Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 3725
(formerly typ/1810)

	Λόγους ἀτερπεῖς πολλὰ μοχθήσας γράφεις,
	ἀνιστορήτως βάρβαρα πλέξας ἔπη
	γωλειά γρώνας οὖσα καὶ τυκίσματα
	σὺν Ὀρθάγῃ τὲ κρίμνα καὶ λυκοψία,
	μόνον νέοις ἱδρῶτα, μωρὲ Λυκόφρον,
	οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄλλο πλὴν <κε>νοὶ λήρων λόγοι.

Title(s)	Εἰς Λυκόφρονα
Text source	A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften, Wien: 115-118
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Author-related epigram Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet John Tzetzes (12th c.) - PBW: Ioannes/459/
Metre(s)	Dodecasyllable
Subject(s)	Lycophron (3rd c. BC)
Tag(s)	Complaint Polemic Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	Lycophron, you fool, spending much labour at writing unpleasant phrases and ignorantly weaving awkward words, goleia, gronas, ousa, and tykismata together with orthage, krimna and lycopsia – nothing but sweat for the young students and vain, stupid sentences. Language English Source(s) C. De Stefani, E. Magnelli 2009, Lycophron in Byzantine Poetry (and prose), in C. Cusset, É. Prioux (eds.), Lycophron: Éclats d'obscurité, Saint-Étienne, 593-620: 616 Große Mühe aufwendend schreibst du unerfreuliche Worte, da du ohne Kenntnis barbarische Wörter spinnst: γωλειά, γρώνας, οὖσα und τυκίσματα zusammen mit Ὀρθάγῃ, κρίμνα und λυκοψία – nur Schweiß für die Jungen, törichter Lykophron, nichts anderes als leere Worte von Geschwätz. Language German Source(s) A. Rhoby, 2018, Ausgewählte Byzantinische Epigramme in Illuminierten Handschriften, Wien: 117 In Lycophronem. Insuaves fabulas multo labore scribis, inscite barbara qui-contexueris verba, γωλειά, γρῶνας, οὖσα et τυκίσματα, cum ὀρθάγῃque, κρίμνα et λυκοψία, merum adolescentibus sudorem, stulte Lycophron; nihil enim aliud inest, nisi futiles de nugis orationes. Language Latin Source(s) E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 451
Comment	De Stefani (2009: 615): 'Byzantine authors appear not to be exceedingly interested in Lycophron’s rare words and erudite riddles. An anonymous versifier –probably the bad tempered Tzetzes himself- explicity blames such features'. Rhoby (2018: 118): 'Diese Kritik an Lykophron ist in Byzanz eher die Ausnahme, da die byzantinischen Autoren mehr noch als ihre hellenistischen und spätantiken Vorbilder Lykophron außerordentlich schätzten und imitierten'.
Bibliography	Primary E. Cougny, 1890, Epigrammatum Anthologia Palatina cum Planudeis et Appendice nova epigrammatum veterum ex libris et marmoribus ductorum (vol. 3), Paris: 451 C. De Stefani, E. Magnelli 2009, Lycophron in Byzantine Poetry (and prose), in C. Cusset, É. Prioux (eds.), Lycophron: Éclats d'obscurité, Saint-Étienne, 593-620: 615-616 C. De Stefani 2014, The end of the "Nonnian School", in K. Spanoudakis (ed.), Nonnus of Panopolis in Context: Poetry and Cultural Milieu in Late Antiquity with a Section on Nonnus and the Modern World, Berlin, 375-402: 391-392 K. Demoen 2019, Epigrams on Authors and Books as Text and Paratext, in M. Kanellou, C. Carey, I. Petrovic (eds.), Greek Epigram from the Hellenistic to the Early Byzantine Era, Oxford, 66-84: 81 I. Hardt, 1806, Catalogus codicum manuscriptorum graecorum Bibliothecae Regiae Bavaricae. Cod. CCXXXIV-CCCXLVII continens (vol. 3), Munich: 14 C. Samberger, 1965, Catalogi codicum graecorum qui in minoribus bibliothecis Italicis asservantur (vol. 1), Leipzig: 183 E. Scheer, 1908, Lycophronis Alexandra (vol. 2), Berlin: 398 display 4 more references (7 in total) hide 4 references (7 in total)
Number of verses	6
Occurrence(s)	[21909] λόγους ἀτερπεῖς πολλὰ (...) [1255] EL ESCORIAL - Real Biblioteca R.I.18 [1255] (f. 102r) (6 verses) [19596] λό(...)ς ἀτερπεῖς πολ(λὰ) μοχθήσ(ας) γράφεις [14th c.] FLORENCE - Biblioteca Riccardiana 69 [14th c.] (f. 111v) (6 verses) [22867] λόγους ἀτερπεῖς πολλὰ μοχθήσας γράφεις [1276-1300] HEIDELBERG - Universitätsbibliothek - Palat. gr. 18 [1276-1300] (f. 96v) (6 verses) [23904] Λόγους ἀτερπεῖς πολλὰ μοχθήσας γράφεις [1276-1300] NAPLES - Biblioteca Nazionale - gr. II D 4 [1276-1300] () (6 verses) [30841] λόγους ἀτερπεῖς πολλὰ μογήσας γράφεις [1282] PARIS - Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF) - gr. 2723 [1250-1300] (f. 76v) (6 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Maria Tomadaki, Raf Praet, Anne-Sophie Rouckhout, Delphine Nachtergaele The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Anthologia Graeca Appendix, III.V.50 BEiÜ IV, DE10 Vassis ICB 2005, 437: "In Lycophronem"
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Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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