APPENDIX C΄ ON DEPILATION: BODY COSMETICS IN CLASSICAL ...

556 APPENDIX C΄
appleÈÙÙÔÎÔappleÔ‡ÌÂÓfiÓ ÙÈÓ’ j ͢ÚÔ‡ÌÂÓÔÓ
ïÚ÷Ę ÙÔ‡ÙˆÓ ö¯ÂÈÓ ‰ÂÖ (Cobet correction of ö¯ÂÈ ÙÈ)
ı¿ÙÂÚÔÓØ
j ÁaÚ ÛÙÚ·Ù‡ÂÈÓ âappleÈÓÔÂÖÓ ÌÔÈ Ê·›ÓÂÙ·È (Jacob’s emendation of the
inappropriate ÁaÚ ÛÙÚ·Ù‡ÂÈÓ of the mss. is Ì·ÛÙÚÔapple‡ÂÈÓ -
ingenious but not wholly satisfactory; as Meineke said: hoc tamen
certum est pro ÛÙÚ·Ù‡ÂÈÓ requiri verbum quo cinaedorum mollities
indicetur; perhaps âÚ·Ù‡ÂÈÓ, Headlam; or âÙ·ÈÚÂÖÓ Herwerden)
ηd apple¿ÓÙ· Ùˇá appleÒÁˆÓÈ ‰ÚÄÓ âÓ·ÓÙ›·,
j appleÏÔ˘ÛÈ·ÎeÓ ÙÔ‡Ùˇˆ appleÚÔÛapple›appleÙÂÈ Î·ÎfiÓ.
Ù› ÁaÚ ·î ÙÚ›¯Â˜ Ï˘appleÔÜÛÈÓ ìÌĘ, appleÚe˜ ıÂáÓ,
‰È’ L˜ àÓcÚ ≤ηÛÙÔ˜ ìÌáÓ Ê·›ÓÂÙ·È,
Âå Ì‹ ÙÈ Ù·‡Ù·È˜ àÓÙÈappleÚ¿ÙÙÂÛı·È ñappleÔÓÔÂÖ˜;
That is, if hair displeases you, you must not be satisfied with the
condition which makes it appear, i.e. mature manhood.
I shall give one different, but connected, example of the caution
and qualification needed to correctly appreciate the specific import of
negative, satirizing attitudes like the one mentioned above.
The qualities which are standardly involved in the appreciation of
the male (as well as, mutatis mutandis, female) human body, apart
from those pertaining to proportionate structure and formal beauty,
are λÂÈfiÙ˘, êapple·ÏfiÙ˘, Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘, ñÁÚfiÙ˘. §ÂÈfiÙ˘, smoothness
(not to be confused with softness) is the one we most encountered
above, hairlessness being probably the main contributor to its
prominence and excellence, together with a healthy skin, glistening
from gymnastic exercise, oil anointed massage and baths. ^YÁÚfiÙ˘, as
already explained, is an elusive character, hardly definable because of
an exquisitely complex foundation, expressing, as it were, the flowing
rhythm of form as well as the emotional dimension of the flesh and its
most peculiar attractiveness when it poses alluringly as the selfconscious
object of delectation, exciting desire which calls for nothing
but an absolute abandon to the pleasure of its enjoyment in unfulfilled
satisfaction. ^Aapple·ÏfiÙ˘, softness in touch, pertains to the female body
in its yielding quality, to the fresh and tender flesh of a boy, or to the
elaborate delicacy of the effeminate. But the example I spoke of above
will be taken from what concerns Ï¢ÎfiÙ˘.
§Â˘ÎfiÓ, it should be noted to begin with, is not quite our white
simpliciter. For instance, I doubt whether ancient Greeks of the