Παρεξηυλημένον νοῦν
a piped-out mind
Translated by Ronald Allen18 Aug 2007Vetting: high5 revisions
Translation
i.e. [one] that has been ravaged and benighted by old age. [sc. The idea] has been transferred from the mouthpieces on auloi; for when worn down they are said to be piped-out. Aristophanes [writes]: "being good for nothing, but dumb and piped-out."1 "Dumb" i.e. voiceless. Homer [writes]: "for dumb [is] the arrow of a feeble man."2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Παρεξηυλημένον νοῦν· οἷον διεφθαρμένον καὶ ἀμυδρὸν ὑπὸ γήρους. μετήνεκται δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν γλωσσίδων τῶν ἐν τοῖς αὐλοῖς· οἱ γὰρ κατατετριμμένοι ἐξηυλῆσθαι λέγονται. Ἀριστοφάνης· οὐδὲν ὄντας, ἀλλὰ κωφοὺς καὶ παρεξηυλημένους. κωφοὺς δὲ οἷον ἀφώνους. Ὅμηρος· κωφὸν γὰρ βέλος ἀνδρὸς ἀνάλκιδος.
Betacode
*parechulhme/non nou=n: oi(=on diefqarme/non kai\ a)mudro\n u(po\ gh/rous. meth/nektai de\ a)po\ tw=n glwssi/dwn tw=n e)n toi=s au)loi=s: oi( ga\r katatetrimme/noi e)chulh=sqai le/gontai. *)aristofa/nhs: ou)de\n o)/ntas, a)lla\ kwfou\s kai\ parechulhme/nous. kwfou\s de\ oi(=on a)fw/nous. *(/omhros: kwfo\n ga\r be/los a)ndro\s a)na/lkidos.
Notes (2)
- The headword phrase, deriving from a coinage by Aristophanes (see below) was proverbial: see Zenobius 5.65 and other paroemiographers.
The participle in the headword phrase is perfect middle/passive, masculine accusative singular, of the doubly compound verbparecaule/w . Hesychius glossese)chulhme/non , and that singly compound version also appears in this passage. Both forms come ultimately fromau)le/w , "I play the aulos" (alpha 4447). - 1Aristophanes, Acharnians 681 (web address 1), with scholion; the aged chorus-members describe themselves thus. ↩
- 2Homer, Iliad 11.390 (web address 2). The hero Diomedes [Author, Myth] (OCD(4) s.v.) is "dumb" of neither mind nor weapon; nor indeed is he dumb and without voice, as his boast in this passage testifies (Hainsworth pp. 268-9). ↩
References
J.B. Hainsworth, The Iliad: A Commentary, vol. III, gen. ed. G.S. Kirk, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993
External resources
- Web address 1 perseus.tufts.edu
- Web address 2 perseus.tufts.edu
Neighbouring entries
Revision history5 revisions · last 8 Jun 2021
- tweaked links — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented notes and keywords; tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- x-ref; another keyword; minor tweaks — David Whitehead
- tweaks and cosmetics, status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — Ronald Allen