A friend asked recently about the title of this blog. Why "Winged Words? Well, it is a sort of pun combining two lifelong interests of mine, BIRDS and THE CLASSICS.
Birds/winged. That's obvious. My first post in Feb 2008 was prompted by a sighting of the rare (on Long Island) Pink-footed Goose.
But Classics?
The phrase ἔπεα πτερόεντα (epea pteroenta) is used 124 times in the works of Homer. Some scholars think it was just metrical filler, others that it indicated intensity of speech, others speech that is rapid, sharp, or rough. My guess: high-pitched speech in a singing tone for important utterances. Nobody really knows what it meant. Isn't it nice to have some mystery in things?
In this blog I post about birds or classical subjects or any ole thing that happens to strike my fancy. There.
Another article, rather challenging
7 comments:
I think Latimore's approach to translation was correct, to translate the phrase each time. I think it poor to ignore the phrase in a translation.
Your theory seems to be a good one.
I'm with you--a literal translation is best, "winged words", letting the metaphor shine out. Another idea is that the words are winged like arrows not birds, referring to how they fly directly to the target.
Priscilla - Your revisiting the name of your blog, with some greek embedded in your text, sent me off on a pleasant, rambling internet adventure.
I liked the name you chose for your blog - I had just assumed that it was something that you had come up with because of your love of words - words that gave wings to your soul - a type of very short poetry ....
But when you added the greek in your post, I was first interested to compare the greek script with the english that you provided:
"ἔπεα πτερόεντα (epea pteroenta) ". I noticed the one-to-one correspondence between the two alphabets - I had never paid any attention to it before.
ἔ π ε α - π τ ε ρ ό ε ν τ α
e p e a - p t e r o e n t a
I couldn't help but notice that the modern greek alphabet seems closely linked to the older greek alphabet .... of course, I recognized "pi".
Your first link was interesting because of the different attitudes about including the phrase in translations - it seems sort of like the phrases such as "andante" or "allegro" in music to indicate the intended mood or tempo of the music. I agree - the phrase should be included in translations - maybe in a different font or in brackets ...
I couldn't get the 2nd link to work - I think my version of the pdf reader isn't compatible.
Then I did a google search on "epea pteroenta". What an interesting world appeared!
On a blog of the same name, the writer (a linguistics fan) traced some old word roots back to a possible humourous translation of "floppy ears". LINK: blog - epea pteroenta
I found this indication of the use of the words by Homer: " a phrase turned by Homer meaning "winged words" - things fleeting and short lived, but they hold great importance nonetheless."
And then I found this mention of a book - "Epea pteroenta, or, The diversions of Purley (published 1840)" - by the author, John Horne Tooke, 1736-1812 with further notes by Richard Taylor, 1781-1858.
This book seems to delve into the structure and spirit of words. An online copy can be found at: http://www.archive.org/details/epeapteroentaord00took
All this points up to me, the contrast of the love of words by people such as these (and you) and how I have always used words. To me they are little tools, like a screwdriver or wrench, to help communicate an idea as the most reasonable common denominator between people and then step back and away from the words as you examine the more abstract relationships and patterns of whatever you are looking into. Obviously, very different ways of using words exist in this ol' human species.
Thanks for the ramble!!
P.S. hope this storm coming up the coast doesn't cause any damage in your area ....
Thank you for the information, Biddie.
The kind of English you mention, technical writing, which you have written and read throughout your career as a programmer, is intentionally dry and unambiguous and unmetaphorical. Our modern world has found this diction necessary for our technological doings. But ah, we humans see the world by means of metaphor, always have (gentle as a lamb, you worm, the flying tigers, etc.) and thus literature has always been highly metaphorical--symbols, similies, metaphors (in the narrower sense), figures, this echoing that ... But we can also understand non-metaphorical thought. Maybe that was the genius spark that allowed homo sapiens to survive, that combination of talents...
There was a Star Trek episode that featured an alien race that knew and spoke ONLY metaphor and Captain Picard finally discovered how to communicate with them by referring to the Epic of Gilgamesh. That episode really made me think.
I feel a more uncluttered and streamlinrd flow of prose isn't dry nor is it limited to technical writing.
Metaphors in writing and in daily life are a great spice to writing when they are judiciously applied. But when they get too obscure and/or too frequently used in a piece of writing, they start to get in the way and a nuisance. It is sort of like all those fancy little decorator pillows that some people insist upon piling upon their beds or sofas - you have to sweep most of them aside in order to comfortably use said sofa or bed.
Not too surprising, I have never read the Epic of Gilgamesh - in fact, never heard of it. I'll have to go find it - I always have enjoyed what the writers of Star Trek would come up with to use as a basis for one of their episodes. Thanks for the mention - I'll go brave my way through a possible swarm of metaphors ....
Metaphors are not little decorator pillows, they are the whole house and the air one breathes.
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