Πόλος
pole, firmament, post, station
Translated by Ronald Allen12 May 2008Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
[Meaning] heaven.1
Also [sc. attested is the genitive]po/lou , [meaning] of heaven or of [the] universe.2
Aristophanes [writes]: "[sc. so is this not surely] a station of birds[?]"3 On the one hand the aforementioned is an allusion to something belonging to the birds, because [it is] a situation of theirs, in which they reside; on the other hand through the imagery he is playing on the word -- situation and station. Next, he used to etymologically derive it fromto\ polei=sqai ['to range over'].4 The ancients [sc. use] pole, not as the younger generations, as some term for an axle's stub-end, but rather when referring to the whole [sc. shaft]. Euripides in Peirithous [writes]: " and [sc. men are] keeping watch on Atlas' pole."5 [Meaning] that it itself revolves and everything moves because of it.6 "Just as one might say a situation. And because this turns around and passes through everything, it is for this reason now called a station."7
Also [sc. attested is the genitive]
Aristophanes [writes]: "[sc. so is this not surely] a station of birds[?]"3 On the one hand the aforementioned is an allusion to something belonging to the birds, because [it is] a situation of theirs, in which they reside; on the other hand through the imagery he is playing on the word -- situation and station. Next, he used to etymologically derive it from
Greek original · Adler’s text
Πόλος· οὐρανός. καὶ Πόλου, οὐρανοῦ ἢ κόσμου. Ἀριστοφάνης· ὀρνίθων πόλος. τὸ μέν τι παραφράζει τὸ προειρημένον τῶν ὀρνίθων, ὅτι τόπος αὐτῶν, ἐν ᾧ διατρίβουσι· τὸ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν σχηματισμὸν τοῦ ὀνόματος παίζει, τόπος καὶ πόλος. ἑξῆς δὲ ἐτυμολογεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πολεῖσθαι. πόλον δὲ οἱ παλαιοί, οὐχ ὡς οἱ νεώτεροι, σημεῖόν τι καὶ πέρας ἄξονος, ἀλλὰ τὸ περιέχον ἅπαν. Εὐριπίδης Πειρίθῳ· καὶ τὸν Ἀτλάντειον φρουρῶν πόλον. αὐτοῦ τε περιπολουμένου, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ πάντων ἐρχομένων. ὥσπερ εἴποι τις τόπος. ὅτι δὲ πολεῖται τοῦτο καὶ διέρχεται ἅπαντα, διὰ τοῦτο καλεῖται νῦν πόλος.
Betacode
*po/los: ou)rano/s. kai\ *po/lou, ou)ranou= h)\ ko/smou. *)aristofa/nhs: o)rni/qwn po/los. to\ me/n ti parafra/zei to\ proeirhme/non tw=n o)rni/qwn, o(/ti to/pos au)tw=n, e)n w(=| diatri/bousi: to\ de\ kai\ pro\s to\n sxhmatismo\n tou= o)no/matos pai/zei, to/pos kai\ po/los. e(ch=s de\ e)tumologei= au)to\n a)po\ tou= polei=sqai. po/lon de\ oi( palaioi/, ou)x w(s oi( new/teroi, shmei=o/n ti kai\ pe/ras a)/conos, a)lla\ to\ perie/xon a(/pan. *eu)ripi/dhs *peiri/qw|: kai\ to\n *)atla/nteion frourw=n po/lon. au)tou= te peripoloume/nou, kai\ di' au)tou= pa/ntwn e)rxome/nwn. w(/sper ei)/poi tis to/pos. o(/ti de\ polei=tai tou=to kai\ die/rxetai a(/panta, dia\ tou=to kalei=tai nu=n po/los.
Notes (7)
- 1Adler cites Lexicon Ambrosianum 882 as a comparandum; cf. ps.-Herodian 112.7 and Hesychius. ↩
- 2Likewise or similarly in other lexica; references at Photius pi1030 Theodoridis. This genitive singular must be quoted from somewhere. ↩
- 3An excerpt from Peisthetaerus' question in Aristophanes, Birds 178 (web address 1). ↩
- 4The articular infinitive of the text, with article in the genitive singular, is from the verb
pole/w , I range over; see LSJ s.v. ↩ - 5Euripides fr.594.5 Nauck. ↩
- 6At Aristophanes, Birds 179 (web address 1), Tereus asks for clarification on the sense of
po/los . Beginning from the Aristophanes quotation, through the Euripides extract, and up to this point, the Suda has drawn its exegetical comments from the scholia to Birds 179. ↩ - 7Peisthetaerus replies to Tereus at Aristophanes, Birds 180-2 (web address 1). By adding population and fortifications, the station becomes a state, Peisthetaerus subsequently hints. By context, the first verse does not appear to be a wish, so
ei)/poi suggests a potential optative; however, the play's received text lacks the required particlea)/n (Smyth 1814-24). ↩
References
H.W. Smyth, Greek Grammar, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1956
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 29 Sep 2021
- tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
- tweaking — David Whitehead
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Ronald Allen