Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 31396

Σπονδὰς μὲν ἐξώρκωσαν ἀβλαβεῖς μένειν,
ὅπλα φέρειν δὲ μηδαμῶς ἔστω, λέγειν,
Τζέτζης σολοικίζουσιν ἐντάττει λόγοις,
οὐκ οἶδεν ἀττίκισμα τουτοὶ λέγειν.
Οὕτω γράφων δὲ σοῖς περιστρόφοις λόγοις,
πέφευγας ὃς κρίνειν σε τεχνικῶς θέλει.
Πηλὸς λιθουργῶν συγκαλύπτει φαυλίαν,
γραφῆς σκότος δὲ τοὺς σολοίκους τῶν λόγων.
Text source M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 36-37
Text status Text completely known
Editorial status Not a critical text
Genre(s)
Person(s)
Poet
John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
Metre(s) Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)
Tag(s)
Translation(s)
  • To say “they swore oaths to remain free from harm” [5.18.1, 3],
    but then “let there be no bearing of arms” [5.18.4],
    well, Tzetzes classifies this as a solecism of speech,
    he just can’t call this an Atticism.
    Writing this way in your convoluted clauses,
    you have eluded those who want to scrutinize you on technical grounds.
    Just as mud disguises poor work by the mason,
    obscurity of writing here masks solecism in speech.
    Language
    English
    Source(s)
    A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 75
  • Il dire σπονδὰς ἐξώρκωσαν ἀβλαβεῖς μένειν ma poi ὅπλα φέρειν μηδαμῶς ἔστω Tzetzes lo classifica fra i solecismi del discorso: non ritiene infatti di poter chiamare questa eccezione qui "atticismo" . Scrivendo in questa maniera, con i tuoi discorsi contorti, sei riuscito ad eludere chi voglia giudicarti dal punto di vista della techne. il fango nasconde l’imperizia degli scalpellini, l’oscurità del dettato i solecismi del discorso.
    Language
    Italian
    Source(s)
    M. Luzzatto, 1999, Tzetzes lettore di Tucidide: note autografe sul Codice Heidelberg Palatino Greco 252, Bari: 37
Bibliography

Primary

K. Hude, 1973, Scholia in Thucydidem ad optimos codices collata, New York: 298

Secondary

A. Kaldellis, 2015, Byzantine Readings of Ancient Historians, Abingdon and New York: 75
Number of verses 8
Occurrence(s) [31402] σπονδ(ὰς) μ(εν) ἐξώρκωσ(αν) ἀβλαβ(εῖς) | μέν(ειν) [1146-1155]
HEIDELBERG - Universitätsbibliothek - Palat. gr. 252 [851-950] (f. 185r)
(8 verses)
Acknowledgements
Creator(s)
Anne-Sophie Rouckhout
Contributor(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, 684: "Ioann. Tzetzes, Scholium in Thucydidem (5.18.3)"
Permalink https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/31396
Last modified: 2020-09-02.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.