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[186] ἤματα καὶ νύκτας, this order of words is found only here and Od. 10.142; elsewhere night always comes first. ῥοδόεντι may mean only fragrant; or there may be an allusion to the ancient idea that oil of roses was an antiseptic; see Pausan. ix. 41. 7 “τὸ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ῥόδων ποιούμενον” (“μύρον”), “εἰ καὶ ἀγάλματα εἰργασμένα ξύλου χρίοις, ῥύεται καὶ ταῦτα σηπεδόνος”. As with “λειριόεις” H. uses the adj., though the substantive from which it is derived is not mentioned in the poems, but makes its first appearance in Greek literature in the Hymn to Demeter.

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