[36] ὡς εἰ … νόημα. It would be incomprehensible that a simile involving so much self-reflection should first appear in the compressed form in which our passage exhibits it. Accordingly we find it set forth in full in Il.15. 80“ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀίξῃ νόος ἀνέρος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ πολλὴν”
“γαῖαν ἐληλουθὼς φρεσὶ πευκαλίμῃσι νοήσῃ:”“ἔνθ᾽ ἤην ἢ ἔνθα: μενοινήῃσι δὲ πολλὰ”,
“ὣς κραιπνῶς μεμαυῖα διέπτατο πότνια Ἥρη”. Cp. h. Hom. Apoll. 186 “ἔνθεν δὲ πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀπὸ χθονὸς, ὥς τε νόημα”
“εἶσι”, ib. 448 “νόημ᾽ ὣς ἆλτο πέτεσθαι”. The simile occurs in a somewhat altered form in h. Hom. Merc. 43 foll. “ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ὠκὺ νόημα διὰ στέρνοιο περήσει”
“ἀνέρος, ὅν τε θαμειαὶ ἐπιστρωφῶσι μέριμναι”,
“ἢ ὅτε δινηθῶσιν ἀπ᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀμαρυγαὶ”,
“ὣς ἅμ᾽ ἔπος τε καὶ ἔργον ἐμήδετο κύδιμος Ἑρμῆς”. Ameis quotes as parallel passages Cic. Tusc.1. 19‘Nihil est animo velocius; nulla est celeritas quae possit cum animi celeritate contendere;’ also Gratius, Cyneg. 204; Theogn. 985; and the expression of Thales, ap. Laert. Diog.1. 35“τάχιστος νοῦς: διὰ παντὸς γὰρ τρέχει”. For the use of “ὡς εἰ” without any verb, see Hom. Od.19. 39Hom. Od., 211, etc.