R. G. Bury, The Symposium of Plato

ἐπέρχεται δέ μοί κτλ. Here Agathon breaks out into verse of his own, whereas hitherto he had contented himself with quoting from others (196 C, E). Observe the alliterative effect, dear to the school of Gorgias, of the play with ρ and ν, γ and λ, in the former, and of ν and μ in the latter of the two verses.

νηνεμίαν...κήδει. Both the punctuation and reading of this verse are doubtful. Rückert, Stallb., and the Zurich edd. print commas after γαλήνην and ἀνέμων, Hug and Burnet only after ἀνέμων, Hommel after γαλήνην and κοίτην. It would appear, however, from the Homeric passage (Od. V. 391 = XII. 168, ἄνεμος μὲν ἐπαύσατο ἠδὲ γαλήνη | ἔπλετο νηνεμίη), of which this is obviously an echo, that no stop should be placed after γαλήνην, but rather after νηνεμίαν or ἀνέμων: while the compound word ἀνεμοκοῖται, applied to a sect (γένος) in Corinth who claimed to be able τοὺς ἀνέμους κοιμίζειν (see Hesych. and Suid. s.v.; also Welcker Kl. Schr. 3. 63; Rohde Psyche II. p. 88; and 202 E n.), makes it probable that ἀνέμων κοίτην are meant to go closely together. Further, although as Zeller argues it is appropriate enough in general to describe Love as “is qui non aequoris solum sed etiam humani pectoris turbas sedat” (cp. Il. XXIV. 128 ff., Catull. 68. 1—8), still the reversion to human κῆδος after mentioning waves and winds is a little curious, and it is tempting to adopt Hommel's conjecture ἐνὶ κήτει which, if κῆτος can bear the sense of “sea-depths” (see L. and S. s.vv. κῆτος, μεγακήτης) would furnish a more satisfactory disposition of ideas—“peace on land and on sea, repose in heaven above and in the depths below.” Or, if we assumed that an original νει ἐνὶ νείκῃ (=νείκει） was corrupted by haplography to ἐνὶ κη, a fair sense would be obtained. If the ordinary text be kept, we may notice (with Vögelin) how the force of the prepos. in ἐν ἀνθρ....ἐνὶ κήδει varies “in the style of the Sophists.” In Theaet. 153 C we have a similar combination, νηνεμίας τε καὶ γαλήνας, the only other Platonic ex. of νηνεμία being Phaedo 77 E. γαληνός as an adj. occurs in Ax. 370 D.