Fr. 114
;] "ναί, Δήλιος." "ἦ σύ γεπη[
]ν;" "ναὶ μὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἐμέ."
;]"ναί, χρύσεος." "ἦ καὶ ἀφα[ρής
] ζῶμα μέσον στ[ρέφεται
5 σκαιῇ μὲν ἔ]χεις χερὶ Κύνθιε, τ[όξον,
τὰς δ' ἐπὶ δεξιτερῇ] σὰς ἰδανὰς Χάριτας;ʾ
]ν ἵν' ἄφρονας ὑβρ[
ἀ]γαθοῖς ὀρέγω·
]ητοῖσι κολασμο[
10 ἀργό]τερος·
].εν φίλα χειρὶ δατ[.]σ. αι
]ντες ἕτοιμον ἀεί,
]ἵν' ᾖ μετὰ καί τι νοῆσαι
]ἀγαθὸν βασιλεῖ.
notes
Fragment Harder 114 (= 114.4-17 Pf.)
1-12 P.Oxy. 2208, fr. 3, 4-15 [image], Trismegistos 59406
2 A.D. Pron. 13.8 sqq
6 Σ A Il. 14.172
11-14 P.Oxy. 2211, fr. 2 verso, 1-4 [image], Trismegistos 59407
12-14 P.Oxy. 2212, fr. 19, 1-3 [image], Trismegistos 59390
This is a dialogue between the Delian statue of Apollo and an interlocutor who asks questions about the fact that he carries a statue group of the Graces in the left hand and a bow the right. Apollo explains that these attributes mean that he is slow to punish the bad and eager to reward the good. It is one of the several aitia on statues with peculiar attributes, although most of the others seem to involve the remembrance of impious behavior.
Bibliography
Borgonovo, Paolo and Pietro Cappelletto. 1994. ‘Callimaco frr. 114 e 115 Pf. Apollo “Poligonale” e Apollo Delio.’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 103:13-7.
D’Alessio, Giovan Battista. 1995. ‘Apollo Delio, i Cabiri Milesii e le cavalle di Tracia. Osservazioni su Callimaco frr. 114-115 Pf.’ Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 106:5-21.
vocabulary
Fr. 114
σκαιός -ά -όν: left, on the left hand
Κύνθιος -ου, ὁ: Cynthian, of Mt. Cynthus, epithet of Apollo
τόξον -ου, τό: bow
δεξιτερός -ά -όν: right, on the right hand
ἰδανός -ή -όν: fair, comely, attractive
Χάριτες -ων, αἱ: the Graces or Charites. The marble statue group of the three graces from the Metropolitan Museum in New York is based on a Hellenistic original of which sixteen full-size Roman copies are known.
translation
Fr. 114
. . . in your left hand you hold your bow, Cynthian,5
and in your right hand your comely Graces?