106

Θησαυρός (fr. 19)

μετά την ύγίειαν γάρ For the postponement of γάρ, cf. Denniston 1954.
95-6; Dover 1987. 61-3.
6 καλός δέ πεινών έστίν αισχρόν θηρίον The gnomic character of the
line (note the lack of resolution) is an effective conclusion to the argument.
Here πεινών is essentially synonymous with πένης; cf. EM p. 667.47-8 τό δέ
πεινώ, παρά τό πένω πένομαι· ώ παρέπεται πολλάκις τούτο. The same word-
play may be behind Antiph. fr. 226.6-7. Expressing poverty in terms of hunger
is not extraordinary, in view of comedy’s preoccupation with food and the
tendency to praise wealth in terms of the security it provides (cf. on 4 above),
but especially because of the reality that the two were often synonymous and
the poor did go hungry.
αισχρόν, although functioning mainly as a general term of derision, has
overtones of ‘ugly’ here, given its juxtaposition with καλός. For the two words
and their antithetical relationship, see Dover 1974. 69-73; cf. the contrast
between αισχρά and ώραία at fr. 52.9-11. For the ability of poverty to make
a person αισχρός, cf. Thgn. 649-50 ά δειλή Πενίη, τί έμοϊς έπικειμένη ώμοις
/ σώμα καταισχύνεις και νόον ήμέτερον (cf. 1061-2); Pl. Smp. 203c, where
Eros, as the child of Πενία, πολλοΰ δει απαλός τε καί καλός. For the use of
θηρίον here, Schmidt 1876-1886.11.434—5 compares Aeschin. 2.34; Pl. R. 591c;
Cra. 394e. For the contrast between men and beasts generally, see Schmidt
1876-188611.434. Beasts and hunger are associated already in Homer; e. g. Od.
6.133-4, where hunger (γαστήρ) drives a lion to attack even a closely guarded
sheepfold; 7.216 ού γάρ τι στυγερή έπί γαστέρι κύντερον άλλο.

fr. 19 Κ.-Α. (18 Κ.)
άναλαβών
μόναυλον ηύλουν τον ύμέναιον
after taking up
a monaulos I played the wedding song
Ath. 4.176a
Άναξανδρίδης δ’ έν Θησαυρω·-
Anaxandrides in Thesauros:-

Metre lambic trimeter.
<(x—— x—x)>^^—