Type 4420
(formerly typ/2522)
| Ἄνθρωπε, γυμνώθητι τὴν βίβλον βλέπων· | |
| νοημάτων γάρ ἐστι βυθὸς ἐνθέων, | |
| ὃν οὐκ ἐφικτὸν οὐδενὶ πλεῖν ἀβρόχως, | |
| πρὶν ἐξενεγκεῖν τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ φορτία. |
| Editorial status | Not a critical text |
| Genre(s) | Reader-related epigram |
| Metre(s) | Dodecasyllable |
| Subject(s) | Ioseph Bryennios (14th-15th c.) - PLP: II.3257 |
| Tag(s) | |
| Comment | Some words of this poem recall in a sublte way an imagery of a ship on the sea: v2 'βυθὸς', v3 'ἀβρόχως' and v4 'τὰ φορτία'. The added letters at the end 'Θ: Π:' might recall the two foundations of philosophical conduct: θεωρία and πρᾶξις. These two letters could be a further explanation of the phrase 'τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ φορτία'. The intellectual bagage of the soul is consisted of theory and practice. Cf. Boethius, 'Consolatio Philosophiae', Book 1, Prose 1, where Boethius gives an allegorical description of Philosophy: 'uestes erant tenuissimis filis subtili artificio indissolubili materia perfectae (...) harum in extremo margine Π graecum, in supremo uero Θ legebatur intextum atque inter utrasque litteras in scalarum modum gradus quidam insigniti uidebantur, quibus ab inferiore ad superius elementum esset ascensus'. |
| Number of verses | 4 |
| Occurrence(s) |
[20820] Ἄνθρωπε γυμνώθητι τὴν βίβλον βλέπων
[1476-1500]
ATHENS - Ethnike Bibliotheke tes Hellados - Metochion Pan. Taphou 479 [1476-1500] (f. 1v) (4 verses) |
| Identification | Vassis ICB 2005, 54: "In homilias Iosephi Bryennii" |
| Permalink | https://www.dbbe.ugent.be/types/4420 |
Last modified: 2019-05-22.
