Fr. 43
καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ τὰ μὲν ὅσσα καρήατι τῆμος ἔδωκα
ξανθὰ σὺν εὐόδμοις ἁβρὰ λίπη στεφάνοις,
ἄπνοα πάντ' ἐγένοντο παρὰ χρέος, ὅσσα τ' ὀδόντων
15 ἔνδοθι νείαιράν τ' εἰς ἀχάριστον ἔδυ,
καὶ τῶν οὐδὲν ἔμεινεν ἐς αὔριον· ὅσσα δ' ἀκουαῖς
εἰσεθέμην, ἔτι μοι μοῦνα πάρεστι τάδε.
.]ννε .[ ]. αλλ[.]με[
].[ ]. ε.ην[
20 ]. . . .[
maybe two verses missing
].[.]. ας
]. .σαντο θαλ.[
25 ἑ]σπερίους [
].τε τέθμιον [. . . .].[
]. . . .μεναις
]πόλιν ἀλλα τε[. . . .]
].ρου Κατάνην
30 ]. . νεστε προέδ[ρ]ας
]. . εην
] ἄλλον ἀΰτει
]ς παρ' ὕδωρ
]. . . ἔπλετο πασέ[ω]ν
35 ]τι καλεῖν
Θεοκλ]έες, ἔρχεο Νάξ[ον
].. δημοσίην
]ως Ἱέρωνα
]ε, Θάψε, βοή
40 φθιν]οπωρίδες Ὧραι
μείλια πεμφίγων <αἰ>ὲν ἄγουσι νέα.
φήσω καὶ Καμάριναν ἵν' Ἵππαρις ἀγκύλος ἕρπει
]λειν
]γύλονη[
45 ]ν
οἶδα Γέλα ποταμοῦ κεφαλῇ ἔπι κείμενον ἄστυ
Λίνδοθεν ἀρχαίῃ [σ]κιμπ[τόμενο]ν γενε[ῇ,
Μινῴη[ν] καὶ Κρῆσ[σ]αν, ἵ[να ζείον]τα λοετ[ρά
χεῦαν ἐ[π'] Εὐρώπης υἱέϊ Κ[ωκαλί]δες·
50 οἶδα Λεοντίνους [.]δεδρα[. . . . . . . . .]. . . . .[
καὶ Μεγαρεῖς ἕτερ[οι] τοὺς ἀ[πέ]νασσαν ἐκεῖ
Νισαῖοι Μεγαρῆες, ἔχω δ' Εὔβοιαν ἐνισπε[ῖν
φίλατο κα[ὶ] κεστ[ο]ῦ [δ]εσπότ[ι]ς ἣν Ἔρυκα·
τάων οὐδεμιῇ γὰ[ρ ὅτ]ις πο[τὲ] τεῖχος ἔδειμε
55 νωνυμνὶ νομίμην ἔρχ[ε]τ' ἐπ' εἰλαπίνην.’
ὥς ἐφάμην· Κλειὼ δὲ τὸ [δ]εύτερον ἤρχ[ετο μ]ύθ[ου
χεῖρ' ἐπ' ἀδελφειῆς ὦμον ἐρεισαμένη·
'λαὸς ὁ μὲν Κύμης ὁ δὲ Χαλκίδος, ὃν Περιήρης
ἤγαγε καὶ μεγάλου λῆμα Κραταιμένεος,
60 Τρινακρ[ί]ης ἐπέβησα[ν], ἐτείχισσαν δὲ πόληα
ἅρπασον οἰωνῶν οὐχὶ φυλα[σσόμενοι]
ἔχθιστον κτίστῃσιν, ἐρῳδιὸ[ς εἰ μὴ ἐφέ]ρπει·
καὶ γὰρ ὁ βασκαίνει πύργον ἐ[γειρόμεν]ον
γεωδαῖται καὶ σπάρτα διηνεκὲς εὖτε βάλωνται,
65 στείνεα καὶ λευρὰς ὄφρα τάμ[ωσιν ὁ]δούς.
μέρμν[ο]υ μοι πτερύγεσσι. . . .[. . . . . .]ου τε νέοιο,
εἴ κοτετιξ[.]. .ην λαὸν ἔποικον ἄ[γοις.
ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ μόσσυνας ἐπάλξεσι [καρτυνθέ]ντας
οἱ κτίσται δρέπανον θέντο πε[ρὶ Κρόνιο]ν,
70 – κεῖθι γὰρ ᾧ τὰ γονῆος ἀπέθρισε μήδε' ἐκεῖνος
κέκρυπται γύπῃ ζάγκλον ὑπὸ χθονίῃ, –
.[ ]. ισαν ἀμφὶ πόληος· ὁ μὲν θε[. . . . . . . .]εσθαι
. . . .ν, ὁ δ' ἀντίξουν εἶχε διχο[φροσύνην,
ἀλλήλοις δ' ἐλύησαν· ἐς Ἀπόλ[λωνα δὲ βάν]τες
75 εἴρονθ' ὁπποτέρου κτίσμα λέγοιτ[ο νέον.
αὐτὰρ ὁ φῆ, μήτ' οὖν Περιήρεος ἄ[στυ]ρ[ον εἶ]ναι
κεῖνο πολισσούχου μήτε Κραταιμέ[νεος.
φῆ θεός· οἱ δ' ἀϊόντες ἀπέδραμον, ἐ[κ δ' ἔτι κεί]νου
γαῖα τὸν οἰκιστὴν οὐκ ὀνομαστὶ κ[αλε]ῖ,
80 ὧδε δέ μιν καλέουσιν ἐπ' ἔντομα δημ[ι]οεργοί·
‘ἵ]λαος ἡμετέρην ὅστις ἔδειμε [πόλ]ιν
ἐρ]χέσθω μετὰ δαῖτα, πάρεστι δὲ καὶ δύ' ἄγεσθαι
κ]αὶ πλέας· οὐκ ὀλίγως α[ἷ]μα βοὸς κέχυται.’
notes
Fr. 43 Harder (= 43.12-83 Pf., = 50.16-83 Mass.)
1-83 P.Oxy. 2080 col. I-II [image], Trismegistos 59388
8-19 P.Oxy 2210 fr. 16, 1-12 [image], Trismegistos 59389
12-17 Stob. 2, 4, 9
42 Σ A Pi. O. 5, 27a
64 EtGen. AB s.v. γαιοδόται
70-71 EtGen. AB s.v. ἔθρισεν
74 A.D. Synt. 59, 12 sqq
This long fragment is known to belong to book II because of Stobaeus' citation of lines 12-17. Within the section Callimachus and the Muses discuss the foundations of, or other stories connected to, various Sicilian cities. The stories include the cities of Catana, Camarina, Gela, Minoa, Leontini, and Zancle. It bears similarlity to Apollonius (Argonautica 4.982-90) and seems to have been used by Vergil (Aeneid 3.688ff.). Callimachus' sources were likely to have been Thucydides (6.1-5) and the Sicilian historian Timaeus.
12–17. This sequence begins with Callimachus describing a banquet he attended, the physical pleasures of which quickly pass, while what was discussed remains in memory. It appears he is telling the Muses what he learned at the banquet; this is almost certainly an allusion to Plato's Symposium, during which ephemeral pleasures are put aside in favor of conversation. It would serve well as an introduction to fr. 178, where we find Callimachus, at a symposium, eschewing deep drinking in favor of conversation with his seat mate.
36. Theocles' role in the foundation of Sicilian Naxos, Leontini, and Catana is related by Thucydides (6.3). His account is immediately followed by Lamis' settlement of Thapsus (6.4).
45–49. A story about the death of Minos, killed by the daughters of Cocalus because he was pursuing Daedalus.
56. Clio is mentioned in this fragment as "speaking [δ]εύτερον." The word may mean no more than that she continues to speak in this sequence, but it may also indicate that this is the second time that she has told a story (the first was that of Minos in book 1). Calliope and Clio also speak in the first two books of the Aetia, but too little of the poem survives to permit us to differentiate their speaking roles or establish a sequence.
59–72. The story of Zancle is told by Thucydides (6.4.5-6); Apollonius (Argonautica 4.982-90) disputes the claim that Cronus' sickle was buried in the town. He locates the marriage of Jason and Medea there. Zancle was said to have been a Sicilian word for sickle and the town so-named from the object.
60-65. The interest in bird omens is found also in Posidippus' epigrams labeled "oionoskopika" (epp. 21-35 A-B), and Callimachus himself wrote a prose treatise On Birds (frr. 414-428 Pf.).
Bibliography
Barigazzi, Adelmo. 1975. ‘Saghe sicule e beotiche nel simposio delle Muse di Callimaco.’ Prometheus 1:5-26.
D’Alessio, Giovan Battista. 2006. ‘Le Ὧραι e le πέμφιγες: fr. 43, 40-41 Pf. (= fr. 50 M.).’ In Callimaco: cent'anni di papiri. Atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Firenze, 9-10 giugno 2005 (Studi e testi di papirologia 8), edited by Guido Bastianini and Angelo Casanova, 101-17. Firenze: Istituto Papirologico G. Vitelli.
Ehlers, Wilhelm. (1908) 1933. "Die Gründung von Zankle in den Aitia des Kallimachos." Ph.D. diss., Universität Berlin. Berlin: Ohlau i. Schl.: H. Eschenhagen.
Hunter, Richard L. 1996. "Callimachus Swings (frr. 178 and 43 Pf.)," Ramus 25:18-26.
Stephens, Susan A. 2013. "Deregulating Poetry." In Performance and Culture in Plato's Laws, edited by A. Peponi, 371-91. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Zetzel, James. 1981. “On the Opening of Callimachus Aetia II." Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 42:31-33.