Xen. Sym. 1.12 στέγης...φθονῆσαι

Greek Learning Greek
1

Hello all. I have a doubt with the first sentence of Xen. Sym. 1.12:

A small explanation of the situation: While a group hosted by Callias is dinning, Filipo, a buffoon, arrives and says some jokes to the doorman, asking to let him in. He says things like he is ready to dinner from the food of others and that his slave is completly tired of carring nothing. So, when the doorman or other slave tell this to Callias he replied with a joke, as it’s said in the following sentence. But I’m not sure of understanding the joke, if it is one (May the last sentence refers to the jokes of Filipo?)

ὁ οὖν Καλλίας ἀκούσας ταῦτα εἶπεν: ἀλλὰ μέντοι, ὦ ἄνδρες, αἰσχρὸν στέγης γε φθονῆσαι: εἰσίτω οὖν. καὶ ἅμα ἀπέβλεψεν εἰς τὸν Αὐτόλυκον, δῆλον ὅτι ἐπισκοπῶν τί ἐκείνῳ δόξειε τὸ σκῶμμα εἶναι.

So, I have translated it as “After Callias heared these things, he said: Oh men, to envy a roof is certanly shameful. Let him enter”

I’m taking the gen. στέγης as dependant of φθονῆσαι. I think this is a irony of Callias, as if he was envying the roof over Filipo, which may be nothing, because he is outside. Althought he may be inside the house but, outside the room, but it would be an irony anyway because it’s his own roof(they are in his house). Also, the sentence seems to me like a proverb, may it be?

Here some translations:
Bartlett:
“When Callias heard this, he said, ‘Well surely it’s shameful, men, to begrudge him our hospitality. So let him in.’ And as he said this he looked toward Autolycus, evidently to asertain what he thought of his quip.”

Tredernnick:
“When Callias heard this, he said, ‘Well, gentlemen, it would be a shame to grudge him shelter at any rate. Let him come in. ’”

Todd:
"Hearing this, Callias said, “Well, gentlemen, we cannot decently begrudge him at the least the shelter of our roof; so let him come in.”

2

φθονῆσαι means"begrudge" here, i.e., “refuse to grant,” not " envy." “To begrudge someone a roof” is a humorous way to say “refuse to let someone come in under a roof,” “to refuse to let someone come in one’s house.”

3

Then, I dont get the joke of Callias with that meaning for φθονῆσαι :frowning:

Is he playing with a double meaning and the following “εἰσίτω οὖν” clarifies the meaning?

4

I read some commentaries about this passage, becuase I can’t find the joke in the words of Callias.

So, some say Callias is doing a joke: to him, being rich, the idea of denying shelter to a parasite as Filipo, it’s a joke (I dont remember what he says exactly but later Callias speaks about his generosity and how he waste money).

I feel, however, more inclined to this other interpretation: Some say that Callias doesn’t say a joke, but he refers to the jokes of Filipo or to the act to jesting, and the reaction he seeks in Autolycus is how he react to the presence of a buffoon, being Autolycus younger than all the others, may he not be accustomed to that kind of act, and also that Callias try to impress Autolycus, because he is in love with him. Also, it’s said that the following τὸ σκῶμμα is kind of equivalent to σκώμματι.

5

It’s “…refuse to grant/be grudging of at least (γε) a roof” as Hylander said.

What’s the σκῶμμα? It’s a good question. I’m not positive, but I thought of two possibilities when rereading this passage. Either (1) Callias’s joke is to tell his guests, essentially, “I can’t deny such a man a shelter,” as if the joke-teller was really in desperate need, when he’s obviously not. Philip says he’s made every preparation to eat someone else’s food. His slave is really hard-pressed because he hasn’t been carrying anything. What a hardship that must be! If you were ever to deny someone a spot at your symposium, it would be Philip after such an introduction. Callias responds facetiously by granting him refuge (a roof, στέγη), looking over to the lovely Autolycus to see if his joke landed. (Of course, Callias is actually very eager for Philip to join and lighten things up). Or (2), he looked to Autolykos to see his reaction not to his own joke but to the joke that Philip just made. He’s hiring (or has already hired?) a comedian to come in and entertain his guests. He’s pulling out all the stops to impress Autolykos. He looks at him to see if Philip’s joke landed (it didn’t). Now that I write this, I think (1) is closer to the truth.

6

(1) seems plausible. That Callias carry on with the joke of the buffoon: to deny a roof to man in those terrible conditions is shameful.
Also to take τὸ σκῶμμα as similar to σκώμματι, as it were and adverbial acusative or an acusative of relation, doesnt seems too strange to me.

Either way, thank you both for your comments, to speak and read about it helps me to understand.