Scaife ATLAS

Back to commentaries

Commentary on Sophocles: Oedipus at Colonus by Sir Richard C. Jebb

PREV
NEXT

Text

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg007.perseus-grc2:4
τὴν νῦν σπανιστοῖς δέξεται δωρήμασιν;

Commentary

urn:cts:greekLit:viaf2603144.viaf002.perseus-eng1:5

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0011.tlg007.perseus-grc2:4

σπανιστοῖς , made scanty, given scantily: so Philostratus ( circ. 235 A.D. ) p. 611 ἄρωμα...σπανιστόν , "rare." This implies σπανίζω τι as="to make a thing scanty" or rare, which occurs in Greek of the 2nd cent. B.C. ( Philo Byzant. De septem mirabil. 4): cp. Shaksp. Lear 1. 1. 281 "you have obedience scanted." For a different use see Strabo 15. 727 (a land) σπανιστὴ καρποῖς , "poor in...," implying σπανίζω τινά as="to make one needy," whence the perf. pass. ἐσπανίσμεθ’ ἀρωγῶν ( Aesch. Pers. 1024): and here again cp. Shaksp. Merch. 2. 1. 17 "if my father had not scanted me."

δέξεται : Xen. Anab. 5.5.24 ξενίοις... δέχεσθαι : Plat. Legg. 919A καταλύσεσιν ἀγαπηταῖς δεχόμενος.

δωρήμασιν , food, and shelter for the night: Od. 14.404 ἐς κλισίην ἄγαγον καὶ ξείνια δῶκα (whereas δῶρα , or ξεινήϊα δῶρα , in Hom. usu.=special presents, as of plate or the like, Od. 24.273).

PREV
NEXT