Πονηρὰ κατὰ τρυγόνα ψάλλεις

you are twanging dolefully like a dove

Translated by Nathan Greenberg ✝20 May 2002Vetting: high3 revisions

1 note · 27 words

[sc. A proverbial phrase] in reference to those living in a base and grievous state.¹ For it is when a dove is hungry that she twangs most.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Πονηρὰ κατὰ τρυγόνα ψάλλεις· ἐπὶ τῶν μοχθηρῶς καὶ ἐπιπόνως ζώντων. καὶ γὰρ ἡ τρυγών, ἐπειδὰν πεινᾷ, τότε μάλιστα ψάλλει.

Betacode

*ponhra\ kata\ trugo/na ya/lleis: e)pi\ tw=n moxqhrw=s kai\ e)pipo/nws zw/ntwn. kai\ ga\r h( trugw/n, e)peida\n peina=|, to/te ma/lista ya/llei.

For the verb here, more usually applied to plucking a stringed instrument, cf. psi 12, psi 13, psi 14.
1So too Diogenianus 7.71, and other paroemiographers. Again at tau 1094. ↩

Revision history3 revisions · last 9 Oct 2013