Joke in Anabasis of Xenophon

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mahasacham
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Joke in Anabasis of Xenophon

Post by mahasacham »

I came across a section of the Anabasis in book 7 chapter 3 line 24, where the army is having a feast with Seuthes and a man named Arustas cracks a joke but I dont know why it is so funny. I know what the sentence says but it just does seem like an uproar of laughter is the appropriate response. I think it might have something to do with the food being thrown around at the feast......but still I don't get it.

ὁ δ᾽ Ἀρύστας, ἐπεὶ παρ᾽ αὐτὸν φέρων τὸ κέρας ὁ οἰνοχόος ἧκεν, εἶπεν ἰδὼν τὸν Ξενοφῶντα οὐκέτι δειπνοῦντα, ἐκείνῳ, ἔφη, δός:
σχολάζει γὰρ ἤδη, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδέπω. ἀκούσας Σεύθης τὴν φωνὴν ἠρώτα τὸν οἰνοχόον τί λέγει. ὁ δὲ οἰνοχόος εἶπεν: ἑλληνίζειν γὰρ ἠπίστατο. ἐνταῦθα μὲν δὴ γέλως ἐγένετο.

And when the cup bearer arrived bringing the cup (horn), Arustas spoke, having seen Xenophon no longer dinning, saying "give to him [the cup] for he now has leisure but I do not yet [have leisure]. When Seuthes heard his utterance he asked the cup bearer what he said. And the cup bearer told him, for he knew how to speak Greek. Indeed at that point laughter arose.

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jeidsath
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Re: Joke in Anabasis of Xenophon

Post by jeidsath »

Look at the 2-3 lines above and you'll see that the joke is on Arustas. The custom is to μόνον γεύσασθαι ἑαυτῷ καταλιπών. But Arustas is φαγεῖν δεινός. As he wolfs everything down without any social awareness, he makes fun of Xenophon for not eating.
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mahasacham
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Re: Joke in Anabasis of Xenophon

Post by mahasacham »

Oh OK that makes perfect sense. Haha that is pretty funny. Xenophon was being all sophisticated like a true Athenian and Arustus had no clue.......nor did I.

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