Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

Type 33795

	Χρόνῳ λυθεῖσαν τὴν παροῦσαν πυκτίδα,
	φθοράν τε παθεῖν κινδυνεύουσαν φύλλων,
	ὡς μηκέτ’ εἶναι μὴ δὲ κεκλῆσθαι βίβλον·
	τῇ συνδετικῇ τεχνίτου χειρουργίᾳ,
	τέχνης τε λοιπῆς ποικίλῃ τεχνουργίᾳ,
	ὁ ποιμενάρχης Αἰνιτῶν συνδεῖ πάλιν
	καὶ τὴν πρὶν εὐπρέπειαν αὐτῇ παρέχει·
	ὡς ἀναγινώσκοιτο πᾶσι ῥαδίως.

Text source	J. Bértola 2021, Ephraim of Ainos at work: a cycle of epigrams in the margins of Niketas Choniates, Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 114(3), 929-1000: 991
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Patron-related epigram
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Ephraim of Ainos < Thrace (13th c. - 14th c.) - PLP: III.6408
Tag(s)	Beauty of the book Damage of the book
Critical Notes	2 φύλλων ] φίλε Bértola 2023
Translation(s)	The present codex damaged by time and in danger of suffering destruction, my friend, so that it would no longer be a book nor be called so, with a craftsman’s binding art and the manifold handicraft of the rest of the crafts, the chief shepherd of Ainos binds it again and provides it with its former beauty so that it might be read easily by everyone. Language English Source(s) J. Bértola, On Restored Manuscripts and Fulfilled Oracles: Two Book Epigrams on Niketas Choniates’ ‘History’ (posted on: 2023-04-04). The present codex damaged by time and in danger of suffering the destruction of its folios so that it would no longer be a book nor be called so, with a craftsman’s binding art and the manifold handicraft of the rest of the crafts, the chief shepherd of Ainos binds it again and provides it with the former beauty so as to be read easily by everyone. Language English Source(s) J. Bértola 2021, Ephraim of Ainos at work: a cycle of epigrams in the margins of Niketas Choniates, Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 114(3), 929-1000: 991 J. Bértola 2021, Using Poetry to Read the Past. Unedited Byzantine Verse Scholia on Historians in the Margins of Medieval Manuscripts, Gent: 157
Comment	The mention of Ainos in this book epigram further supports the attribution of a cycle of verse scholia in this and other related manuscripts to Ephraim of Ainos. However, it is less clear whether this book epigram is to be attributed to Ephraim as well.
Bibliography	Primary J. Bértola 2021, Using Poetry to Read the Past. Unedited Byzantine Verse Scholia on Historians in the Margins of Medieval Manuscripts, Gent: 157, 223-224 J. Bértola, On Restored Manuscripts and Fulfilled Oracles: Two Book Epigrams on Niketas Choniates’ ‘History’ (posted on: 2023-04-04). J. Van Dieten 1962, Wurden aus dem Codex Vindobonensis Historicus Graecus 53 fünf Miniaturen entfernt?, Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 55(2), 224-234: 224
Number of verses	8
Occurrence(s)	[33799] χρόνω λυθεῖσαν τὴν παροῦσαν πυκτίδα [14th c.] VIENNA - Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (ÖNB) - hist. gr. 53 [1301-1350] (f. 324v) (8 verses)
Acknowledgements	Creator(s) Julián Bértola 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, 871: "Nota de restauratione libri (Vind. hist. 53) ab episcopo Aeni urbis"
Permalink	https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/33795

Last modified: 2024-02-28.

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