Pearson 139
139
ψόφον φοβεῖσθε. For the proverbial
ψοφοδεής see on fr. 61. The stop which is placed after
ψόφον in the papyrus must be an error.
Ichneutae. Alfred Chilton Pearson. ed. Alfred Chilton Pearson. . 2026-09-15.
Table of Contents
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Current edition Experimental
Commentary (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review) (OCR draft) (English) (Commentary (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review))
Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.
Editions (1)
Greek (A. S. Hunt, 1912; Perseus reference) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. S. Hunt, 1912; Perseus reference)) — 145 focus
Σιληνός
τί μοι ψ[ό]φον; φοβ[εῖσθε] κα[ὶ] δειμαίνετε,
145
μάλθης ἄναγνα σώ[μα]τʼ ἐκμεμαγμένα
κάκιστα θηρῶν ὀντ[ες, ἐ]ν [π]άσῃ σκιᾷ
φόβον βλέποντες, πάν[τα] δειματούμενοι,
ἄνευρα κἀκόμιστα κἀνε[λε]ύθερα
διακονοῦντες, σώματʼ εἰ[ς]ιδ[ε]ῖν μόνον
150
κα[ὶ γ]λῶσσα κα[ὶ] φάλητες. εἰ δέ που δέῃ,
πιστοὶ λόγοισιν ὄντες ἔργα φεύγετε.
τοιοῦ[δ]ε πατρός, ὦ κάκιστα θηρίων,
οὗ πόλλʼ ἐφʼ ἥβης μνήματʼ ἀνδρείας ὕπο
κ[ε]ῖται παρʼ οἴκοις νυμφικοῖς ἠσκημένα,
155
οὐκ εἰς φυγὴν κλίνοντος, οὐ δουλ[ο]υμένου,
οὐδὲ ψόφοισι τῶν ὀρειτρόφων βοτῶν
[π]τήσσοντος, ἀλλʼ α[κ]μαῖσιν ἐξει[ρ]γασμένου
[ἃ] νῦν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν λάμ[πρʼ ὑ]πορρυπαίνεται
[ψ]όφῳ νεώρει κόλακ[ι] ποιμένων π[ο]θέν,
160
[ὃν] δὴ φοβεῖσθε παῖδες ὣς πρὶν εἰσιδεῖν,
πλοῦτον δὲ χ[ρ]υσόφαντον ἐξαφίετε,
ὃν Φοῖβος ὑμῖν εἶπε κ[ἀ]νεδέξατο,
καὶ τὴν ἐλευθέρωσιν ἣν κατῄνεσεν
7
ὑμῖν τε κἀμοί· ταῦτʼ ἀφέντες εὕδετε.
165
εἰ μὴ ʼνανοστήσαντες ἐξιχνεύσε[τε
τὰς βοῦς ὅπῃ βεβᾶσι καὶ τὸν βουκόλο[ν,
κλαίοντες αὐτῇ δειλίᾳ ψοφή[ς]ετε.
τί μοι ψ[ό]φον; φοβ[εῖσθε] κα[ὶ] δειμαίνετε,
145
μάλθης ἄναγνα σώ[μα]τʼ ἐκμεμαγμένα
κάκιστα θηρῶν ὀντ[ες, ἐ]ν [π]άσῃ σκιᾷ
φόβον βλέποντες, πάν[τα] δειματούμενοι,
ἄνευρα κἀκόμιστα κἀνε[λε]ύθερα
διακονοῦντες, σώματʼ εἰ[ς]ιδ[ε]ῖν μόνον
150
κα[ὶ γ]λῶσσα κα[ὶ] φάλητες. εἰ δέ που δέῃ,
πιστοὶ λόγοισιν ὄντες ἔργα φεύγετε.
τοιοῦ[δ]ε πατρός, ὦ κάκιστα θηρίων,
οὗ πόλλʼ ἐφʼ ἥβης μνήματʼ ἀνδρείας ὕπο
κ[ε]ῖται παρʼ οἴκοις νυμφικοῖς ἠσκημένα,
155
οὐκ εἰς φυγὴν κλίνοντος, οὐ δουλ[ο]υμένου,
οὐδὲ ψόφοισι τῶν ὀρειτρόφων βοτῶν
[π]τήσσοντος, ἀλλʼ α[κ]μαῖσιν ἐξει[ρ]γασμένου
[ἃ] νῦν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν λάμ[πρʼ ὑ]πορρυπαίνεται
[ψ]όφῳ νεώρει κόλακ[ι] ποιμένων π[ο]θέν,
160
[ὃν] δὴ φοβεῖσθε παῖδες ὣς πρὶν εἰσιδεῖν,
πλοῦτον δὲ χ[ρ]υσόφαντον ἐξαφίετε,
ὃν Φοῖβος ὑμῖν εἶπε κ[ἀ]νεδέξατο,
καὶ τὴν ἐλευθέρωσιν ἣν κατῄνεσεν
7
ὑμῖν τε κἀμοί· ταῦτʼ ἀφέντες εὕδετε.
165
εἰ μὴ ʼνανοστήσαντες ἐξιχνεύσε[τε
τὰς βοῦς ὅπῃ βεβᾶσι καὶ τὸν βουκόλο[ν,
κλαίοντες αὐτῇ δειλίᾳ ψοφή[ς]ετε.
Χορός
πάτερ, παρὼν αὐτός με συμποδηγέτε[ι,
ἵνʼ εὖ κατείδῃς εἴ τίς ἐστι δειλία·
170
γνώση[ι] γὰρ αὐτός, ἂν παρῇς, οὐδὲν λέγω[ν.
πάτερ, παρὼν αὐτός με συμποδηγέτε[ι,
ἵνʼ εὖ κατείδῃς εἴ τίς ἐστι δειλία·
170
γνώση[ι] γὰρ αὐτός, ἂν παρῇς, οὐδὲν λέγω[ν.
Σιληνός
ἐγὼ πα[ρ]ὼν αὐτός σε προσβιβῶ λόγῳ,
κυνορτικὸν σύριγμα διακαλούμεν[ος.
ἀλλʼ εἷʼ [ἐ]φίστω τριζύγης οἵμου βάσιν·
ἐγὼ δʼ ἐν [ἔ]ργοις παρμένων σʼ ἀπευθυνῶ.
175
ἐγὼ πα[ρ]ὼν αὐτός σε προσβιβῶ λόγῳ,
κυνορτικὸν σύριγμα διακαλούμεν[ος.
ἀλλʼ εἷʼ [ἐ]φίστω τριζύγης οἵμου βάσιν·
ἐγὼ δʼ ἐν [ἔ]ργοις παρμένων σʼ ἀπευθυνῶ.
175
Translations (1)
English (Anne Mahoney, adapted from Walker) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Anne Mahoney, adapted from Walker)) — 145 focus
Silenus
Why are you running away, afraid of a noise? You wretched beasts, with your filthy bodies all smeared with wax, seeing terrors in every shadow, scared of everything! You’re gutless, and careless,
145
and servile. You’re nothing but body and tongue and voice. You trust to words and flee from actions. Worst of animals, how did you ever come to have a father like me? There are lots of monuments to my courage, when I was young, songs sung at every household’s wedding feast. I was never put to flight, never afraid, and I didn’t quiver at noises made by animals up on the mountains. Instead, I accomplished great things with my spear. That brilliant spear is now besmirched by you,
150
because some new sound from the shepherds has frightened you, like the babies you are, and you’ve given up on the golden wealth that Phoebus said he was offering to you, to say nothing of freedom, which he also offered
7
to you and to me. You’ve put all that away and gone to sleep. Unless you get back to work tracking those cows and their cowherd, wherever they are, you’ll be making noises of your own for your cowardice.
160
Why are you running away, afraid of a noise? You wretched beasts, with your filthy bodies all smeared with wax, seeing terrors in every shadow, scared of everything! You’re gutless, and careless,
145
and servile. You’re nothing but body and tongue and voice. You trust to words and flee from actions. Worst of animals, how did you ever come to have a father like me? There are lots of monuments to my courage, when I was young, songs sung at every household’s wedding feast. I was never put to flight, never afraid, and I didn’t quiver at noises made by animals up on the mountains. Instead, I accomplished great things with my spear. That brilliant spear is now besmirched by you,
150
because some new sound from the shepherds has frightened you, like the babies you are, and you’ve given up on the golden wealth that Phoebus said he was offering to you, to say nothing of freedom, which he also offered
7
to you and to me. You’ve put all that away and gone to sleep. Unless you get back to work tracking those cows and their cowherd, wherever they are, you’ll be making noises of your own for your cowardice.
160
Chorus
Father, walk beside me,
so you’ll know whether I’m really a coward. If you’re here, you’ll know first hand, not through rumors.
170
Father, walk beside me,
so you’ll know whether I’m really a coward. If you’re here, you’ll know first hand, not through rumors.
170
Silenus
I will approach this sound with you, and I will call out and whistle as I’d call a dog. You, line up three by three, and I will go beside you and get you straightened out again.
I will approach this sound with you, and I will call out and whistle as I’d call a dog. You, line up three by three, and I will go beside you and get you straightened out again.
Commentary
Apparatus (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review) (OCR draft) (Apparatus (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review)) focus
mvp-comment-87-1 supplevit Murray
Commentary (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review) (OCR draft) (Commentary (A. C. Pearson, 1917; OCR review)) focus
mvp-comment-127-1 239 οὐδ᾽. If the text is right, οὐδέ is intended to contrast the second clause instead of correlating it. That is to say, it would imply: 'no, nor yet....' Where this is intended, we often have οὐδ' αὐ, οὐδέ γε, etc.: Kuehner-Gerth II 290. See also Bury on Pind. Isthm. 2. 44 . In O.C. 1141 Jebb accepted Elmsley's οὔτε,
mvp-comment-127-2
and it is not clear that
οὐδ' is justified here. -
ἄξενος, uncivil, as in
Plat. soph. 217
Ε τὸ δὲ αὖ σοὶ μὴ χαρίζεσθαι...
ἄξενόν τι καταφαίνεταί μοι καὶ ἄγριον.