Σειρὴν μὲν φίλον ἀγγέλλει ξεῖνον δὲ μέλισσα
a siren announces a friend (but) a bee a stranger
Translated by Catharine Roth4 Oct 2004Vetting: high6 revisions
Translation
The "siren" is an animal which makes wax, similar to the bee.
Greek original · Adler’s text
Σειρὴν μὲν φίλον ἀγγέλλει, ξεῖνον δὲ μέλισσα· σειρὴν ζῷόν ἐστι κηροποιόν, μελίσσῃ παραπλήσιον.
Betacode
*seirh\n me\n fi/lon a)gge/llei, cei=non de\ me/lissa: seirh\n zw=|o/n e)sti khropoio/n, meli/ssh| paraplh/sion.
Notes
- = Photius sigma116 Theodoridis, perhaps from Pausanias the Atticist (sigma7).
The headword phrase, a dactylic hexameter, appears as a proverb in some of the paroemiographers: Zenobius 5.97, Apostolius 15.38.
The wasp called "siren" is mentioned, as Zenobius noted, by Aristotle: History of Animals 623b11.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history6 revisions · last 30 Nov 2014
- translated title — Catharine Roth
- Revised — Catharine Roth
- another note; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Revised — David Whitehead
- augmented note — David Whitehead
- modified headword; augmented notes and keywords — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth