123
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
Hea he Whi e
London Uni e si y
Se analizan a ios p oblemas ex uales y de in e p e ación en los
Idilios de Teóc i o.
Se e al ex ual and in e p e a i e p oblems in he Idylls o Theoc i us
a e analyzed.
A TEXTUAL PROBLEM IN THEOCRITUS’ IDYLL 2.
A Idyll 2.155 ss. Simae ha complains ha he lo e Delphis has abandoned
he :
h' ga moi kai; i;" kai; e a ki" a[llok∆ ej oi h,
kai; pa ∆ ejmi;n ej i qei a;n Dw i da polla ki" o[lpan.
nu'n de e dwdeka ai'o" aj ∆ w| e nin oujde; po ei'don.
T ansla ion by A. S. F. Gow: “Fo uly a o he imes h ice a day and ou
imes would he come o me, and o en he would lea e his Do ian oil-flask wi h
me. Bu now ele en days a e gone since I ha e so much as seen him”. Gow1 com-
men ed as ollows on line 155: “ i;" kai; e a ki" no doub means equen ly,
like e que qua e que (c . Il. 3.363, Od. 9.71 icqa e kai; e acqa ), bu he
omission o he ime wi hin which is peculia . I mus be h'" hJme a", and hough
hese wo ds can ha dly be in e ed om he con ex , dwdeka ai'o" in 157 helps o
make he meaning clea ; c . 15.129n”. I would like o sugges ha Simae ha says
in line 155 ha Delphis used o make lo e wi h he h ee o ou imes in succes-
sion. Fo his meaning o he e b oi a w c . LSJ s. . (3): “o sexual in e cou se”.
1 C . Theoc i us II (Camb idge 1965) 61.
HABIS 38 (2007) 123-132
124
HEATHER WHITE
C . also He odo us 3.69 aiJ gunai'ke" oi w'si oi'si Pe sh/si. Fo he ac ha
lo e s o en boas ed ha hey had made lo e2 se e al imes in a ow c . Veleia 15
(1998) 395, quo ing AP 5.61. No e, mo eo e , ha Simae ha s a es in line 143 ha
she and Delphis had enjoyed sexual in e cou se oge he . C . also he scholia ad
loc. (ed. Wendel): ejp a cqh a; me gis a: a; h'" sunousi a".
ON THE GOATHERD’S BEARD
A Idyll 3.8 . a goa he d asks Ama yllis whe he she hinks ha he is ugly:
h Ja ge oi simo;" ka a ai nomai ejggu qen h men,
nu m a, kai; p oge neio"… ajpa gxasqai me pohsei'".
T ansla ion by Gow: “Am I, hen, snub-nosed o hy eye on close iew,
maiden? And does my bea d s ick ou ? Thou ‘l make me hang mysel ”. The c i ics
ha e been puzzled by he meaning o he adjec i e p oge neio", in line 9: c . Gow,
Theoc i us, ol. II, 66. I would like o poin ou ha p o-3 has been used o in en-
si y he adjec i e. Thus p oge neio" means “well-bea ded”: c . eujge neio". The
goa he d is wo ied ha he may look like a goa himsel , because he is snub-nosed
(simo "4) and well-bea ded (p oge neio").
A WREATH FOR AMARYLLIS
A Idyll 3.21 he goa he d h ea ens o des oy he w ea h ha he is wea ing
o Ama yllis:
o;n s e anon i'lai me ka ∆ auj i ka lep a; pohsei'".
In his discussion o his line, Gow (II, 68) a gued ha “ he sense equi es
ka a i llein a he han i llein”. Acco dingly, he assumed ha Theoc i us mus
ha e employed mesis in e sa. I should be no ed, howe e , ha a Idyll 25.153
we find he o m ka au o qi. The e is he e o e no eason why Theoc i us should
no ha e employed ka au i ka. Mo eo e , he ph ase s e anon i llein is ound
elsewhe e. C . LSJ s. . i llw III: “s e anon i llein = ou;" no mou" lumai nes-
qai”. Thus he goa he d s a es ha he will immedia ely (ka au i ka) ea his w ea h
in o iny pieces because he is being igno ed by Ama yllis. C . Thes.G .Ling, s. .
ka au i ka.
2 C . AP 5.181.11, whe e Bacchon claims o ha e made lo e “fi e imes in a ow” (pe n V
ej i lhsen É eJxh'").
3 C . LSJ s. . p o D.II.4: “in ensi y… p o kako"”. C . also p opa laio" “ e y old”.
4 C . Idyll 8.50 simai;... e[ i oi.
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OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
A SACRIFICE IN THEOCRITUS
A Idyll 4.20 . Ba us men ions a sac ifice o He a:
lep o;" ma;n cwj au' o" oJ pu i co". ai[qe la coien
oi; w' Lamp ia da, oi; damo ai o{kka qu wn i
a/' {H a/, oio nde. kakoc a smwn ga; oJ da'mo".
22 oJ au' o" S . l.
T ansla ion by Gow: “The bull’s hin oo- he uddy one. I hope Lamp iadas’s
olk may ge such ano he when he demesmen sac ifice o He a: hey’ e ( ascals)
in ha deme”. Gow (II, 80) no ed ha he c i ics ha e been puzzled by he meaning
o hese lines. I would like o poin ou ha pe ec sense can be made o his
passage i we p in he eading oJ au' o" in line 22. The scholia5 explain ha he
adjec i e kakoc a smwn means du s opo", i.e. “bad- empe ed”. Ba us dislikes
he bull which is hin and bad- empe ed. He he e o e sugges s ha such an animal
should be sac ificed o He a. Fo he sac ifice o a bull c . Pinda , Ol. 13.69 qu wn
au' on.
THEOCRITUS AND THE DONKEY
A Idyll 4.44 . Ba us complains ha he cal es a e ea ing he oli e-
shoo s:
BA. qa se w. ba lle ka wqe a; mosci a. Ta'" ga; ejlai a"
o;n qallo;n w gon i, a; du ssoa. KO. si q∆, oJ Le pa go",
si q∆, aJ Kumai qa, po i; o;n lo on. oujk ejsakou ei"…
46 si ∆ w S . l.
T ansla ion by Gow: “Ba. I am no downhea ed. D i e he cal es up om
below. They’ e nibbling he oli e-shoo s, he b u es. Co. Hey, Whi ey, hey, Cy-
mae ha, o he hill. Can’ you hea me?”. In his commen a y on hese lines, Gow
(II, 87) discussed he meaning o he wo ds oJ Le pa go". He s a ed ha i “seems
he e o be a p ope name since Kumai qa mus be one”. I would like o sugges ha
le pa go" is a noun meaning “donkey”6. Co ydon accuses Cymae ha o ac ing like
a donkey because she is ea ing he oli e-shoo s. Mo eo e , she e uses o mo e
when she is gi en o de s. C . Iliad 11.558 . whe e a donkey is said o ea he
c ops. C . also LSJ s. . o[no" (5): “o[no" u{e ai an ass in he ain, o being unmo ed
by wha is said o done, C a in. 52”. Lines 45 . should he e o e be p in ed as o-
llows: si q∆ oJ le pa go", si ∆ w Kumai qa... In o he wo ds, Co ydon add esses
one o his cows and says: “Hey, donkey, hey, Cymae ha, o he hill. Can’ you hea
me?”. C . Idyll 15.28, whe e a se an is called a weasel by P axinoa.
5 The scholia commen as ollows: kakoc a smwn h] oJ au' o" h] oJ dh'mo". ajn i; ou' kako;"
eij" c h'sin. h n ga; a ca ke a is h ".
6 C . Nicande , The . 349.
126
HEATHER WHITE
THEOCRITUS AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE
A Idyll 5.145 . Coma as s a es ha he in ends o wash his goa s:
ai ge" ejmai , qa sei' e, ke ouci de". au[ ion u[mme
pa sa" ejgw; lousw' Suba i ido" e[ndoqi li mna".
146 li mna" AGL k a na" P3 ce .
T ansla ion by Gow: “Take hea , my ho ned goa s. Tomo ow I’ll wash you
all in Syba is lake”. Gow commen ed (II, 117) as ollows on hese lines: “The e
is li le o choose be ween li mna" and k a na", and he e ha e been e e ences
o bo h lake (17) and sp ing (126; see n.)”. He hen added, howe e , ha “Ve gil
seems o ha e had k a na" be o e him: Ecl. 3.96 pascen is a flumine eice cape-
llas: / ipse, ubi empus e i , omnis in on e la abo”. I would like o sugges ha
Theoc i us is alluding he e o he ac ha he Syba is and he C a his7 we e said
o make hai he colou o ambe o gold: c . O id., Me . 15.315 . Thus Coma as
s a es ha he will wash his goa s in a sp ing o he i e Syba is so ha hei fleeces
will change colou . Simila ly Ve gil men ions ha he hai o a goa will become
yellow: c . Ecl. 4.44. C . mo eo e , Ju enal 12.40 ., whe e he wa e om a i e
is said o dye he wool on a sheep’s back.
ON APHRODITE OF MILETUS
A Idyll 7.115 . Simichidas summons he Lo es and asks hem o wound
Philinus:
u[mme" d∆ JUe i do" kai; Bubli do" aJdu; lipo n e"
na'ma kai; Oijkou'n a, xanqa'" e{do" aijpu; Diw na",
w ma loisin [E w e" ej euqome noisin oJmoi'oi
116 Oijkou'n a Hecke oijkeu'n e" codd.
The eade will no e ha Gow p in ed he al e a ion Oijkou'n a in line 116.
Tex ual al e a ion is, howe e , no wa an ed. The c i ics ha e ailed o unde s and
ha he pa iciple lipo n e", in line 115, has been employed ins ead o he im-
pe a i e8. I should, mo eo e , be no ed ha kai 9, in line 116, means “al hough”.
Acco dingly, I p opose he ollowing ansla ion o his passage: “Bu lea e he
swee s eam o Hye is and Byblis, al hough you inhabi (kai; oijkeu'n e") he s eep
sea 10 o golden-hai ed Dione, Lo es as osy as apples”.
7 C . Gow, Theoc i us II, 98.
8 Fo he use o he pa iciple ins ead o he impe a i e c . my S udies In The Poe y O
Nicande (Ams e dam 1987) 37.
9 C . LSJ s. . kai B.9: “Be o e a Pa iciple… al hough”.
10 The scholia explain ha Aph odi e (=Dione) had a sh ine a Mile us. Fu he mo e, hey
poin ou ha Hye is and Byblis we e sp ings a Mile us: c . Gow, Theoc i us II, 160.
127
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
SUICIDE IN THEOCRITUS
A Idyll 7.122 . Simichidas says ha A a us should no longe y o win
he a ec ion o Philinus by spending he nigh ou side his doo . He hen men ions
Molon, who also lo ed Philinus:
oJ d∆ o[ q io" a[llon ajle k w
kokku sdwn na kaisin ajnia ai'si didoi h.
ei|" d∆ ajpo; a'sde, e is e, Mo lwn a[gcoi o palai s a".
T ansla ion by Gow: “Bu le he mo ning cock wi h his c owing deli e up
ano he o he numbing pain, and one alone, Molon, be h o led in ha school,
my iend”. Gow no ed (II, 162) ha he me apho ical use o palai ein is e y
common and ha “i s applica ion o lo e is as old as Soph. . 941 (Ku p i") i n∆ouj
palai ous∆ ej" i;" ejkba llei qew'n… E os is indi e en ly a w es le (1.97) o a
boxe (Anac . . 62, Soph. T . 442)”. Howe e , Gow was puzzled by he exp es-
sion ajpo; palai s a" a[gcesqai. I would like o sugges ha Theoc i us means
ha Molon hanged himsel due o his un equi ed lo e o Philinus. Simila ly a
Idyll 23 Theoc i us desc ibes how a man hanged himsel because o he c uel e-
jec ion o his lo e by a boy. Thus Simichidas hopes ha Molon alone will be
s angled (a[gcoi o) in he me apho ical w es ling-school o lo e (ajpo; a'sde...
palai s a").
THEOCRITUS AND THE ROUT OF HERACLES
A Idyll 7.130 Lycidas is said o ake he oad o Pyxa:
cw] me;n ajpokli na" ejp∆ aj is e a; a;n ejpi; Pu xa"
ei| ∆ oJdo n.
Gow (II, 163) no ed ha “a da'mo" oJ Fuxiw a'n, no doub he place alluded
o he e, is men ioned in h ee Coan insc ip ions”. He added ha “ he scholia con-
nec he name Pu xa wi h a u xi" o He acles and Apollo Fu xio"”. I would like
o poin ou ha he poe is p obably alluding o he ac ha He acles was said o
ha e fled om ba le wi h he Coans: c . Robe G a es, The G eek My hs (Lon-
don 1971), ep in , II, 172 . Acco ding o Plu a ch (G eek Ques ions 58) annual
sac ifices we e o e ed o He acles on he field whe e his ba le was supposed o
ha e been ough . Fo his amous inciden in he li e o He acles c ., mo eo e ,
O id., Me . 7.364.
ON POLYPHEMUS’ DREAMS
A Idyll 11.22 . Polyphemus complains abou Gala ea’s beha iou owa ds
him:
oi h/'" d∆ au q∆ ou{ w" o{kka gluku;" u{pno" e[ch/ me,
oi[ch/ d∆ eujqu;" ijoi's∆ o{kka gluku;" u{pno" ajnh'/ me.

128
HEATHER WHITE
The meaning o hese lines has puzzled he c i ics: c . Gow II, 213. I would
like o poin ou ha pe ec sense can be es o ed o he ansmi ed ex i we
unde s and ha he e b oi h'/"11, in line 22, means “make lo e”. Polyphemus
complains ha he is able o make lo e wi h Gala ea only in his d eams. Simila ly
a AP 5.2 a poe s a es ha he is able o make lo e wi h a he ae a o no hing when
he is asleep, i.e., when he is d eaming. I he e o e p opose he ollowing ansla-
ion o his passage: “And hus you make lo e ( oi h") he e (au q∆) when swee
sleep holds me, and you depa immedia ely when swee sleep lea es me”.
POLYPHEMUS AND THE POWER OF LOVE
A Idyll 11.67 . Polyphemus complains abou he beha iou o his mo he :
aJ ma h ajdikei' me mo na, kai; me m omai auj a'/.
oujde;n ph poc∆ o{lw" po i; i;n i lon ei pen uJpe meu,
kai; au' ∆ a ma ejp∆ a ma oJ eu'sa me lep u non a.
69 lep u non a Meineke lep o;n ejo n a codd.
T ansla ion by Gow: “My mo he alone i is who w ongs me, and he I bla-
me; o ne e once has she spoken a kindly wo d o me o hee, hough she sees
me g owing hinne day by day”. The eade will no e ha Gow p in ed he al e-
a ion lep u non a in line 69. Tex ual al e a ion is ne e heless no wa an ed.
Polyphemus complains ha his mo he has done no hing o help him despi e he
ac ha she sees e e y day (a ma ejp∆ a ma 12) ha he is hin (lep o;n ejo n a)
and he e o e knows ha he is su e ing om he e ec s o un equi ed lo e. C .
Wüs emann, ad loc.: al hough she sees him e e y day, Polyphemus’ mo he ne-
e in e enes on his behal . In o he wo ds, a ma ejp∆ a ma is o be aken wi h
oJ eu`sa: his does no “impai he sense”, as Gow main ains, because he poin is,
as Wüs emann has unde lined, ha Polyphemus’ mo he ne e (oujde;n ph poc j)
uses a kind wo d o him, al hough she sees e e y day ha he is hin because o his
lo e. C . lep o ", scil. ei , Id. 14.3; o he pa iciple ejo n a in he sedes in ques ion
c . Id. 17.58 and epig . 11.13. Fo he use o he pa iciple ejw n in Theoc i us c .
Rumpel, Lex. Theoc ., s. . eijmi , 8.
GREEK MEDICINE AND THEOCRITUS
A Idyll 11.70 . he Cyclops s a es ha he will ell his mo he ha he is
su e ing:
Fasw' a;n ke ala;n kai; w;" po da" ajm o e w" meu
s u sdein, wJ" ajniaqh'/, ejpei; khjgw;n ajniw'mai.
11 C . LSJ s. . oi a w (3): “o sexual in e cou se”, and Iliad 14.296 eij" eujnh;n oi w'n e.
12 C . LSJ s. . oJ a w II,d: “c. pa ., oJ w'men ajpo; cqono;" aji?sson a we see i ising, Od.
10.99”. Gow no ed ha he wo ds a ma ejp∆ a ma mean “e e y day”: c . AP 9.499 and Oppian, Hal.
5.472.
129
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
T ansla ion by Gow: “I will ell he my head h obs, and bo h my ee , ha
she may su e since I oo su e ”. I would like o poin ou ha p e ious c i ics
ha e ailed o no ice ha he poe has employed obscene puns in his passage. The
wo d ke alh 13 means bo h “head” and “epididymis” (i.e. es icles). Mo eo e ,
he noun pou " (“ oo ”) = phallus: c . J. Hende son, The Macula e Muse (London
1975) 129. The Cyclops, who is us a ed in lo e, complains ha his es icles a e
h obbing14. Simila ly a Callimachus, Hymn 3.53 he Cyclops’ eye is compa ed o
a shield wi h ou ox-hides, because He ophilos had ecen ly disco e ed he ou
skins o he eye.
GORGO AND THE SOLDIERS
A Idyll 15.4 . Go go ells P axinoa ha he jou ney was di ficul :
GO. w] a'" ajlema w yuca'". mo li" u[mmin ejsw qhn,
P axino a, pollw' me;n o[clw, pollw'n de; eq i ppwn.
Pan a'/ k hpi'de", pan a'/ clamudh o oi a[nd e".
4 ajlema w Scalige : ajdama ou .l.
T ansla ion by Gow: “Wha a helpless hing I am! I ha dly go he e wi h my
li e, P axinoa, among all he c owd and he cha io s –hob-nailed shoes and men in
cloaks all o e he place”. In line 4 Gow p in ed Scalige ’s al e a ion ajlema ou.
Tex ual al e a ion is, howe e , no necessa y. As Kiessling15 has al eady explained,
he ph ase w] a'" ajdama ou yuca'" means “wha an in incible soul I am!”. The
scholia explain ha Go go is alluding o he ac ha he s ee s a e ull o soldie s.
Thus she says ha she b a ely16 aced he soldie s.
DEPILATION IN THEOCRITUS
A Idyll 15.18 . Go go complains abou he husband o P axinoa:
GO. cwjmo;" au a'/ e[cei. qo o" aj gu i w Dioklei da".
eJp ad a cmw" kuna da", g aia'n ajpo i lma a ph a'n
pe n e po kw" e[lab∆ ejcqe ", a{pan Ju pon, e[ gon ejp∆ e[ gw/.
4 ph w`n .l.
T ansla ion by Gow: “Go. Mine’s ha way oo; money’s no hing o Dioclei-
das. Yes e day o se en d achmas he bough – dogs’ hai , pluckings o old wa-
lle s, no hing bu di , wo k wi hou end. Fi e fleeces i was”. In his commen a y
13 C . LSJ s. . ke alh II.b: “in Ana omy… hJ k. ou' o[ cew" = ejpididumi ", A is . HA 510a.,
14”. C . also LSJ s. . di dumo" III.2: “ he es icles” (AP 5.125).
14 C . Thes. G . Ling, s. . s u zw: a;" e lago na" kai; ou;" didu mou" s u zein = “ilia
mica e”.
15 C . T. Kiessling, Theoc i i Reliquiae (Lipsiae 1819): “O in ac um animum”.
16 C . Sophocles, Ajax 450 whe e A hena is said o be “in incible” (ajda ma o").
130
HEATHER WHITE
on hese lines, Gow (II, 272) no ed ha some schola s ha e imagined ha he poe
is e e ing he e o human hai and he p ac ice o depila ion. He quo ed Ma ial
10.90: quid ellis e ulum, Ligeia, cunnum? Gow was, howe e , unable o see
wha ele ance he wo d ph a'n (“walle ”) migh ha e in his con ex . I would like
o poin ou ha pe ec sense can be made o his passage i we p in he a ian
ph w'n in line 19. The ph ase g aia'n ajpo i lma a ph w'n means “ he pluckings
o blind (ph w'n) old women”. I should, mo eo e , be no ed ha he wo d kuna -
da" (i.e. “dogs’ hai ”) con ains a pun based on ku wn = aijdoi'on. C . Hende son,
op. ci . 133. Fo depila ion in an iqui y c . Hende son, op. ci . 220.
MORE OBSCENE PUNS IN THEOCRITUS
A Idyll 15.58 . P axinoa says ha she has always been a aid o ho ses and
snakes:
i{ppon kai; o;n yuc o;n o[ in a; ma lis a dedoi kw
ejk paido ".
In his commen a y on his passage, Gow (II 282) quo ed Theognis 602
yuc o;n o}n ejn ko lpw/ poiki lon ei con o[ in. I would like o sugges ha he poe
is alluding he e o he ac ha i{ppo"17 and o[ i"18 bo h deno ed he “memb um
i ile”. Mo eo e , in line 53 P axinoa s a es ha a ho se has ea ed and makes an
obscene allusion o he e ec ion o he memb um i ile: c . Hende son, op. ci . 112.
The ho se ha has ea ed is in a s a e o e ec ion, as co ec ly unde s ood by Wa -
on (apud Kiessling) and by he scholia (Dübne , 90): kunoqa sh " means q a so"
kuno;" e[cwn, because dogs we e p o e bially eage o copula e. I will be no ed
ha an allusion o eal snakes (as opposed o he me apho ical snake ep esen ed
by he memb um i ile) would be con ex ually inapposi e.
THE GLUTTONY OF HERACLES
A Idyll 17.20 . He acles is said o eas wi h he immo als:
jAn i a d∆ JH aklh'o" e{d a ken au o o noio
i{d u ai s e eoi'o e ugme na ejx ajda man o".
e[nqa su;n a[lloisin qali a" e[cei Ouj ani dh/si
20 ken au o o noio T . Tou' au - S
T ansla ion by Gow: “O e agains hese, and w ough o s ubbo n adaman ,
is s ablished he chai o He acles who slew he Cen au s, and he e wi h he o he
gods he keeps es i al”. In line 20 Gow p in ed he eading ken au o o noio. I
17 C . LSJ s. . i{ppo" IV.b: “pudenda mulieb a e i ilia, Hsch”. Be e Hende son, The
Macula e Muse, index, s. . i{ppo".
18 C . Hende son, op. ci . 127. The epi he yuc o ", in line 58, p obably means “ igh ening”.
131
OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS
would like o poin ou , howe e , ha be e sense is p o ided by he a ian ou`
au o o noio. Theoc i us is alluding he e o he ac ha He acles killed and a e
he ox o Theiodamas. This s o y was popula 19 in Hellenis ic li e a u e and illus-
a ed he glu ony o He acles20. Acco dingly, He acles he bull-slaye 21 is said by
Theoc i us o eas oge he wi h he gods.
THE BEAUTY OF HELEN
A Idyll 18.26 . he cho us o gi ls p aises he beau y o Helen:
jAw;" ajn e lloisa kalo;n die ane p o swpon,
po nia Nu x, o e leuko;n e[a ceimw'no" ajne n o".
w|de kai; aJ c use a JEle na die ai ne ∆ ejn aJmi'n.
26 die ane Ah ens - aine P3 codd.; 27 o e Kaibel a{ e P3 codd.
The eade will no e ha Gow p in ed wo al e a ions in hese lines. I would
like o sugges ha be e sense can be made o his passage i we elimina e he
noun jAw" om he ex , in line 26, and ansla e as ollows: “Ah ( A22), jus as
(wJ"23) lady Nigh ising showed (die aine) he ai ace, like (a{ e) adian sp ing
when win e ends, so golden Helen shone amongs us”. Helen is, in o he wo ds,
compa ed by he cho us o he goddess Nigh .
DIONYSUS AND PENTHEUS
In Idyll 26 Theoc i us desc ibes how Pen heus was killed by Maenads. A
line 1 Aga e is said o be malopa auo" (“whi e-cheeked”). Gow was puzzled by
his epi he . I would like o poin ou ha whi e skin was much admi ed in an iqui-
y. Thus a Idyll 11.19 . Gala ea is p aised because o he whi eness o he skin:
w leuka; Gala eia... leuko e a pak a'". C . also AP 5.159 leukopa eio".
Hesychius explained ha malopa auo" = leukopa eio". In o he wo ds, Aga e
is imagined o ha e beau i ul whi e skin. In line 4 he Maenads a e said o ga he
i y and asphodel: kisso n e zw on a kai; ajs o delon o;n uJpe; ga'". I would
like o poin ou ha kisso n e zw on a means “flou ishing i y”. C . LSJ s. . zw'
II: “ eq. me aph. o hings, o be in ull igou , o[lbo" zw ei ma sswn Pi. I. 3.5”.
C . also LSJ s. . kisso ": k. eujpe alo" e{liki qa llei A . Th. 999. Theoc i us
desc ibes he asphodel as o;n uJpe; ga'". He is alluding o he ac ha asphodel
was also said o g ow in he lowe wo ld: c . Od. 11.539, 573, 24.13. C . also LSJ
s. . uJpe geio" “abo e g ound” and uJpo geio" “unde g ound”. The Maenads a e
19 C . Callimachus, ag. 24, and Apollonius Rhodius, A g. 1.1213 . C . also Apollodo us
2.7.7: JH aklh'"... o;n e{ e on w'n au wn lu sa" kai; s a xa".
20 C . Callimachus, Hymn 3.160 ajdh agi h".
21 Fo he epi he au o ono" c . AP 11.60.5 au o o nwn... k e a do pwn.
22 C . Eu ipides, O es es 144 . a a , su iggo" o{pw" pnoa . C . also Theoc i us, Epig am 6.1
A dei laie u; Qu si.
23 C . Iliad 2.326 wJ" ou| o" k l.