From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMelos can mean a bodily member as well as a musical phrase or song.
- In StobaeusThe description of sleep speaks of the relaxation of connected limbs while incoming matter is distributed into bodily structures.
- In this edition“Limb” is natural for the bodily context; avoid the unrelated musical rendering.
- A place to beginRelaxed limbs accompany the distribution of material through the sleeping body.
- English renderings
- limb; bodily member
Meaning
Melos can mean a bodily member as well as a musical phrase or song. The surrounding account determines which sense is active.
Use in the book
The description of sleep speaks of the relaxation of connected limbs while incoming matter is distributed into bodily structures. Bones, marrow, blood, sinews, veins, and eyes receive different elemental contributions in this ancient account. Sleep is therefore presented as involving internal bodily processes alongside outward relaxation.
Places to read
- I.41.8.5Relaxed limbs accompany the distribution of material through the sleeping body.
Translation in this edition
“Limb” is natural for the bodily context; avoid the unrelated musical rendering.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 291–292. The elemental assignments belong to the source’s physiology and are not descriptions of modern anatomy or metabolism.