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[36] “περὶ κῆρι. περί” gives the notion of a circle completed, as distinct from “ἀμφί”, which properly means only, ‘on both sides.’ From this comes the sense of ‘completeness,’ ‘thoroughness,’ passing into the meaning of ‘excess,’ as in “περισσῶς”. The grammarians had no uniform rule about the accentuation of “περί”, so as to distinguish its meanings, or its prepositional from its adverbial use. Cp. Schol. Par.on Il.21. 163“Πτολεμαῖος ὁ Πινδαρίων ἀναστρέφει τὴν πέρι ἵνα σημαίνῃ περισσῶς”, but Herodian, on Il.4. 46, writes, “τὸ περὶ φυλάσσει” “τὸν τόνον ὅτε σημαίνει τὸ περισσῶς”. The Venetus A. has “περὶ κῆρι” uniformly, except in Il.24. 435, the work of a later hand. In this phrase and in others analogous to it, it is preferable to take “περί” adverbially, and regard “κῆρι” as a localising dative; for the following reasons. We find ( Od.8. 63) the phrase “περὶ . . φιλεῖν”, and in Il.9. 117“κῆρι φιλεῖν”: so again in Od.2. 88“περὶ . . εἰδέναι”, and in Il.2. 213; 5. 326 “φρεσὶν εἰδέναι”. If we translate “περὶ φιλεῖν” by valde amare, and “κῆρι φιλεῖν” by ex animo amare, we may combine the two in “περὶ κῆρι φιλεῖν” and render it valde ex animo amare. This is easier than to take “περί” as a preposition with “κῆρι” in the sense of circum cor, which offers no definite meaning. If we perfer to give a more local sense to “περί” and translate it ‘all around,’ ‘quite through,’ the sense will be the same, and “κῆρι” will still stand as a local epexegesis. The same explanation will suit such passages as “ἀλύσσοντες περὶ θυμῷ” Il.22. 70, or “τοῖσίν τε περὶ φρεσὶν ἄσπετος ἀλκή” Il.16. 157; but it is likely enough that such later expressions as “περὶ χάρματι” h. Hom. Cer. 429, “περὶ φόβῳ” Aesch. Cho.35, and “περὶ τάρβει” Pers. 696, have arisen from a misconception of the Homeric usage (see the whole question well treated by Kuhl, Quaest. Hom. p. 1. de particulae “περί” forma et usu Homerico).

Homer's Odyssey. W. Walter Merry. James Riddell. D. B. Monro. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1886-1901.

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hide References (12 total)
  • Commentary references from this page (12):
    • Aeschylus, Libation Bearers, 35
    • Aeschylus, Persians, 696
    • Homer, Iliad, 16.157
    • Homer, Iliad, 21.163
    • Homer, Iliad, 22.70
    • Homer, Iliad, 24.435
    • Homer, Iliad, 2.213
    • Homer, Iliad, 4.46
    • Homer, Iliad, 9.117
    • Homer, Odyssey, 2.88
    • Homer, Odyssey, 8.63
    • Homeric Hymns, Hymn 2 to Demeter, 429
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