Πεῖρα
trial, test, attempt
Translated by Catharine Roth28 Dec 2011Vetting: high2 revisions
Translation
[Meaning] trickery, and deceit, and skill.1 Whence also criminals at sea [are called] pirates.2 But harm [is] also [called] pei=ra , as in Sophocles' Danae: "I do not know your trial nor do I understand [it]; as this one is [your?] child I perish."3 "Always, Odysseus, I see you hunting to snatch some attempt on enemies." That is, I always see you scheming to forestall the harm coming from your enemies and to send this upon your enemies.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Πεῖρα· ὁ δόλος, καὶ ἡ ἀπάτη, καὶ ἡ τέχνη. ὅθεν καὶ πειραταὶ οἱ κατὰ θάλασσαν κακοῦργοι. πεῖρα δὲ καὶ ἡ βλάβη· ὡς ἐν Δανάῃ Σοφοκλῆς· οὐκ οἶδα τὴν σὴν πεῖραν οὐδ' ἐπίσταμαι, τοῦ παιδὸς ὄντος τοῦδ' ἐγὼ διόλλυμαι. ἀεί, Ὀδυσσεῦ, ὁρῶ σε πεῖράν τιν' ἐχθρῶν ἁρπάσαι θηρώμενον. τουτέστιν ἀεὶ ὁρῶ σε τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου βλάβην γινομένην προϋφαρπάσαι καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ταύτην ἐπιπέμψαι μηχανώμενον.
Betacode
*pei=ra: o( do/los, kai\ h( a)pa/th, kai\ h( te/xnh. o(/qen kai\ peiratai\ oi( kata\ qa/lassan kakou=rgoi. pei=ra de\ kai\ h( bla/bh: w(s e)n *dana/h| *sofoklh=s: ou)k oi)=da th\n sh\n pei=ran ou)d' e)pi/stamai, tou= paido\s o)/ntos tou=d' e)gw\ dio/llumai. a)ei/, *)odusseu=, o(rw= se pei=ra/n tin' e)xqrw=n a(rpa/sai qhrw/menon. toute/stin a)ei\ o(rw= se th\n para\ tw=n e)xqrw=n sou bla/bhn ginome/nhn prou+farpa/sai kai\ toi=s e)xqroi=s tau/thn e)pipe/myai mhxanw/menon.
Notes (3)
- From the fuller scholia to Sophocles, Ajax 1-2, which is loosely quoted at the end of the entry. For the precise version (with, e.g., 'son of Laertes' for the Suda's 'Odysseus', and
de/dorka foro(rw= ) see web address 1. - 1cf. pi 1449, pi 1450. ↩
- 2cf. pi 1454. ↩
- 3Sophocles fr. 165 Radt: read
e(\n d' e)pi/stamai "but I understand one thing." ↩
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Linked from3 entries
- π1449Πεῖραtrial, test, attempt"As the men were going out for foraging and twice the success in the attempts [...]."
- π1450Πεῖρανtrial, test, attempt[Meaning] journey, road. "Not even called by messengers you start an attempt."
- π1454Πειρατῶνpirates[Meaning] those who throw [people] into the water, raiders by sea. For peira [means] trickery, and deceit, and art[fulness]. And so peiratai are knaves [operating] by sea.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history2 revisions · last 2 Oct 2013
- Revised — David Whitehead
- expanded primary note; more keywords; tweaks — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth