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ἡ λέξις τῆς ἡμέρας (κα’) – Ancient Greek Word of the Day (21)

January 11, 2022 by Jenny

ὁ/ἡ κύων, κυνός – a dog. Also: a Cynic philosopher.

ὁ κύων ἀεὶ φίλτατον ἦν ζῷον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· διὰ τοῦτο ἐνίοτε καὶ ἐπιγράμματα ἐγράφη τοῖς τεθνηκόσι κυσί, οἷον τόδε τὸ ἐπίγραμμα τῆς Ἀνύτης·

  ὤλεο δή ποτε καὶ σὺ πολύρριζον παρὰ θάμνον,
  Λόκρι, φιλοφθόγγων ὠκυτάτη σκυλάκων·
  τοῖον ἐλαφρίζοντι τεῷ ἐγκάτθετο κώλῳ
  ἰὸν ἀμείλικτον ποικιλόδειρος ἔχις.

The dog has always been the animal most dear to humans: For this reason there even exist epigrams that have been written for deceased dogs, like the following epigram by Anyte:

So you died, too, by a many-rooted bush,
Locris, fastest of all the noise-loving pups,
when into your swift leg
the colorful snake sank its cruel poison.

Filed Under: Ancient Greek Word of the Week

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