Database of Byzantine Book Epigrams

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Type 6803
(formerly typ/4696)

	Ὁ Ζεὺς ἀντὶ πυρὸς πῦρ ὤπασεν ἄλλο, γυναῖκας·
	εἴθε δὲ μήτε γυνὴ μήτε τὸ πῦρ ἐφάνη.
	Πῦρ μὲν δὴ ταχέως καὶ σβέννυται· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ πῦρ
	ἄσβεστον, φλογερόν, πάντοτ’ ἀναπτόμενον.

Text source	H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. IX-XI (vol. 3), München: 104-105
Text status	Text completely known
Editorial status	Critical text
Genre(s)	Text-related epigram
Person(s)	Poet Palladas (4th c.)
Metre(s)	Elegiacs
Subject(s)	Zeus
Tag(s)	Polemic Reference to content of the book
Translation(s)	Zeus, in place of fire, bestowed another fire, woman. Would that neither woman nor fire had come into being! Fire, it is true, is soon put out, but woman is a fire unquenchable, flaming, ever alight. Language English Source(s) W. Paton, 1917, The Greek Anthology. Book 9 (vol. 3), Cambridge: 87 Zeus pour rançon du feu nous fit don d'un autre feu, les femmes. Plût aux dieux que ni la femme ni le feu n'eussent apparu! Le feu du moins peut s'éteindre vite; mais la femme est un feu in extinguible, plein d'ardeur, qui toujours s'allume. Language French Source(s) P. Waltz, 1957, Anthologie Grecque. Tome VII: Anthologie palatine, Livre IX, Épigrammes 1-358 (vol. 7), Paris: 67 Statt des Feuers gab Zeus ein anderes Feuer, die Weiber. Hätten wir nie doch ein Weib, nie doch das Feuer gesehn! Feuer erlischt ja geschwind; das Weib aber lodert als flammend Feuer, das niemals erlischt: immerzu flackert es auf. Language German Source(s) H. Beckby, 1965, Anthologia Graeca. IX-XI (vol. 3), München: 105
Bibliography	Primary W. Paton, 1917, The Greek Anthology. Book 9 (vol. 3), Cambridge: 86-87 P. Waltz, 1957, Anthologie Grecque. Tome VII: Anthologie palatine, Livre IX, Épigrammes 1-358 (vol. 7), Paris: 67
Number of verses	4
Occurrence(s)	[25436] ὁ ζεὺς ἀντὶ πυρὸς, πῦρ ὤπασ(εν) ἄλλο· γυναῖκας [13th-14th c.] VATICAN CITY - Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana - Vat. gr. 114 [13th-14th c.] (f. 98v) (4 verses)
Acknowledgements	Contributor(s) Anne-Sophie Rouckhout The credits system has been implemented in 2019. Credits from before the new system was in use might be incomplete.
Identification	Anthologia Graeca, IX.167 Vassis ICB 2005, 509: "Palladas, In malignitatem mulieris"
Permalink	http://dev.dbbe.ugent.be/types/6803

Last modified: 2026-01-19.

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