Πηκτίς
harp
Translated by Philip Rance5 Mar 2012Vetting: high8 revisions
Translation
[phkti/s , genitive] phkti/dos : a lute,1 a meat-cutting knife.2
In Aristophanes in Thesmophoriazusae [it is] a type of lyre-like instrument. "Are you asking for the old woman who was carrying the harps?"3
Or a type of licentious contrivance.4
And in the Epigrams: "sweet is the melody, yes by Arcadian Pan, that thou playest upon the harp".5
In Aristophanes in Thesmophoriazusae [it is] a type of lyre-like instrument. "Are you asking for the old woman who was carrying the harps?"3
Or a type of licentious contrivance.4
And in the Epigrams: "sweet is the melody, yes by Arcadian Pan, that thou playest upon the harp".5
Greek original · Adler’s text
Πηκτίς, πηκτίδος· πάνδουρα, μάχαιρα κρεωκόπος. παρὰ δὲ Ἀριστοφάνει ἐν Θεσμοφοριαζούσαις εἶδος ὀργάνου κιθαρῳδικοῦ. τὴν γραῦν ἐρωτᾷς, ἣ 'φέρεν τὰς πηκτίδας; ἢ εἶδος ἀκολάστου σχήματος. καὶ ἐν Ἐπιγράμμασι· ἁδὺ μέλος, ναὶ Πᾶνα τὸν Ἀρκάδα, πηκτίδι μέλπεις.
Betacode
*phkti/s, phkti/dos: pa/ndoura, ma/xaira krewko/pos. para\ de\ *)aristofa/nei e)n *qesmoforiazou/sais ei)=dos o)rga/nou kiqarw|dikou=. th\n grau=n e)rwta=|s, h(\ 'fe/ren ta\s phkti/das; h)\ ei)=dos a)kola/stou sxh/matos. kai\ e)n *)epigra/mmasi: a(du\ me/los, nai\ *pa=na to\n *)arka/da, phkti/di me/lpeis.
Notes (5)
- 1See pi 181. See similarly Synagoge pi456:
πανδούριον (Cunningham), from which derives Photius, Lexicon s.v. (427.26 Porson, pi849 Theodoridis). Adler reports a corresponding entry in the Ambrosian Lexicon. See also Hesychius sigma2171. ↩ - 2See again pi 181. This gloss is unique to the Suda and the source unknown. ↩
- 3Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae 1217, with scholion (Dübner). ↩
- 4As Adler notes, this phrase -- which has already appeared, in error, under pi 1501 -- comes from the Glossae in Herodotum, on Herodotus 1.17.1: Alyattes, king of Lydia (alpha 1423), used to invade Milesian territory at harvest-time
u(po\ suri/ggwn te kai\ phkti/dwn , 'to the sound of pipes and harps'. That episode itself was presumably devoid of licentiousness, but more generally the characterisation does reflect what archaic and classical writers felt; see West 74-75. ↩ - 5Greek Anthology 5.139.1 (Meleager [Author, Myth]), on passions inspired by the music of the citharode Zenophila; cf. Gow and Page (vol. I, 224), (vol. II, 623-624), and another extract from this epigram at kappa 2367. ↩
References
M.L. West, Ancient Greek Music (Oxdord 1992) 70-75
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. I, (Cambridge, 1965)
A.S.F. Gow and D.L. Page, eds., The Greek Anthology: Hellenistic Epigrams, vol. II, (Cambridge 1965)
Linked from3 entries
- κ2367Κρέκουσαplaying[Meaning sc. she] playing the aulos. Aristophanes in Birds [writes]: "but, o [sc. dear nightingale] playing the beautiful-sounding aulos in springtime voices." But properly krekein [means] striking upon [sc. the strings…
- π181Πανδούραcleaver, lute[Meaning a] meat-cutting knife. A harp. Look under phkti/s ('harp').
- π1501Πηκτήcream-cheeseIn the Epigrams: "to Peitho and the Paphian [goddess] a cream-cheese and honeycombs from beehives [. . .] the cowherd has dedicated". And a type of licentious contrivance. Also [sc. attested is the plural] phktai/, a…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history8 revisions · last 27 Jul 2022
- expanded n.5, added bibliography, added cross-reference, added keyword — Ronald Allen
- tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
- expanded n.4; more keywords; bibliography — David Whitehead
- coding — Catharine Roth
- expanded n.1 — David Whitehead
- coding — Catharine Roth
- more keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Notes, headwords — Philip Rance
- Translated — Philip Rance