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Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 602e · 602e

The Myrmidons

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Myrtilus — Ἀκαδημαικός, πρὸ τῶν γάμων ταῖς παρθένοις ὡς παιδικοῖς νόμος ἐστὶν ὁμιλεῖν. καὶ γὰρ ὁ νομοθέτης Σόλων ἔφη·
Solon, quoted by Myrtilus — μηρῶν ἱμείρων καὶ γλυκεροῦ στόματος.
Myrtilus — Αἰσχύλος τε καὶ Σοφοκλῆς ἀναφανδὸν ἔφασαν, ὃ μὲν Μυρμιδόσιν·
Aeschylus, quoted by Myrtilus — σέβας δὲ μηρῶν ἁγνὸν οὐκ ἐπῃδέσω, ὦ δυσχάριστε τῶν πυκνῶν φιλημάτων,
Myrtilus — ὃ δ’ ἐν Κολχίσιν περὶ Γανυμήδους τὸν λόγον ποιούμενος·
Sophocles, quoted by Myrtilus — μηροῖς ὑπαίθων τὴν Διὸς τυραννίδα.
Myrtilus — οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δὲ ὅτι τὰ περὶ Κρατῖνον καὶ Ἀριστόδημον

…Academic says, it is the custom before marriage to lie with girls as with boys. For even the lawgiver Solon said: “longing for thighs and a sweet mouth.” Aeschylus and Sophocles both spoke openly, the one in the Myrmidons: “You did not respect the holy reverence of thighs, ungrateful for our many kisses”; the other in the Colchian Women, speaking of Ganymede: “setting alight the power of Zeus with his thighs.” But I am not unaware that the story about Cratinus and Aristodemus…

Word by word

Myrtilus
ἈκαδημαικόςAkadēmaikósthe Academic,πρὸpròbeforeτῶνtôn—γάμωνgámōnmarriageταῖςtaîs—παρθένοιςparthénoisgirlsὡςhōsasπαιδικοῖςpaidikoîswith boysνόμοςnómosthe customἐστὶνestìnit isὁμιλεῖνhomileînto lie with.καὶkaìevenγὰρgàrforὁhotheνομοθέτηςnomothétēslawgiverΣόλωνSólōnSolonἔφηéphēsaid·
Solon, quoted by Myrtilus
μηρῶνmērônthighsἱμείρωνhimeírōnlonging forκαὶkaìandγλυκεροῦglykeroûsweetστόματοςstómatosmouth.
Myrtilus
ΑἰσχύλοςAischýlosAeschylusτεtebothκαὶkaìandΣοφοκλῆςSophoklêsSophoclesἀναφανδὸνanaphandònopenlyἔφασανéphasanspoke,ὃhòthe oneμὲνmèn—ΜυρμιδόσινMyrmidósinin the Myrmidons·
Aeschylus, quoted by Myrtilus
σέβαςsébasreverenceδὲdè—μηρῶνmērônof thighsἁγνὸνhagnònholyοὐκoukdid notἐπῃδέσωepēidésōrespect,ὦôOδυσχάριστεdyscháristeungratefulτῶνtônforπυκνῶνpyknônmanyφιλημάτωνphilēmátōnkisses,
Myrtilus
ὃhòthe otherδ’d’—ἐνeninΚολχίσινKolchísinthe Colchian WomenπερὶperìaboutΓανυμήδουςGanymḗdousGanymedeτὸνtòn—λόγονlógon—ποιούμενοςpoioúmenosspeaking·
Sophocles, quoted by Myrtilus
μηροῖςmēroîswith his thighsὑπαίθωνhypaíthōnsetting alightτὴνtḕntheΔιὸςDiòsof Zeusτυραννίδαtyrannídapower.
Myrtilus
οὐκouknotἀγνοῶagnoôunawareδὲdèbutὅτιhótithatτὰtàtheπερὶperìaboutΚρατῖνονKratînonCratinusκαὶkaìandἈριστόδημονAristódēmonAristodemus

The setting

Agnon was a philosopher of the Academy, Plato's school. Solon gave Athens its laws in the early 6th century BC and also wrote poems. Aeschylus' Myrmidons and Sophocles' Colchian Women are lost plays.

A note on this passage

The Spartan custom comes from Agnon alone, and Myrtilus does not dwell on it. Solon's line is the second half of a couplet; Plutarch quotes the first, about loving a boy in the lovely flower of youth (<i>Dialogue on Love</i> 751b).<br><br>In the <i>Myrmidons</i> Achilles speaks over the body of Patroclus. The idea that they were lovers is not in Homer, and Plato's Phaedrus in the <i>Symposium</i> blames Aeschylus for making Achilles the lover, since Achilles was the younger and the more beautiful (180a). Sophocles' line is about Ganymede, whose beauty fires Zeus himself.

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