Oppian, Halieutica, or Fishing

LCL 219: 350-351

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Oppian

ἀλλ᾿ ἁλιεὺς στέλλοιτο λίνον πνοιῇσι πετάσσας οὔριον, ἐς Βορέην μέν, ἐπὴν Νότος ὑγρὸς ἄῃσιν· ἐς Νοτίην δὲ θάλασσαν ἐπειγομένου Βορέαο· Εὔρου δ᾿ ἱσταμένοιο ποτὶ Ζεφύροιο κέλευθα· 70πρὸς δ᾿ Εὖρον Ζέφυρος φορέοι σκάφος· ὧδε γὰρ ἑσμοὶ ἄσπετοι ἀντήσουσι καὶ εὔβολος ἔσσεται ἄγρη.

Τέτραχα δ᾿ εἰναλίης θήρης νόμον ἐφράσσαντο ἰχθυβόλοι· καὶ τοὶ μὲν ἐπ᾿ ἀγκίστροισι γάνυνται, τῶν δ᾿ οἱ μὲν δονάκεσσιν ἀναψάμενοι δολιχοῖσιν 75ὁρμιὴν ἵππειον ἐΰπλοκον ἀγρώσσουσιν· οἱ δ᾿ αὔτως θώμιγγα λινόστροφον ἐκ παλαμάων δησάμενοι πέμπουσιν· ὁ δ᾿ ἢ καθέτοισι γέγηθεν ἢ πολυαγκίστροισιν ἀγάλλεται ὁρμιῇσι. δίκτυα δ᾿ αὖτ᾿ ἄλλοισι μέλει πλέον ἐντύνεσθαι· 80τῶν τὰ μὲν ἀμφίβληστρα, τὰ δὲ γρῖφοι καλέονται, γάγγαμά τ᾿ ἠδ᾿ ὑποχαὶ περιηγέες ἠδὲ σαγῆναι· ἄλλα δὲ κικλήσκουσι καλύμματα, σὺν δὲ σαγήναις

350

Halieutica, III

fisher puts to sea let him set his sail with the wind—Northward when the wet South Wind blows; Southward when the North Wind drives the sea; when the East Wind rises, towards the paths of the West Wind; towards the East let the West Wind bear his vessel; for so will infinite shoals meet him and his fishing will be blest with luck.

Fourfolda modes of hunting their prey in the sea have fishermen devised. Some delight in Hooksb; and of these some fish with a well-twisted linec of horse-haird fastened to long reeds,e others simply cast a flaxen cordf attached to their hands, another rejoices in leaded linesg or in lines with many hooks.h Others prefer to array Netsi; and of these there are those called casting-nets, and those called draw-nets—drag-nets and round bag-nets and seines. Others they call cover-nets, and, with the seines,

351
DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.oppian-halieutica_fishing.1928