ΔΕΙΠΝΟΣΟΦΙΣΤΑΙ

Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 604e · 604e

The stolen cloak

Myrtilus, citing Hieronymus of Rhodes — παῖς τὸ ἴδιον ἱμάτιον ἐπὶ τῇ πόᾳ ὑπέστρωσεν, τὴν δὲ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους χλανίδα περιεβάλοντο. μετ’ οὖν τὴν ὁμιλίαν ὁ παῖς ἁρπάσας τὸ τοῦ Σοφοκλέους χλανίδιον ᾤχετο, καταλιπὼν τῷ Σοφοκλεῖ τὸ παιδικὸν ἱμάτιον. οἷα δὲ εἰκὸς διαλαληθέντος τοῦ συμβεβηκότος Εὐριπίδης πυθόμενος καὶ ἐπιτωθάζων τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ αὐτός ποτε ἔφη τούτῳ κεχρῆσθαι τῷ παιδί, ἀλλὰ μηδὲν προσθεῖναι, τὸν δὲ Σοφοκλέα διὰ τὴν ἀκολασίαν καταφρονηθῆναι.

…boy spread his own cloak on the grass, and they wrapped themselves in Sophocles' fine cloak. After they had sex, the boy snatched Sophocles' fine cloak and was gone, leaving Sophocles the boy's cloak. As you'd expect, the story got around. Euripides heard of it and, mocking the affair, said he had once had this same boy himself and paid nothing extra, while Sophocles had been made a fool of for his lack of restraint.

Word by word

Myrtilus, citing Hieronymus of Rhodes

παῖςpaîsboyτὸtòhisἴδιονídionownἱμάτιονhimátioncloakἐπὶepìonτῇtêitheπόᾳpóaigrassὑπέστρωσενhypéstrōsenspread,τὴνtḕn—δὲdèandτοῦtoû—ΣοφοκλέουςSophokléousSophocles'χλανίδαchlanídafine cloakπεριεβάλοντοperiebálontothey wrapped themselves.μετ’met’afterοὖνoûnsoτὴνtḕntheὁμιλίανhomilíansexὁhotheπαῖςpaîsboyἁρπάσαςharpásassnatchedτὸtò—τοῦtoû—ΣοφοκλέουςSophokléousSophocles'χλανίδιονchlanídionfine cloakᾤχετοṓichetowas gone,καταλιπὼνkatalipṑnleavingτῷtôi—ΣοφοκλεῖSophokleîSophoclesτὸtòtheπαιδικὸνpaidikònboy'sἱμάτιονhimátioncloak.οἷαhoîaasδὲdè—εἰκὸςeikòsexpectedδιαλαληθέντοςdialalēthéntoswas talked aboutτοῦtoûtheσυμβεβηκότοςsymbebēkótosincidentΕὐριπίδηςEuripídēsEuripidesπυθόμενοςpythómenosheard of itκαὶkaìandἐπιτωθάζωνepitōtházōnmockingτὸtòtheγεγονὸςgegonòsaffairκαὶkaì—αὐτόςautóshe himselfποτεpoteonceἔφηéphēsaidτούτῳtoútōithisκεχρῆσθαιkechrêsthaihad hadτῷtôi—παιδίpaidíboy,ἀλλὰallàbutμηδὲνmēdènnothingπροσθεῖναιprostheînaipaid,τὸνtòn—δὲdèwhileΣοφοκλέαSophokléaSophoclesδιὰdiàforτὴνtḕnhisἀκολασίανakolasíanlack of restraintκαταφρονηθῆναιkataphronēthênaihad been made a fool of.

The setting

Hieronymus' story, retold by Myrtilus. It is told to make Sophocles look foolish, and it comes with a jibe from his great rival, Euripides. Grapevine: late gossip, not an eyewitness.

A note on this passage

Euripides' jibe tells us what kind of boy this is supposed to be. He says he paid the usual price and nothing more: the boy, in this telling, is someone you hire. The mockery is aimed at Sophocles' <i>akolasia</i>, his loss of self-control, which cost him an expensive cloak; his wanting the boy is taken for granted.<br><br>This is the version that C. D. Yonge's 1854 English translation chose not to print: in place of the story it gives a short summary that leaves out the boy, the cloak and the poem.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 604e in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Athenaeus, The Learned Banqueters (Deipnosophistae) 604e — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/deipnosophistae/604e/