Anonymous-Shameful ProfitἌδηλον Περὶ Αἰσχροκερδείας
Choliambica Adespota Anonymous Shameful Profit PDF
The Anonymous-Shameful Profit is an anonymous choliambic poem, classified within the corpus of Choliambica Adespota. It survives in six fragmentary passages that collectively offer a sharp critique of aischrokerdeia, or disgraceful and dishonest profit. The work employs the choliambic meter, also known as scazon, which is characterized by a halting, limping rhythm traditionally associated with satire, invective, and moralizing themes. Its content constitutes a broad social and ethical condemnation of avarice, aligning with popular philosophical teachings, particularly those of Cynic or Stoic origin, concerning the corrupting nature of wealth and the primacy of virtue. The poem’s transmission is typical of such anonymous fragments, likely preserved through anthologies or quotations in later authors, though its precise manuscript tradition remains unidentified. As an example of the continued use of choliambic verse for moral instruction in later Greek poetry, the work participates in the enduring Greco-Roman satirical tradition against greed, connecting a distinctive Hellenistic poetic form with a pervasive strand of ethical criticism.
| unit_1 | [⏒–⏑] ο̣ὐ̣δ̣εὶς οὐ[⏑–⏒ ἀνθ]ρ̣ώποις, [⏒–⏑–]ι̣ κα̣τ̣εῖδε̣[ν –⏒ ἀ]ν̣θρώπων [⏒–⏑–]σας̣ οὓς κατ̣[εῖδεν] ἀνθρώπου̣ς. [⏒–⏑–] δ̣ὲ π̣ρὸς σ̣ὲ χ[ρήσο]μαι πάσηι [⏒–] π̣ο[ιή]μ̣ατ̣’ οὐ μάτ[ην] ἀκούοντα· [⏒–⏑–⏒], Π̣ά̣ρ̣ν̣ε̣, ς̣’, ὡ̣ς̣ π̣α̣[ρ’] ἀνθρώπων [⏒–⏑–⏒] κ̣α̣ι̣δ̣[..]εν καλὴ κεῖτ̣α̣ι̣, [⏒–⏑ κυλλ]όχειρες ὥ[σπ]ερ Ἁρπυῖαι [⏒– ἄναγ]νον κέρδος ἐκ λίθου παντός. [⏒–⏑– ἕ]καστος, ἔνθεν ἁρπάξηι, [⏒– κ]υβιστᾶι κἠπινήχεται πᾶς τις [⏒– ἑ]ταῖρον καὶ κ̣α̣σ̣ί̣γν[ητ]ον κ[αὶ] ὦρα, [⏒– ἑ]αυτοῦ τὴν τρισο[ιζύρη]ν ψυχήν [⏒ οὐ]δ̣ὲ̣ν̣ [... ἡ] θά[λασσα μὲ]ν πεζή [⏒–⏑ ἀν]θρώποι[σιν, ἡ δὲ] γ̣ῆ πλωτή· [⏒–⏑ περ]ιφέρουσι τήνδ[ε τ]ὴν ῥῆσιν· ⸤‘κέρδαιν’,⸥ ἑταῖρε καὶ θέρευς κα̣ὶ̣ χειμῶνος, [ἁπάντοθε]ν κέρδα̣ι̣νε, μηδέν’ αἰσχύνου, [⏒–⏑ αἰ]δοῦ· τοῦτ̣ ὀ̣νειδι̣εῖταί̣ σοι. |
| unit_2 | [⏒–⏑–]ν̣ τὴν χεῖρ’, ὅκου λαβεῖν δεῖ τι, ὅκου [δ]ὲ δοῦναι, μηδ’ ὅλως φόρει χεῖρα‘. ἐροῦσι πολλοί· ‘πολλὰ σαυτὸν ἀσπάζου, ἐπὴν ἔχηις τι· πάντα σοι φίλων πλήρη· πλουτοῦντα γάρ σε χοἰ θεοὶ φιλήσουσι, πένητα δ’ ὄντα χἠ τεκοῦσα μεισήσει· ἐὰν 〈δὲ〉 μὴ ἔχηις μηδέν, †οὐδὲ κηδεσταί.‘ † ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ἀῖτα, καὶ καταρῶμαι τοῖς νῦν βίοις καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους μεισῶ τοὺς ζῶντας οὕτω, καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον μεισήσω̣· |
| unit_3 | ἀνεσ̣τρόφα̣ν γὰρ τὴν ζ〈ό〉ην ἡμῶν̣ οὗτοι̣· †ἣ γὰρ πάροιθ̣εν ἦν δ’ [ἄ]χρ[ι ν]ῦν ἐ̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ν̣ σ̣ε̣μ̣ν̣ή̣ [δ]ικαιότης ὤιχ̣ω̣κ̣ε̣ν̣, ἔν̣θ̣ε[ν ο]ὐχ ἥξει· ἀπιστίη ζῆι· πί̣σ̣τ̣ι̣ς ε[⏒––⏒] ἴσχυκεν ἡ ἀ̣ν̣α̣ί̣δ̣ε̣ια τ̣οῦ [Δ]ιὸς μεῖζον· ὅρκοι †τεθ[νήκα]σιν, οἱ θε̣ο̣ὶ δ’ ε̣ἰ̣ά̣κασι̣ν̣· ἡ δυσγένεια κριθι̣ᾶι κατ’ ἀνθρώπους, τῆς δ’ εὐγενεί[ας ἁ]λμυρὸν κα̣τ̣έπτυστ̣α̣ι̣. γῆμαι δ’ ἂν οὐ[δεὶ]ς̣ ο[ὐ]δὲ τὴν Ἥ̣ρ̣〈η〉ν †θέλοι πτωχὴν ἐ̣ο̣ῦ̣σ̣α̣ν τ[.....]ε̣ [...]ο̣ντος̣, μᾶλλον δ’ ἕλοιτ̣[ο τὴν] ἐ̣[π]ὶ̣ [σ]τ̣έ̣γους Λυδήν ἔχων ὀπυίειν ἔ̣ν̣δ̣ο[ν ἢ]ν φέρηι χαλκοῦς. |
| unit_4 | versuum 42—66 paucis exceptis primae tantum litterae exstant et extremae V. 44. 51 ([οὐ]δ̣ὲ μαίον[ται]). 52. 53 ([γα]σ̣τρός). 54. 57—59. 61 ἔοικ’ ἐνεῖναι· π[άντο]θ̣εν γὰρ ἕλκουσιν, κοὐκ ἔστιν οὔ[τ]ε [σ̣]υγγενὴς οὔτε ξεῖνος, ὃ[ς ο]ὐχ[ὶ λα]ιμᾶι τ[οῦδ’], ὅ̣κως ἕξει μέζον· χ[ω]ρὶς δέατος ὁ θ̣εσ[μὸς ο]ὐδὲ μέμνηνται θεοῦ Δικαίης, ἀλλὰ̣ [... χ]λ̣ευάζουσιν· ὅκως δὲ χρ̣ὴ ζῆν [.....] ἔ̣γ̣ωγε θαυμά̣ζω· ἐν θηρίοισιν; ἀλλὰ δ[....] ζ̣ωαί· ἀπιστίη γε πάντα [–⏑–]αι[.] τὸ τῆς ἀ̣χ̣[......] †πενια τ’ ἴσως πάντα[] τὸ μειλιχῶδες κα̣ὶ προσηνὲς δὴ τοῦτο. ἐκεῖνο μ[ὲ]ν γὰρ ο[ἶδ]α, σὺν θεοῖς εἰπεῖν, ὅπερ κρ̣ά̣[τιστ]ό̣ν̣ ἐστιν, οὐ νενίκημα̣[ι] [⏒–⏑–] καὶ γαστ[ρό]ς̣, ἀλλ’ ἀπα̣ρ[κ]εῦμαι [....] ἔ̣χε̣ις γὰρ πρῆο̣ν̣ ἢ̣ τί̣ κερδαίν̣[εις] [ἰδώ]ν̣ γ̣έ πως κάνδυ̣λ̣ον ὡ̣ς οὕτως †εἰπώ̣ν̣; |
| unit_5 | [εἰς] γ̣ὰρ στόμ’ ὡς ἔοικ[εν] ἵ̣στα̣[τ]αι μοῦ̣νον [χρό]νον τοσ[οῦ]τον, [ὅσσον ἄν] τις ἔσθηι [τι], ὅ̣τ̣α̣ν δ’ ἀμείψητα[ι αὐτ]ὸ καὶ τὸ̣[ν ἥκισ]τ̣ον εἰς ζῆν χά̣ρυβδι̣ν̣ [......] οἴχεται πά[ντ]α̣· καὶ ταῦτα τεν[.........]ε καὶ ἑτερο̣[.....], ὑπὲρ δὲ τούτων [μ]ὴ πάτει πάτει λίνων [........]. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Π[άρ]νε, τ̣α̣ῦτ’ οὐχὶ ζ[ηλῶ], ἀλλ’ ἐν χαλ[ινοῖς ...] ἐμαυτὸν ὡς̣ [.......] γαστρὸς κατί̣σχ̣[ω ......] βιά[ζ]ομαι τ[οῦτον] πρὸς εὐτέλει̣α̣ν τὸν [βί]ο̣ν̣ καθ̣ίστασθ̣[αι]. καὶ μὴν ὅταν γε θ̣ἠ̣δ̣[...] σπ̣ένδ̣ειν [.....] κάμνω· με[γ]ίστ̣η̣ δ̣’ [.........]μ̣ο̣ι̣ χόν̣[δρος]. τέρπει δέ μ’ οὕτως ο̣[ὐ]δ̣[ὲ]ν ὡς τὸ κερδ̣α̣ί̣[νειν] ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου το[...... τ]οῖς ἀνθ̣ρώπ̣[οις] [.. λαμ]βάνειν [.........] ἐκ τρόπ[ων] α[ἰσχρῶν] [.........]ν̣ε̣ν̣ο̣ν̣ [......] οὐθεν[......] [...... χρ]όνωι πλουτοῦντας ἐξ ἀ[.......] [........] τ̣[..] ν̣[...] ὥ̣σπε̣ρ̣ ουδο̣[......] ἔστιν γάρ, ἔστιν, ὃς̣ τ̣άδ̣ε̣ σ̣κοπεῖ δ̣αίμων, ὃς̣ ἐ̣ν χρόνωι τὸ θεῖον οὐ καταισχύνει, |
| unit_6 | [νέ]μει δ’ ἑκάστωι τὴν καταισίαν μοῖραν. [ἐγ]ὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Πάρ̣νε, βουλοίμην εἶναι τἀρκεῦντ’ ἐμαυτῶι καὶ νομίζεσθαι χρηστός, ἢ πολλὰ πρήσσειν καί ποτ’ εἰπεῖν τοὺς ἐχθρούς· “ἁ〈〈.〉〉λῶν δὲ φόρτος ἔνθεν ἦλθεν ἔνθ’ ἦλ̣θεν.” |