256

Ύβρις (fr. 49)

fr. 49 K.-A. (48 K.)
ούκουν λαβών τον φανόν άψεις μοι λύχνον;
habet A
ούκοΰν Person
Won’t you take the torch and light a lamp for me?
Ath. 15.700a
Άναξανδρίδης δέ έν'Ύβρει·-
ενυβρι A: corn Casaubon
Anaxandrides in Hybris:-

Metre lambic trimeter.
Discussion Jacobs 1809. 370; Person ap. Morell 1824. 889 n. 2; Meineke 1840
III.193; 1847. 588; Bothe 1855. 430; Meineke 1857 V.clxxix; Kock 1884 11.157;
Edmonds 1959 11.72—3; Kassel-Austin 1991 11.267; Sanchis Llopis et al. 2007. 267
Citation context As the dinner party depicted in Athenaeus draws to a close,
talk turns to various sources of artificial light (15.699d-701b). At 15.699f,
Athenaeus alleges that what are called φανοί in his day were once called
λυχνοΰχοι, and cites a number of comic fragments as evidence. He then
(15.700a-c) cites several counter examples, including this fragment, for the
use of φανός in the past; Alex. fr. 91 precedes, while Men. fr. 60; Nicostr. Com.
fr. 22; Philippid. fr. 16 follow.
Interpretation The line may be spoken to a slave; cf. Ar. Nu. 18; Herod. 8.6.
The setting is possibly indoors and almost certainly at night; cf. Arnott 1996
on Alex. fr. 91.3.
ούκουν Common in questions with a 2nd person future (Denniston 1954.
431-3) as a colloquial equivalent of the imperative; against Person’s ούκουν
(ap. Morell 1824. 889 n. 2), cf. Denniston 1954. 433-4; Barrett 1964 on E. Hipp.
331-2.
τον φανόν For a torch used for lighting something else, cf. Ar. fr. 391 έκ
δέ των άμπελίνων τάς λαμπάδας κατεσκεύαζον είς έξαψιν (cf. Ar. Lys. 308
for a torch made from vine-branches). For a φανός distinguished from a lamp,
see Arnott 1996 on Alex. fr. 91.3.