Kitap 10
87
This, then, was what Clearchus said; and the things which he says one ought to propose, are, I imagine, such as these. For one person to quote a line in Homer beginning with Alpha, and ending with the same letter, such as— Ἀγχοῦ δ’ ἱσταμένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα. Ἀλλ’ ἄγε νῦν μάστιγα καὶ ἡνία σιγαλόεντα. ʽἁσπίδας εὐκύκλους λαισήαϊ τε πτερόεντα. And, again, they quoted iambics on a similar principle— Ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ λέγοιτ’ ἄν, ὁ φέρων τ’ ἀγαθά. Ἀγαθὸς ἂν εἴη καὶ ὁ φέρων καλῶς κακά. Or lines in Homer beginning and ending with ε, as— Εὗρε λυκάονος υἷον ἀμύμονά τε κρατερόν τε. Ἐν πόλει ὑμετέρῃ ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἔμελλον ἔγωγε. And iarabics on the same principle— Εὐκαταφρόνητός ἐστι πενία, δέρκυλε· Ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσι τὸν βίον διάπλεκε. And lines of Homer beginning and ending with η, as— Ἡ μὲν ἄπ’ ὥς εἰποῦσ’ ἀπέβη γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη· Ἡ δ’ ἐν γούνασι πίπτε διώνης δῖ Ἀφροδίτη. And iambics— Ἡ τῶν φίλων σοι πίστις ἔστω κεκριμένη. Lines in Homer beginning and ending with ι, as— Ἰλίου ἐξαπολοίατ’ ἀκήδεστοι καὶ ἄφαντοι· Ἱππόλοχος δέ μ’ ἔτικτε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ φημὶ γενέσθαι. Beginning and ending with ς, as— Συμπάντων δαναῶν, οὐδ’ ἢν Ἀγαμέμνονα εἴπῃς. And iambics as— Σοφος ἐστιν ὁ φέρων τἀπὸ τῆς τύχης καλῶς. And beginning and ending with ω, as— Ὡς δ’ ὅτ’ ἀπ’ οὐλύμπου νέφος ἔρχεται οὐρανὸν εἴσω. And iambics as— Ὠρθωμένην πρὸς ἅπαντα τὴν ψύχην ἔχω. Sometimes too, it is well to propound lines without a sigma, as— Πάντ’ ἐθέλω δόμεναι, καὶ ἔτ’ οἴκοθεν ἄλλʼ ἐπιθεῖναι· and again, to quote lines of Homer, of which the first syllable when connected with the last, will make some name, such as— Ἄιας δ’ ἐκ σαλαμῖνος ἄγεν δύο καὶ δεκα νῆας· Φυλείδης ὃν τίκτε διῒ φίλος ἵπποτα φυλευς. Ἰητὴρ δ’ ἀγαθὸς ποδαλείριος ἠδὲ μάχαων. There are also other lines in Homer expressing the names of vessels from the first and last syllable, such as— Ὀλψυμένων δαναῶν ὀλοφύρεται ἐν φρεσὶ θυμος, which makes ῞ὅλμος, a mortar; Μυθεῖται κατὰ μοῖραν ἅπερ κ’ οἴοιτο καὶ ἄλλος, which makes μύλος, a millstone; Λυγρός ἐὼν μή πού τι κακὸν καὶ μεῖζον ἐπαύρῃ, which makes λύρη, a lyre.
