n lukoktonei=n. dio\ o( me\n foneu/wn te/knon lu/kou ta/lanton e)la/mbanen, o( de\ te/leion du/o.
Notes (1)
- Aristophanes, Birds 369-370 (web address 1), with scholion.
- 1These figures are absurd: Plutarch (Solon 23) says five drachmas per wolf, one per cub. ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 8 Dec 2013
- coding — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented notes — David Whitehead
- tweak, link, status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — David Whitehead