ἀμφίσβαινα
νεκρὸν ἐάν ποτ' ἴδηις καὶ μνήματα κωφὰ παράγηις κοινὸν ἔσοπτρον ὁρᾶις· ὁ θανὼν οὕτως προσεδόκα → whenever you see a body dead, or pass by silent tombs, you look into the mirror of all men's destiny: the dead man expected nothing else | if you ever see a corpse or walk by quiet graves, that's when you look into the mirror we all share: the dead expected this
English (LSJ)
ης, ἡ, (βαίνω) kind of
A serpent, supposed to go either forwards or backwards, A.Ag.1233, Ar.Fr.18 D.; ἀ. ἀμφίκρηνος, δίστομος, Nic.Th.372, Nonn.D.5.146. II ἀ. φλέβες veins connecting the breast and generative organs, Pall.in Hp.2.103D.
German (Pape)
[Seite 143] ἡ, eine Art Schlangen, die vor- und rückwärts gehen kann (ἑκατέρωθεν βαίνων), Aesch. Ag. 1266; Nic. Th. 372; Nonn. D. 5, 146.
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
ἀμφίσβαινα: -ης, -ἡ, (βαίνω) εἶδος ὄφεως δυναμένου νὰ ἕρπῃ πρός τε τὰ ἐμπρὸς καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὀπίσω, Αἰσχύλ. Ἀγ. 1233, Νικ. Θ. 372. Ὁ δὲ Ἡσύχ. λέγει: «εἶδος ὄφεως μακροκέφαλον, ἰσόπηχυ, τὴν οὐρὰν κολοβὴν ἔχον καὶ ταύτῃ πολλάκις τὴν πορείαν ποιούμενον, ὥστε τινὰς ἀμφισβητεῖν μὴ δύο κεφαλὰς ἔχειν· λέγεται δὲ καὶ διὰ τοῦ μ ἀμφίσμαινα.»
