By way of introduction a few words are said on simile in general, the division of Homeric similes into three classes and what purpose their use is believed to serve. On simile II.8. 306-8 the ancient scholia do not mention anything notable, whereas Eustathius' Parekv. II.2. 584.19 sq. Valk refer only to external characteristics of the simile. The point which connects the two pictures is the bent of the warrior' s head and the blossom of the poppy, i.e. the downfall which ultimately implies death. In the case of the plant the presence of the fruit is the most decisive factor for the understanding of the simile. The bent of the warrior' s head and that of the poppy is as it seems the crucial point and that was immortalized by the artist on the "prochous" of Phylakopi. The essence of the simile is the contradiction between the quiet, mature death of an undistinguished plant and the violent, premature death of a young man in action.
Σχολιάζεται μία παρομοίωση του Ομήρου όπου ο θάνατος του Γοργυθίωνα από το βέλος του Τεύκρου παραλληλίζεται με τον τρόπο που γέρνει η παπαρούνα το άνθος της μετά από βροχή.
