Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 3271
(formerly typ/1404)

	Σίγησον, Ὀρφεῦ· ῥίψον, Ἑρμῆ, τὴν λύραν·
	τρίπους ὁ Δελφοῖς, δῦνον εἰς λήθην ἔτι·
	Δαυὶδ γὰρ ἡμῖν πνεύματος κρούων λύραν
	τρανοῖ τὰ κρυπτὰ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων,
	πληθὺν παλαιῶν ἱστορεῖ τεραστίων,
	κινεῖ πρὸς ὕμνον τοῦ κτίσαντος τὴν κτίσιν,
	σώζων ἅπαντας μυσταγωγεῖ καὶ γράφει,
	ἁμαρτανόντας εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν φέρει
	πολλοῖς σὺν ἄλλοις, καὶ κριτοῦ δηλῶν κρίσιν
	σμήχειν διδάσκει ψυχικὰς ἁμαρτάδας.

Title(s)	Στίχοι τοῦ Γεωμέτρου εἰς τὸ Ψαλτήριον
Text source	G. Parpulov, 2014, Toward a History of Byzantine Psalters, Plovdiv: 218
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Not a critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet Ioannes Geometres (pseudo) (950-1000)
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	David Hermes Music Orpheus Psalter
Tag(s)	Polemic Praise of the author Reference to content of the book Spiritual value of the book
Critical Notes	4 θείων ] θεοῦ Sajdak 1919 6 σώζων ἅπαντας ] ἅπαντας σώζων Sajdak 1919
Comment	The epigram occurs in other manuscripts as well, such as Vat. Ross. 986 (f. 358r), where it does not function as a book epigram, and Copenhagen, Fabr. 94 8, (f. 219r), where it was added by a post-1500 hand. Sajdak's text (see 'Critical notes' field) comes from Par. gr. 2743 (16th c.).
Bibliography	Primary L. Allatius, 1645, De libris ecclesiasticis Graecorum dissertationes duae, Paris: 62-63 É. Legrand, 1885, Bibliographie Hellénique ou description raisonnée des ouvrages publiés par des Grecs aux XVe et XVIe siècles (vol. 1), Paris: 23 A. Ludwich 1892, Ein neuer Beitrag zur Charakteristik des Jakob Diassorinos, Byzantinische Zeitschrift, 1, 293-302: 297 A. Ludwich, 1912, Apolinarii metaphrasis psalmorum, Leipzig: XXIV I. Sajdak 1919, Ioannis Geometrae carmen, Eos: Commentarii Societatis Philologae Polonorum, 24, 43-44: 43 Secondary M. Lauxtermann, 2003, Byzantine Poetry from Pisides to Geometres (vol. 1), Vienna: 303 Emilie M. van Opstall, M. Tomadaki 2019, John Geometres: a Poet around the Year 1000, in A. Rhoby, N. Zagklas, W. Hörandner (eds.), A Companion to Byzantine Poetry, Leiden, 191-211: 201 Bibliography category to be determined A. Eufrosunon, 1991, Ἀφιέρωμα στὸν Μανόλη Χατζηδάκη (vol. 1), Athens: 104
Number of verses	10
Occurrence(s)	[22318] Σίγησον ὀρφεῦ ῥίψον ἑρμῆ τὴν λύραν [13th c.] ATHOS - Mone Dionysiou 60 [13th c.] (f. 10r) (10 verses) [33490] Σίγησον ὀρφεῦ, ῥίψων ἑρμῆ τὴν λύραν MILAN - Biblioteca Ambrosiana G 94 sup. [February 1464] (f. IIv) (10 verses) [19855] Σίγησον ὀρφεῦ, ῥίψον ἑρμῆ τὴν λύραν [15th c.] OXFORD - Bodleian Library - Barocci 160 [15th c.] (f. 1v) (10 verses)
Related type(s)	[4371] Σίγησον, Ὀρφεῦ, καὶ πεφίμωσο στόμα (12 verses) (Variant (other wordings)) [1945] Ἐνταῦθα τὴν θέλγουσαν εἰκότως λύραν (5 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Rachele Ricceri, Maria Tomadaki, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Cristina Cocola The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Vassis ICB 2005, 672: "Ioann. Geometres*, In psalterium"
Permalink	http://dev.dbbe.ugent.be/types/3271

Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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