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This man was a dithyrambic poet. "Lime-wood" means green - for the lime-tree [is] green; or light, as if to suggest that a dithyrambic poet creates worthless, light things; [1] and indeed this wood [is] light and delicate. But [Kinesias] was also lame and club-footed.

Φιλύρινος Κινησίας: οὗτος διθυραμβοποιὸς γέγονε. φιλύρινος δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ χλωρός: ἡ γὰρ φιλύρα χλωρόν: ἢ κοῦφος, ὡς ἂν διθυ- ραμβοποιὸς εὐτελῆ καὶ κοῦφα ποιῶν: καὶ γὰρ τὸ ξύλον τοῦτο κοῦφον καὶ ἐλαφρόν. ἦν δὲ καὶ χωλὸς καὶ κυλλός.

For Kinesias see Kappa 1639, Delta 1029 (cf. Alpha 2657, Alpha 2862, Delta 1178, Kappa 822, Lambda 272, Tau 693, Phi 397, Phi 459). The present headword-phrase comes from Aristophanes, Birds 1378, and the entry draws on the scholia there. Athenaeus 551D proffers a theory of (apparently) his own: that the emaciated K. wore a lime-wood corset. Dunbar p.667 reviews these and other explanations of the word. She also discusses the explanations that K. was lame and club-footed.
[1] The unfavourable interpretation here may reflect Platonist prejudices. See Plato Gorgias 501e-502a. [Web address 1]

Aristophanes, Birds, edited with introduction and commentary by Nan Dunbar (Oxford 1995).
Lawler, L.B. "'Limewood' Cinesias and the dithyrambic dance," TAPhA 81 (1950) 78-88.

Robert Dyer (Added to notes and added bibliography item.) on 19 November 2001@04:45:13.
David Whitehead (added keyword; cosmetics) on 17 September 2002@09:55:23.
Tony Natoli (Added note, web address and keyword.) on 11 June 2004@23:24:19.

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