164

Όδυσσεύς (fr. 34)

11 φρυκτούς Small-fry, generally identified with έπανθρακίδες; cf.
Hsch. φ 932 φρυκτά· ξηρά ίχθύδια ευτελή; Alex. fr. 159.3 with Arnott 1996 ad
loc.·, Thompson 1947. 64 s. v. έπανθρακίδες); Stromberg 1943. 89.
κορακίνους ώνίους For the κορακΐνος, see on fr. 28.1. ώνίους echoes
εύοψος άγορά from 10.
12 μαινίδ(α) A small, cheap fish, similar or identical to the σμαρίς
(Speusipp. ap. Ath. 6.313a; Hsch. σ 1229); see Thompson 1947. 153-5; Micha-
Lampaki 1984. 94-5.
ώραΐον δέ μειρακύλλιον A young boy between childhood and adult-
hood, but here probably in his late teens (note ώραΐον ‘in the bloom of youth,
seasonable,’ i. e. for sexual conquest; cf. Ar. Av. 138; Schmidt 1876-1886 IV.29;
Olson-Sens 2000 on Archestr. fr. 39.9-10 [SH 169]); for the fluidity of this
and related words, see Gomme-Sandbach 1973 on Men. Dysc. 27. Although
generally comic vocabulary (Ar. Ra. 89; Epicr. fr. 5.3; Eub. fr. 75.3; Men. Epitr.
169; adesp. com. fr. 254), μειρακύλλιον occurs also at D. 21.78; 23.163; see also
Bryant 1907. For diminutives in -υλλιον, see Leumann 1953. 214-16; Neil on
Ar. Eq. 224.
12- 17 Cf. Lynceus of Samos ap. Ath. 7.295a-b και γάρ τον Θησέα, φησί,
γεγονότα καλόν ύπολαμβάνω τού Τληπολέμου τον ίχθύν αύτω παρασχόντος
παρεσχηκέναι.
13- 15 The speaker returns to his opening theme, the supremacy of the
art of fishing, but now makes clear that its greatest benefit in his eyes is the
ability to attract potential lovers.
13-14 ποίαις έπωδαΐς ή λόγοις άλίσκεται / τίσιν For the pursuit
of lovers, primarily boys, see Dover 1978. 81-96; for the treatment of such
pursuits and their consummation in comedy, 135-53.
έπωδαί are charms, sometimes with the connotation of something slightly
magical; cf. S. OC 1194 with Jebb 1887 ad loc.·, Pl. Phd. 77e with Burnet 1911
ad loc. Here something like ‘blandishments’ is probably meant. The word is
attested nowhere else in comedy (although cf. έπαοιδή at Ar. fr. 29), but is not
uncommon in tragedy and prose.
By λόγοις τίσιν are meant whatever the pursuer might say to his potential
lover, i. e. both entreaties and arguments for acceptance of him; cf. Pl. Smp.
182a-b. Older youths and men were sometimes prohibited from speaking to
or otherwise coming into contact with youths in unsupervised circumstances,
for fear of what might happen; e. g. Aeschin. 1.11-12; Pl. Smp. 183c; SEG XLIII
381B.13-15 (early second century BC); cf. Ar. Av. 137-42 with Dunbar 1995 ad
loc. For the postponement of τίσιν, cf. Thomson 1939.