Observations on the text of Theocritus

123 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS Heather White London University Se analizan varios problemas textuales y de interpretación en los Idilios de Teócrito. Several textual and interpretative problems in the Idylls of Theocritus are analyzed. A TEXTUAL PROBLEM IN THEOCRITUS’ IDYLL 2. At Idyll 2.155 ss. Simaetha complains that her lover Delphis has abandoned her: h' gavr moi kai; tri;" kai; tetravki" a[llok∆ ejfoivth, kai; par∆ ejmi;n ejtivqei ta;n Dwrivda pollavki" o[lpan. nu'n dev te dwdekatai'o" ajf∆ w|tev nin oujde; potei'don. Translation by A. S. F. Gow: “For truly at other times thrice a day and four times would he come to me, and often he would leave his Dorian oil-flask with me. But now eleven days are gone since I have so much as seen him”. Gow1 commented as follows on line 155: “tri;" kai; tetravki" no doubt means frequently, like terque quaterque (cf. Il. 3.363, Od. 9.71 tricqav te kai; tetracqav), but the omission of the time within which is peculiar. It must be th'" hJmevra", and though these words can hardly be inferred from the context, dwdekatai'o" in 157 helps to make the meaning clear; cf. 15.129n”. I would like to suggest that Simaetha says in line 155 that Delphis used to make love with her three or four times in succession. For this meaning of the verb foitavw cf. LSJ s.v. (3): “of sexual intercourse”. 1 Cf. Theocritus II (Cambridge 1965) 61. HABIS 38 (2007) 123-132 124 HEATHER WHITE Cf. also Herodotus 3.69 aiJ gunai'ke" foitw'si toi'si Pevrsh/si. For the fact that lovers often boasted that they had made love2 several times in a row cf. Veleia 15 (1998) 395, quoting AP 5.61. Note, moreover, that Simaetha states in line 143 that she and Delphis had enjoyed sexual intercourse together. Cf. also the scholia ad loc. (ed. Wendel): ejpravcqh ta; mevgista: ta; th'" sunousiva". ON THE GOATHERD’S BEARD At Idyll 3.8 f. a goatherd asks Amaryllis whether she thinks that he is ugly: h\ rJav ge toi simo;" katafaivnomai ejgguvqen h\men, nuvmfa, kai; progevneio"… ajpavgxasqaiv me pohsei'". Translation by Gow: “Am I, then, snub-nosed to thy eye on closer view, maiden? And does my beard stick out? Thou ‘lt make me hang myself”. The critics have been puzzled by the meaning of the adjective progevneio", in line 9: cf. Gow, Theocritus, vol. II, 66. I would like to point out that pro-3 has been used to intensify the adjective. Thus progevneio" means “well-bearded”: cf. eujgevneio". The goatherd is worried that he may look like a goat himself, because he is snub-nosed (simov"4) and well-bearded (progevneio"). A WREATH FOR AMARYLLIS At Idyll 3.21 the goatherd threatens to destroy the wreath that he is wearing for Amaryllis: to;n stevfanon ti'laiv me kat∆ aujtivka lepta; pohsei'". In his discussion of this line, Gow (II, 68) argued that “the sense requires katativllein rather than tivllein”. Accordingly, he assumed that Theocritus must have employed tmesis inversa. It should be noted, however, that at Idyll 25.153 we find the form katautovqi. There is therefore no reason why Theocritus should not have employed katautivka. Moreover, the phrase stevfanon tivllein is found elsewhere. Cf. LSJ s.v. tivllw III: “stevfanon tivllein = tou;" novmou" lumaivnesqai”. Thus the goatherd states that he will immediately (katautivka) tear his wreath into tiny pieces because he is being ignored by Amaryllis. Cf. Thes.Gr.Ling, s.v. katautivka. 2 Cf. AP 5.181.11, where Bacchon claims to have made love “five times in a row” (pevntV ejfivlhsen É eJxh'"). 3 Cf. LSJ s.v. prov D.II.4: “intensity… provkako"”. Cf. also propavlaio" “very old”. 4 Cf. Idyll 8.50 simai;... e[rifoi. 125 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS A SACRIFICE IN THEOCRITUS At Idyll 4.20 ff. Battus mentions a sacrifice to Hera: lepto;" ma;n cwj tau'ro" oJ purrivco". ai[qe lavcoien toi; tw' Lampriavda, toi; damovtai o{kka quvwnti ta/' {Hra/, toiovnde. kakocravsmwn ga;r oJ da'mo". 22 oJ tau'ro" S v. l. Translation by Gow: “The bull’s thin toothe ruddy one. I hope Lampriadas’s folk may get such another when the demesmen sacrifice to Hera: they’re (rascals) in that deme”. Gow (II, 80) noted that the critics have been puzzled by the meaning of these lines. I would like to point out that perfect sense can be made of this passage if we print the reading oJ tau'ro" in line 22. The scholia5 explain that the adjective kakocravsmwn means duvstropo", i.e. “bad-tempered”. Battus dislikes the bull which is thin and bad-tempered. He therefore suggests that such an animal should be sacrificed to Hera. For the sacrifice of a bull cf. Pindar, Ol. 13.69 quvwn tau'ron. THEOCRITUS AND THE DONKEY At Idyll 4.44 ff. Battus complains that the calves are eating the oliveshoots: BA. qarsevw. bavlle kavtwqe ta; mosciva. Ta'" ga;r ejlaiva" to;n qallo;n trwvgonti, ta; duvssoa. KO. sivtq∆, oJ Levpargo", sivtq∆, aJ Kumaivqa, poti; to;n lovfon. oujk ejsakouvei"… 46 sivtt∆ w\ S v. l. Translation by Gow: “Ba. I am not downhearted. Drive the calves up from below. They’re nibbling the olive-shoots, the brutes. Co. Hey, Whitey, hey, Cymaetha, to the hill. Can’t you hear me?”. In his commentary on these lines, Gow (II, 87) discussed the meaning of the words oJ Levpargo". He stated that it “seems here to be a proper name since Kumaivqa must be one”. I would like to suggest that levpargo" is a noun meaning “donkey”6. Corydon accuses Cymaetha of acting like a donkey because she is eating the olive-shoots. Moreover, she refuses to move when she is given orders. Cf. Iliad 11.558 ff. where a donkey is said to eat the crops. Cf. also LSJ s.v. o[no" (5): “o[no" u{etai an ass in the rain, of being unmoved by what is said or done, Cratin. 52”. Lines 45 f. should therefore be printed as follows: sivtq∆ oJ levpargo", sivtt∆ w\ Kumaivqa... In other words, Corydon addresses one of his cows and says: “Hey, donkey, hey, Cymaetha, to the hill. Can’t you hear me?”. Cf. Idyll 15.28, where a servant is called a weasel by Praxinoa. 5 The scholia comment as follows: kakocravsmwn h] oJ tau'ro" h] oJ dh'mo". ajnti; tou' kako;" eij" crh'sin. h\n ga;r tavca keratisthv". 6 Cf. Nicander, Ther. 349. 126 HEATHER WHITE THEOCRITUS AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE At Idyll 5.145 f. Comatas states that he intends to wash his goats: ai\ge" ejmaiv, qarsei'te, keroucivde". au[rion u[mme pavsa" ejgw; lousw' Subarivtido" e[ndoqi livmna". 146 livmna" AGL kravna" P3 cett. Translation by Gow: “Take heart, my horned goats. Tomorrow I’ll wash you all in Sybaris lake”. Gow commented (II, 117) as follows on these lines: “There is little to choose between livmna" and kravna", and there have been references to both lake (17) and spring (126; see n.)”. He then added, however, that “Vergil seems to have had kravna" before him: Ecl. 3.96 pascentis a flumine reice capellas: / ipse, ubi tempus erit, omnis in fonte lavabo”. I would like to suggest that Theocritus is alluding here to the fact that the Sybaris and the Crathis7 were said to make hair the colour of amber or gold: cf. Ovid., Met. 15.315 f. Thus Comatas states that he will wash his goats in a spring of the river Sybaris so that their fleeces will change colour. Similarly Vergil mentions that the hair of a goat will become yellow: cf. Ecl. 4.44. Cf. moreover, Juvenal 12.40 ff., where the water from a river is said to dye the wool on a sheep’s back. ON APHRODITE OF MILETUS At Idyll 7.115 ff. Simichidas summons the Loves and asks them to wound Philinus: u[mme" d∆ JUetivdo" kai; Bublivdo" aJdu; lipovnte" na'ma kai; Oijkou'nta, xanqa'" e{do" aijpu; Diwvna", w\ mavloisin [Erwte" ejreuqomevnoisin oJmoi'oi 116 Oijkou'nta Hecker oijkeu'nte" codd. The reader will note that Gow printed the alteration Oijkou'nta in line 116. Textual alteration is, however, not warranted. The critics have failed to understand that the participle lipovnte", in line 115, has been employed instead of the imperative8. It should, moreover, be noted that kaiv9, in line 116, means “although”. Accordingly, I propose the following translation for this passage: “But leave the sweet stream of Hyetis and Byblis, although you inhabit (kai; oijkeu'nte") the steep seat10 of golden-haired Dione, Loves as rosy as apples”. 7 Cf. Gow, Theocritus II, 98. 8 For the use of the participle instead of the imperative cf. my Studies In The Poetry Of Nicander (Amsterdam 1987) 37. 9 Cf. LSJ s.v. kaiv B.9: “Before a Participle… although”. 10 The scholia explain that Aphrodite (=Dione) had a shrine at Miletus. Furthermore, they point out that Hyetis and Byblis were springs at Miletus: cf. Gow, Theocritus II, 160. 127 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS SUICIDE IN THEOCRITUS At Idyll 7.122 ff. Simichidas says that Aratus should no longer try to win the affection of Philinus by spending the night outside his door. He then mentions Molon, who also loved Philinus: oJ d∆ o[rqrio" a[llon ajlevktwr kokkuvsdwn navrkaisin ajniarai'si didoivh. ei|" d∆ ajpo; ta'sde, fevriste, Movlwn a[gcoito palaivstra". Translation by Gow: “But let the morning cock with his crowing deliver up another to the numbing pain, and one alone, Molon, be throttled in that school, my friend”. Gow noted (II, 162) that the metaphorical use of palaivein is very common and that “its application to love is as old as Soph. fr. 941 (Kuvpri") tivn∆ouj palaivous∆ ej" tri;" ejkbavllei qew'n… Eros is indifferently a wrestler (1.97) or a boxer (Anacr. fr. 62, Soph. Tr. 442)”. However, Gow was puzzled by the expression ajpo; palaivstra" a[gcesqai. I would like to suggest that Theocritus means that Molon hanged himself due to his unrequited love for Philinus. Similarly at Idyll 23 Theocritus describes how a man hanged himself because of the cruel rejection of his love by a boy. Thus Simichidas hopes that Molon alone will be strangled (a[gcoito) in the metaphorical wrestling-school of love (ajpo; ta'sde... palaivstra"). THEOCRITUS AND THE ROUT OF HERACLES At Idyll 7.130 Lycidas is said to take the road to Pyxa: cw] me;n ajpoklivna" ejp∆ ajristera; ta;n ejpi; Puvxa" ei|rf∆ oJdovn. Gow (II, 163) noted that “a da'mo" oJ Fuxiwta'n, no doubt the place alluded to here, is mentioned in three Coan inscriptions”. He added that “the scholia connect the name Puvxa with a fuvxi" of Heracles and Apollo Fuvxio"”. I would like to point out that the poet is probably alluding to the fact that Heracles was said to have fled from battle with the Coans: cf. Robert Graves, The Greek Myths (London 1971), reprint, II, 172 ff. According to Plutarch (Greek Questions 58) annual sacrifices were offered to Heracles on the field where this battle was supposed to have been fought. For this famous incident in the life of Heracles cf., moreover, Ovid., Met. 7.364. ON POLYPHEMUS’ DREAMS At Idyll 11.22 f. Polyphemus complains about Galatea’s behaviour towards him: foith/'" d∆ au\q∆ ou{tw" 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 of these lines has puzzled the critics: cf. Gow II, 213. I would like to point out that perfect sense can be restored to the transmitted text if we understand that the verb foith'/"11, in line 22, means “make love”. Polyphemus complains that he is able to make love with Galatea only in his dreams. Similarly at AP 5.2 a poet states that he is able to make love with a hetaera for nothing when he is asleep, i.e., when he is dreaming. I therefore propose the following translation for this passage: “And thus you make love (foith") here (au\q∆) when sweet sleep holds me, and you depart immediately when sweet sleep leaves me”. POLYPHEMUS AND THE POWER OF LOVE At Idyll 11.67 ff. Polyphemus complains about the behaviour of his mother: aJ mavthr ajdikei' me movna, kai; mevmfomai aujta'/. oujde;n phvpoc∆ o{lw" poti; ti;n fivlon ei\pen uJpevr meu, kai; tau't∆ a\mar ejp∆ a\mar oJreu'sav me leptuvnonta. 69 leptuvnonta Meineke lepto;n ejovnta codd. Translation by Gow: “My mother alone it is who wrongs me, and her I blame; for never once has she spoken a kindly word for me to thee, though she sees me growing thinner day by day”. The reader will note that Gow printed the alteration leptuvnonta in line 69. Textual alteration is nevertheless not warranted. Polyphemus complains that his mother has done nothing to help him despite the fact that she sees every day (a\mar ejp∆ a\mar12) that he is thin (lepto;n ejovnta) and therefore knows that he is suffering from the effects of unrequited love. Cf. Wüstemann, ad loc.: although she sees him every day, Polyphemus’ mother never intervenes on his behalf. In other words, a\mar ejp∆ a\mar is to be taken with oJreu`sa: this does not “impair the sense”, as Gow maintains, because the point is, as Wüstemann has underlined, that Polyphemus’ mother never (oujde;n phvpoc j) uses a kind word for him, although she sees every day that he is thin because of his love. Cf. leptov", scil. ei\, Id. 14.3; for the participle ejovnta in the sedes in question cf. Id. 17.58 and epigr. 11.13. For the use of the participle ejwvn in Theocritus cf. Rumpel, Lex. Theocr., s.v. eijmiv, 8. GREEK MEDICINE AND THEOCRITUS At Idyll 11.70 f. the Cyclops states that he will tell his mother that he is suffering: Fasw' ta;n kefala;n kai; tw;" povda" ajmfotevrw" meu sfuvsdein, wJ" ajniaqh'/, ejpei; khjgw;n ajniw'mai. 11 Cf. LSJ s.v. foitavw (3): “of sexual intercourse”, and Iliad 14.296 eij" eujnh;n foitw'nte. 12 Cf. LSJ s.v. oJravw II,d: “c. part., oJrw'men ajpo; cqono;" aji?ssonta we see it rising, Od. 10.99”. Gow noted that the words a\mar ejp∆ a\mar mean “every day”: cf. AP 9.499 and Oppian, Hal. 5.472. 129 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS Translation by Gow: “I will tell her my head throbs, and both my feet, that she may suffer since I too suffer”. I would like to point out that previous critics have failed to notice that the poet has employed obscene puns in this passage. The word kefalhv13 means both “head” and “epididymis” (i.e. testicles). Moreover, the noun pouv" (“foot”) = phallus: cf. J. Henderson, The Maculate Muse (London 1975) 129. The Cyclops, who is frustated in love, complains that his testicles are throbbing14. Similarly at Callimachus, Hymn 3.53 the Cyclops’ eye is compared to a shield with four ox-hides, because Herophilos had recently discovered the four skins of the eye. GORGO AND THE SOLDIERS At Idyll 15.4 ff. Gorgo tells Praxinoa that her journey was difficult: GO. w] ta'" ajlemavtw yuca'". movli" u[mmin ejswvqhn, Praxinova, pollw' me;n o[clw, pollw'n de; teqrivppwn. Panta'/ krhpi'de", panta'/ clamudhfovroi a[ndre". 4 ajlemavtw Scaliger: ajdamavtou v.l. Translation by Gow: “What a helpless thing I am! I hardly got here with my life, Praxinoa, among all the crowd and the chariots –hob-nailed shoes and men in cloaks all over the place”. In line 4 Gow printed Scaliger’s alteration ajlemavtou. Textual alteration is, however, not necessary. As Kiessling15 has already explained, the phrase w] ta'" ajdamavtou yuca'" means “what an invincible soul I am!”. The scholia explain that Gorgo is alluding to the fact that the streets are full of soldiers. Thus she says that she bravely16 faced the soldiers. DEPILATION IN THEOCRITUS At Idyll 15.18 ff. Gorgo complains about her husband to Praxinoa: GO. cwjmo;" tauta'/ e[cei. fqovro" ajrgurivw Diokleivda". eJptadravcmw" kunavda", graia'n ajpotivlmata phra'n pevnte povkw" e[lab∆ ejcqev", a{pan rJuvpon, e[rgon ejp∆ e[rgw/. 4 phrw`n v.l. Translation by Gow: “Go. Mine’s that way too; money’s nothing to Diocleidas. Yesterday for seven drachmas he bought – dogs’ hair, pluckings of old wallets, nothing but dirt, work without end. Five fleeces it was”. In his commentary 13 Cf. LSJ s.v. kefalhv II.b: “in Anatomy… hJ k. tou' o[rcew" = ejpididumiv", Arist. HA 510a., 14”. Cf. also LSJ s.v. divdumo" III.2: “the testicles” (AP 5.125). 14 Cf. Thes. Gr. Ling, s.v. sfuvzw: ta;" te lagovna" kai; tou;" diduvmou" sfuvzein = “ilia micare”. 15 Cf. T. Kiessling, Theocriti Reliquiae (Lipsiae 1819): “O infractum animum”. 16 Cf. Sophocles, Ajax 450 where Athena is said to be “invincible” (ajdavmato"). 130 HEATHER WHITE on these lines, Gow (II, 272) noted that some scholars have imagined that the poet is referring here to human hair and the practice of depilation. He quoted Martial 10.90: quid vellis vetulum, Ligeia, cunnum? Gow was, however, unable to see what relevance the word phra'n (“wallet”) might have in this context. I would like to point out that perfect sense can be made of this passage if we print the variant phrw'n in line 19. The phrase graia'n ajpotivlmata phrw'n means “the pluckings of blind (phrw'n) old women”. It should, moreover, be noted that the word kunavda" (i.e. “dogs’ hair”) contains a pun based on kuvwn = aijdoi'on. Cf. Henderson, op. cit. 133. For depilation in antiquity cf. Henderson, op. cit. 220. MORE OBSCENE PUNS IN THEOCRITUS At Idyll 15.58 f. Praxinoa says that she has always been afraid of horses and snakes: i{ppon kai; to;n yucro;n o[fin ta; mavlista dedoivkw ejk paidov". In his commentary on this passage, Gow (II 282) quoted Theognis 602 yucro;n o}n ejn kovlpw/ poikivlon ei\con o[fin. I would like to suggest that the poet is alluding here to the fact that i{ppo"17 and o[fi"18 both denoted the “membrum virile”. Moreover, in line 53 Praxinoa states that a horse has reared and makes an obscene allusion to the erection of the membrum virile: cf. Henderson, op. cit. 112. The horse that has reared is in a state of erection, as correctly understood by Warton (apud Kiessling) and by the scholia (Dübner, 90): kunoqarshv" means qravso" kuno;" e[cwn, because dogs were proverbially eager to copulate. It will be noted that an allusion to real snakes (as opposed to the metaphorical snake represented by the membrum virile) would be contextually inapposite. THE GLUTTONY OF HERACLES At Idyll 17.20 ff. Heracles is said to feast with the immortals: jAntiva d∆ JHraklh'o" e{dra kentaurofovnoio i{drutai stereoi'o tetugmevna ejx ajdavmanto". e[nqa su;n a[lloisin qaliva" e[cei Oujranivdh/si 20 kentaurofovnoio Tr. Tou' taurS Translation by Gow: “Over against these, and wrought of stubborn adamant, is stablished the chair of Heracles who slew the Centaurs, and there with the other gods he keeps festival”. In line 20 Gow printed the reading kentaurofovnoio. I 17 Cf. LSJ s.v. i{ppo" IV.b: “pudenda muliebra et virilia, Hsch”. Better Henderson, The Maculate Muse, index, s.v. i{ppo". 18 Cf. Henderson, op. cit. 127. The epithet yucrov", in line 58, probably means “frightening”. 131 OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THEOCRITUS would like to point out, however, that better sense is provided by the variant tou` taurofovnoio. Theocritus is alluding here to the fact that Heracles killed and ate the ox of Theiodamas. This story was popular19 in Hellenistic literature and illustrated the gluttony of Heracles20. Accordingly, Heracles the bull-slayer21 is said by Theocritus to feast together with the gods. THE BEAUTY OF HELEN At Idyll 18.26 ff. the chorus of girls praises the beauty of Helen: jAw;" ajntevlloisa kalo;n dievfane provswpon, povtnia Nuvx, tov te leuko;n e[ar ceimw'no" ajnevnto". w|de kai; aJ cruseva JElevna diefaivnet∆ ejn aJmi'n. 26 dievfane Ahrens -faine P3 codd.; 27 tov te Kaibel a{te P3 codd. The reader will note that Gow printed two alterations in these lines. I would like to suggest that better sense can be made of this passage if we eliminate the noun jAw" from the text, in line 26, and translate as follows: “Ah ( \A22), just as (wJ"23) lady Night rising showed (dievfaine) her fair face, like (a{te) radiant spring when winter ends, so golden Helen shone amongst us”. Helen is, in other words, compared by the chorus to the goddess Night. DIONYSUS AND PENTHEUS In Idyll 26 Theocritus describes how Pentheus was killed by Maenads. At line 1 Agave is said to be malopavrauo" (“white-cheeked”). Gow was puzzled by this epithet. I would like to point out that white skin was much admired in antiquity. Thus at Idyll 11.19 f. Galatea is praised because of the whiteness of her skin: w\ leuka; Galavteia... leukotevra pakta'". Cf. also AP 5.159 leukopavreio". Hesychius explained that malopavrauo" = leukopavreio". In other words, Agave is imagined to have beautiful white skin. In line 4 the Maenads are said to gather ivy and asphodel: kissovn te zwvonta kai; ajsfovdelon to;n uJpe;r ga'". I would like to point out that kissovn te zwvonta means “flourishing ivy”. Cf. LSJ s.v. zw' II: “freq. metaph. of things, to be in full vigour, o[lbo" zwvei mavsswn Pi. I. 3.5”. Cf. also LSJ s.v. kissov": k. eujpevtalo" e{liki qavllei Ar. Th. 999. Theocritus describes the asphodel as to;n uJpe;r ga'". He is alluding to the fact that asphodel was also said to grow in the lower world: cf. Od. 11.539, 573, 24.13. Cf. also LSJ s.v. uJpevrgeio" “above ground” and uJpovgeio" “underground”. The Maenads are 19 Cf. Callimachus, frag. 24, and Apollonius Rhodius, Arg. 1.1213 ff. Cf. also Apollodorus 2.7.7: JHraklh'"... to;n e{teron tw'n tauvrwn luvsa" kai; sfavxa". 20 Cf. Callimachus, Hymn 3.160 ajdhfagivh". 21 For the epithet taurovfono" cf. AP 11.60.5 taurofovnwn... kreva dovrpwn. 22 Cf. Euripides, Orestes 144f. a\ a\, suvriggo" o{pw" pnoav. Cf. also Theocritus, Epigram 6.1 \A deivlaie tu; Quvrsi. 23 Cf. Iliad 2.326 wJ" ou|to" ktl.