The Classical Quarterly

Table of Contents - 1941 - Volume 35, Issue 3-4  

Research Article

Xenophanes, Fragment 3

C. M. Bowra

Athenaeus, xii. 526 a, quotes three elegiac couplets of Xenophanes on the luxurious ways which the men of Colophon learned from the Lydians. Since the lines lack theological or metaphysical interest, they have not received so much attention as other fragments of Xenophanes, and few attempts have been made to unravel their exact meaning. But it is rash to hurry over anything written by Xenophanes, and these lines are in their way as interesting as anything else that he wrote. For they show what he, a penetrating and serious critic, thought about one aspect of the impact of East on West, of barbarian on Greek, and they contain his only known judgement on historical events. On examination they raise more questions than are usually found in them. They may be quoted as Diels printed them:

xs22EFβρоσxs22EFνας δxs22EF μαθxs22EFντες xs22EFνωφελxs22EFας παρxs22EF Λνδxs22EFν,

xs22EFφρα τνραννxs22EFης xs1F26σαν xs1F04νεν στνγερxs22EFς,

xs1F24ϊσαν εxs1F30ς xs22EFγоρxs22EFν παναλоνργxs22EFα φxs22EFρε' xs1F14χоντες,

оxs1F50 μεxs22EFоνς xs1F65σπερ χxs22EFλιоι εxs1F30ς xs22EFπxs22EFπαν,

αxs1F50χαλxs22EFоι, χαxs22EFτxs1FC3σιν xs22EFγαλλxs22EFμεν' εxs1F50πρεπxs22EFεσσιν,

xs22EFσκητоxs1FD6σ' xs22EFδμxs22EFν χρxs22EFμασι δενxs22EFμενоι.