Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 31354

	Κλῇθρον, κατεκλῄσθησαν ἀττικῷ τρόπῳ.
	Τζέτζου φρονῶν πᾶς τοῖς λόγοις πεπεισμένος
	δίφθογγον οὐ γράψειας, ἀλλ' ἦτα μόνον.
	Τοὺς βουβάλους δ’ ἔασον δυσμαθεστάτους
	ἁπανταχοῦ δίφθογγα ταυταῒ γράφειν,
	οἳ τὸ σκότος φῶς ὡς τὸ φῶς φασὶ σκότος,
	Κίρκης τραφέντες χοιρεῶσι τῆς νέας.

Text source	M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 18-19
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Reader-related epigram Scribe-related epigram Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/ Kirke
Tag(s)	Address to the reader Complaint Polemic Reference to content of the book Scholium
Translation(s)	κλῇθρον, κατεκλῄσθησαν are written in the Attic manner, and every one of you thinking men, persuaded by the arguments of Tzetzes will not write a diphthong [ει], but only an eta. Leave aside those most ignorant buffalos, who write these words everywhere with a diphthong, who call darkness light just as they call light darkness, bred in the pig sties of the new Circe. Language English Source(s) A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 73 Whoever you are, man of sensible judgment, listening to Tzetzes’ arguments, do not write a diphthong, just an eta. Let the dull buffaloes write this with a diphthong everywhere, they call darkness light and light darkness after being raised in the new Circe’s piggery. Language English Source(s) T. Mészáros 2013, Byzantine Metrical Scholia on Thucydides, in P. Fodor, G. Mayer, M. Monostori, K. Szovák, L. Takács (eds.), More modoque: die Wurzeln der europäischen Kultur und deren Rezeption im Orient und Okzident; Festschrift für Miklós Maróth zum siebzigsten Geburtstag, Budapest, 67-76: 76 (Scrivi) κλῇθρον e κατεκλῄσθησαν alla maniera attica, tu, chiunque tu sia, uomo assennato, persuaso dai discorsi di Tzetzes: non sia mai che tu scriva un dittongo (cioè κλει-), ma solo eta. Lascia che i bufali ignorantissimi scrivano dappertutto queste parole qui con dittongo, loro che dicono che buio è luce e luce buio, allevati nei porcili della nuova Circe. Language Italian Source(s) M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 18-19
Comment	Text of Luzzatto (1999: 18-19) modified by DBBE.
Bibliography	Primary J. Bértola 2021, Using Poetry to Read the Past. Unedited Byzantine Verse Scholia on Historians in the Margins of Medieval Manuscripts, Gent: 13-14 J. Bértola 2022, Tzetzes' verse scholia on Thucydides and Herodotus: A survey with new evidence from Laur. Plut. 70,3, in E. Prodi (ed.), ΤΖΕΤΖΙΚΑΙ ΕΡΕΥΝΑΙ, Bologna, 335-357: 340 K. Hude, 1973, Scholia in Thucydidem ad optimos codices collata, New York: 230 T. Mészáros 2013, Byzantine Metrical Scholia on Thucydides, in P. Fodor, G. Mayer, M. Monostori, K. Szovák, L. Takács (eds.), More modoque: die Wurzeln der europäischen Kultur und deren Rezeption im Orient und Okzident; Festschrift für Miklós Maróth zum siebzigsten Geburtstag, Budapest, 67-76: 76 Secondary A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 73
Number of verses	7
Occurrence(s)	[31357] κλῇθρ(ον)· κ(α)τεκλῄσθησ(αν) ἀττικῷ τρόπῳ [1146-1155] HEIDELBERG - Universitätsbibliothek - Palat. gr. 252 [851-950] (f. 133v) (7 verses)
Acknowledgements	Creator(s) Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 408: "Ioann. Tzetzes, Scholium in Thucydidem (4.8.7)"
Permalink	https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/31354

Last modified: 2024-11-08.

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