προσπταίω
νήπιοι, οἷς ταύτῃ κεῖται νόος, οὐδὲ ἴσασιν ὡς χρόνος ἔσθ᾿ ἥβης καὶ βιότου ὀλίγος θνητοῖς. ἀλλὰ σὺ ταῦτα μαθὼν βιότου ποτὶ τέρμα ψυχῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τλῆθι χαριζόμενος → fools, to think like that and not realise that mortals' time for youth and life is brief: you must take note of this, and since you are near the end of your life endure, indulging yourself with good things | Poor fools they to think so and not to know that the time of youth and life is but short for such as be mortal! Wherefore be thou wise in time, and fail not when the end is near to give thy soul freely of the best.
English (LSJ)
Ep. ποτιπταίω Q.S.7.81:—
A hurt by striking against a thing, injure, τὸ γόνυ Hdt.6.134; τὸν πόδα Plu. Ages.3: abs., bump oneself, Pl.R.604c; hurt one's foot, X.HG3.3.3; stumble, Ar.Pl.121; πρὸς τὸν οὐδόν Plu.TG17; ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ Thphr.Char. 15.8; πόδεσσι Q.S. l.c. 2 c. dat. objecti, stumble upon, strike against, τισὶν ὥσπερ προβόλοις D.10.63; τῷ νόμῳ Porph.Chr.30. 3 generally, to be checked, πνεῦμα προσπταῖον ἐν τῇ ἄνω φορῇ Hp.Acut. 42; of the tongue, Arist.Pr.905b30; προσπταίειν . . ποιεῖ τὸν ἀκροατήν Id.Rh.1409b19. II metaph., suffer check or disaster, opp. εὐτυχέω, Hdt.3.40; of shipwreck, π. περὶ τὸν Ἄθων Id.7.22; esp. fail in war, suffer defeat, ναυμαχίῃ Id.9.107; προσπταίσας μεγάλως Id.1.16, cf. 2.161, 5.62; πρὸς Τεγεήτας lost battles against them, Id.1.65; τῷ πεζῷ π. πρὸς τοὺς Βρύγους Id.6.45. III c. dat., offend, clash with, τῷ δήμῳ Plu.Per.32, cf. Cat.Mi.30.
German (Pape)
[Seite 779] anstoßen; τὸ γόνυ, Her. 6, 134; τὴν χεῖρα, τὸν πόδα, sich an die Hand, den Fuß stoßen, damit anstoßen, straucheln; auch πρός τι, πρὸς τὸν Ἄθων, Her. 7, 22, vgl. 6, 44; μὴ προσπταίσας τις χωλεύσῃ, Xen. Hell. 3, 3, 3. – Dah. übtr., unglücklich sein, bes. im Kriege, eine Niederlage erleiden, ναυμαχίῃ, in einer Seeschlacht, Her. 9, 107; μεγάλως προσπταῖσαι, 1, 16. 2, 161. 6, 95. 7, 170. 210; im Ggstz von εὐτυχεῖν, 3, 40; auch πρός τινα, gegen Einen Nachtheil, Verlust im Kriege daben, 1, 65. 6, 45; περί τινι, 9, 101, ἀλλὰ μὴ προσπταίσαντας καθάπερ παῖδας ἐν τῷ βοᾶν διατρίβειν, Plat. Rep. X. 604 c; Arist. Eth. 5, 9, Dem. 8, 61 ἀλλ' ἀνάγκη τούτοις ὡς προβόλοις προσπταίοντας ὑστερίζειν ἐκείνων; öfter bei Sp., wie Luc. u. Plut. – Auch τινί , bei Einem anstoßen, seinen Unwillen erregen, ihm Anlaß zur Feindschaft geben, Plut. Pericl. 32 Cat. min. 30.
