[lit-ideas] Re: Diogenes, the Kynical "Kyneges"
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 9 Nov 2007 15:39:24 EST
Geary:
"Speaking
of Diogenes -- I don't know no Laertius, just him of Sinope who said my
favorite saying: "In a rich man's house there's no place to spit but in his
face." God, that warms for my Speranzific Communist soul."
Well, the anecdote is indeed retold by Diog. Laertius:
"Eisagagóntos tinós autón
eis oíkon polutelé kai kolúontos ptúsai
epeidé ekhrémapsato,
eis ten ópsin autoú éptusen,
eipón kheírona tópon me eurekénai."
So we see the 'pragmatics' of the scenario are slightly different,
"In a rich man's house there's no place to spit but in his face."
runs Geary's version. Apparently, it was not a generalisation, and the rude
action (and possibly remark) was certainly _motivated_ by the person's
previous comment.
"Eisagagóntos tinós autón
Someone took Diogenes
eis oíkon polutelé kai kolúontos ptúsai
into a magnificent house and warned him *not to expectorate*, [rude even to
suggest. JLS]
epeidé ekhrémapsato,
whereupon having cleared his throat,
eis ten ópsin autoú éptusen,
Diogenes discharged the phlegm into the man's face,
eipón kheírona tópon me eurekénai."
being unable, he _said_, to find a meaner receptacle.
--- I notice that Diogenes was found of hunting, and that he would hunt with
his students -- upon making him learn his own aphorisms by heart. The verb
for hunting here is indeed, "kunegesia".
Cheers,
JL
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