ὸν δ᾽ ἤτοι θνητοὶ μὲν ἔρωτα καλοῦσι ποτηνόν,
ἀθάνατοι δὲ Πτέρωτα, διὰ πτεροφύτορ᾽ ἀνάγκην.
the last verse means that ἀθάνατοι δὲ Πτέρωτα, διὰ ἀνάγκην πτεροφύτορα ὄντα?
I have not found διὰ ἀνάγκην in the lexicons, only dia anankes,
Can a prep be separated from its noun as is the case here?
an old commentary explains it as: because necessity gives birth to plumage. διὰ πτεροφύτορα οὖσαν ἀνάγκην?
Just because it’s not listed in the lexicon doesn’t mean it can be done – I actually found 4 uses of δι’ ἀνάγκην, all of them interestingly enough in Josephus. Ι think there is nothing here other than the normal meaning of διά + acc. πτεροφύτωρ, lovely word, and possibly a hapax (this passage is the only citation given). It means something like “feather producing” or “wing growing,” so “on account of the necessity for growing wings/feathers.”
I like how Plato describes this fragment:
ὑβριστικὸν πάνυ καὶ ουʼ σφόδρα τι ἔμμετρον…
Yes, thank you, I have got the meaning.