Monday, February 26, 2024

Heavy large strong

 Asyndeton, in which conjunctions are omitted. The spear of Achilles is “βριθὺ μέγα στιβαρόν” heavy large strong. No one else can wield it but Achilles. (Something similar here about the fir bolt that locked the gate to his compound. It takes three men to pull it in place but Achilles can do it himself.)

I don’t know if it’s interesting or not that Murray’s translation adds conjunctions (is polysyndentic): “heavy and huge and strong.” Pope avoids the phrase altogether.

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