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164
Eupolis
fr. 39 K.-A. (2 Dem.)
ομοιον άδειν- ού γάρ έστ’ άλλως έχον
έχον Wilamowitz : έχων Phot. : έχειν Reitzenstein
Sing the same song!86 For it’s not otherwise
Phot, a 551
άδειν ομοιον· καινοτάτη ή σύνταξις καί Άττικώς, εί καί τις άλλη, είρημένη. σημαίνει
δέ τό μάτην λέγειν, ώς εί καί άλλως άδειν έθέλοι τις έν ούδενί πράγματι άνυσίμω.
Εύπολις έν Άστρατεύτοις--. Αριστοφάνης δέ έν Γεωργοϊς έξηγούμενος τό άδεις,
οπερ έπί τού μάτην λέγεις τίθεται, παροιμιώδες αύτό ποιεί (fr. 101)-·. <χν) συνουσία
χρώ κατά Φρύνιχον (PS ρ. 20.1-2)
to sing the same song: The construction is quite novel and distinctively Attic. It means
“to speak in vain”, as if one wanted to say “to sing pointlessly to no useful purpose”.
Eupolis in Astrateutoi:-. And Aristophanes in Georgoi, explaining “you sing”, which
he uses to mean “you speak in vain”, treats it as proverbial (fr. 101):-. You should
use it in company, according to Phrynichus (PS p. 20.1-2)
Meter lambic trimeter.
Citation context Traced by Photius to the Atticist lexicographer Phrynichus,
the preserved version of whose note (PSp. 20.1-2) reads άδειν ομοιον σημαίνει
τό μάτην λέγειν. τό γάρ άδειν έπί τοϋ μάτην λέγειν (‘“to sing the same song’
means to speak in vain; for ‘to sing’ is used in reference to speaking in vain”).
For the recommendation έν συνουσία χρώ in Phrynichus, cf. PS p. 2.10. Cf.
Hsch. a 1766 άδεις f έσον f· ’ίσον τώ μάτην λέγεις καί ληρεϊς (“you singing
t eson f: equivalent to ‘you speak in vain’ or ‘you talk nonsense’”).
Text Photius’ άλλως έχων would be a very odd expression, and Wilamowitz’
άλλως έχον is an easier and more idiomatic correction than Reitzenstein’s
άλλως έχειν (“it can’t be otherwise”).
Interpretation άδειν is most economically understood as a jussive infinitive
(for which, see Bers 1984. 180-1), with the second half of the verse somehow
explaining the first (hence γάρ). The addressee is to talk the same nonsense
(sc. as someone else), and either there is no way of getting around the need to
do so or the nonsense is inevitably such. The alternative is to assume that the
first half of the line is simply syntactically incomplete.
86 Not “Sing all you want” (Storey 2011. 65).
Eupolis
fr. 39 K.-A. (2 Dem.)
ομοιον άδειν- ού γάρ έστ’ άλλως έχον
έχον Wilamowitz : έχων Phot. : έχειν Reitzenstein
Sing the same song!86 For it’s not otherwise
Phot, a 551
άδειν ομοιον· καινοτάτη ή σύνταξις καί Άττικώς, εί καί τις άλλη, είρημένη. σημαίνει
δέ τό μάτην λέγειν, ώς εί καί άλλως άδειν έθέλοι τις έν ούδενί πράγματι άνυσίμω.
Εύπολις έν Άστρατεύτοις--. Αριστοφάνης δέ έν Γεωργοϊς έξηγούμενος τό άδεις,
οπερ έπί τού μάτην λέγεις τίθεται, παροιμιώδες αύτό ποιεί (fr. 101)-·. <χν) συνουσία
χρώ κατά Φρύνιχον (PS ρ. 20.1-2)
to sing the same song: The construction is quite novel and distinctively Attic. It means
“to speak in vain”, as if one wanted to say “to sing pointlessly to no useful purpose”.
Eupolis in Astrateutoi:-. And Aristophanes in Georgoi, explaining “you sing”, which
he uses to mean “you speak in vain”, treats it as proverbial (fr. 101):-. You should
use it in company, according to Phrynichus (PS p. 20.1-2)
Meter lambic trimeter.
Citation context Traced by Photius to the Atticist lexicographer Phrynichus,
the preserved version of whose note (PSp. 20.1-2) reads άδειν ομοιον σημαίνει
τό μάτην λέγειν. τό γάρ άδειν έπί τοϋ μάτην λέγειν (‘“to sing the same song’
means to speak in vain; for ‘to sing’ is used in reference to speaking in vain”).
For the recommendation έν συνουσία χρώ in Phrynichus, cf. PS p. 2.10. Cf.
Hsch. a 1766 άδεις f έσον f· ’ίσον τώ μάτην λέγεις καί ληρεϊς (“you singing
t eson f: equivalent to ‘you speak in vain’ or ‘you talk nonsense’”).
Text Photius’ άλλως έχων would be a very odd expression, and Wilamowitz’
άλλως έχον is an easier and more idiomatic correction than Reitzenstein’s
άλλως έχειν (“it can’t be otherwise”).
Interpretation άδειν is most economically understood as a jussive infinitive
(for which, see Bers 1984. 180-1), with the second half of the verse somehow
explaining the first (hence γάρ). The addressee is to talk the same nonsense
(sc. as someone else), and either there is no way of getting around the need to
do so or the nonsense is inevitably such. The alternative is to assume that the
first half of the line is simply syntactically incomplete.
86 Not “Sing all you want” (Storey 2011. 65).