Σκήπων
staff
Translated by William Hutton20 Feb 2014Vetting: high4 revisions
Translation
[Meaning a] stick; from which also [the diminutive] skapa/nion ['stafflet'] [sc. is derived].1
"Yea verily, he was a wise man who used to say 'before hearing a story from both sides you shouldn't make a judgment'. You, though, are already the victor by far; so that [I] have already relaxed [my] rage. [sc. And so] I toss down the staffs."2
"Yea verily, he was a wise man who used to say 'before hearing a story from both sides you shouldn't make a judgment'. You, though, are already the victor by far; so that [I] have already relaxed [my] rage. [sc. And so] I toss down the staffs."2
Greek original · Adler’s text
Σκήπων· ῥόπαλον· παρ' ὃ καὶ σκαπάνιον. ἦπου σοφὸς ἦν, ὃς ἔφασκε πρὶν ἂν ἀμφοῖν μῦθον ἀκούσαις, οὐκ ἂν δικάσαις. σὺ δ' ἤδη πολλῷ νενίκηκας· ὥστ' ἤδη τὴν ὀργὴν χαλάσας. τοὺς σκήπωνας καταβάλλω.
Betacode
*skh/pwn: r(o/palon: par' o(\ kai\ skapa/nion. h)=pou sofo\s h)=n, o(\s e)/faske pri\n a)\n a)mfoi=n mu=qon a)kou/sais, ou)k a)\n dika/sais. su\ d' h)/dh pollw=| neni/khkas: w(/st' h)/dh th\n o)rgh\n xala/sas. tou\s skh/pwnas kataba/llw.
Notes (2)
- The headword is a late Greek variant of the word more commonly spelled
ski/pwn (sigma 618). - 1= Synagoge sigma111, Photius sigma311 Theodoridis (with the spelling
ski/pwn ); similarly in Hesychius and elsewhere, including a scholion on Aristophanes, Wasps 727 (on which see below). Onskapa/nion, a dialectal variant of the more commonskhpa/nion, see sigma 575. ↩ - 2An approximation of what the chorus-leader says in Aristophanes, Wasps 725-7, exhibiting the accusative plural form of the headword with the spelling
ski/pwnas . MacDowell 233 comments that this phrase must be a regular idiom for surrendering, like the English 'throw in the sponge/towel'; it is, however, otherwise unattested. ↩
References
Aristophanes, Wasps, edited with introduction and commentary by Douglas M. MacDowell (Oxford 1971 and reprints)
Linked from3 entries
- σ575Σκηπάνιονstaff[Meaning a] scepter.
- σ589Σκῆψιςexcuse, pretext[Meaning a] covering. Allegation, or thought, postponement. Also [sc. attested is the related verb] skh/ptomai ["I allege by way of pretext"]. Aristophanes in Plutus [writes]: "I allege by way of pretext, ay any rate,…
- σ618Σκίπωνοςof a cane[Meaning] of a stick. Also [sc. attested with the spelling] ski/ptwnos.
Neighbouring entries
Revision history4 revisions · last 24 Feb 2014
- another cross-reference — William Hutton
- added cross-reference — William Hutton
- expansions to notes; another keyword; tweaks and cosmetics; raised status — David Whitehead
- cosmeticule, status — Catharine Roth
- Translated — William Hutton