φαίνϵται: Third person, singular, present, middle, indicative of φαίνω (S. 383). Main verb of the indirect question (S. 2173). The mood and tense of the direct question are retained after a potential optative (πυθοίμην) (S. 2677).
τοῦτο: Nominative subject of φαίνϵται (S. 927, 938). Here the neuter pronoun points ahead to the indirect questions πότϵρον … ἐξαγγέλλϵις (S. 1247).
ἐπϵιδὴ … ποιηταί: Causal clause introduced by the causal conjunction ἐπϵιδή (S. 2240).
ἐνταῦθα … τῆς ἡλικίας: The adverb of time ἐνταῦθα is here used with the genitive and means “at this” (L.S. ἐνταῦθα III) (S. 1439.b).
ἤδη: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
ϵἶ: Second person, singular, present, indicative of ϵἰμί (S. 768). Main verb of the causal clause (S. 2173). The subject σύ is not expressed but implied in the verb; the nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190). This is the only form of the present tense of ϵἰμί that is not an enclitic (S. 181.c).
ὃ … ποιηταί: Relative clause (S. 2488-2573).
ὃ … ϵἶναι: Accusative/infinitive construction in indirect discourse after φασὶν (S. 2016). ὃ: Singular, neuter, accusative relative pronoun; the neuter does not agree with its antecedent (τῆς ἡλικίας) but is in agreement with the notion implied in the antecedent meaning “a thing which” (S. 2502.d). Accusative subject of the infinitive (S. 1972). ϵἶναι: Present infinitive of ϵἰμί (S. 768). Main verb of the indirect discourse; the infinitive represents a finite verbafter verbs of saying and thinking; each tense of direct discourse is retained (with its proper meaning as regards stage of action) when it becomes infinitive in indirect discourse (S. 2019, 2022).
δὴ: The postpositive particle, when following a relative pronoun, stresses the importance of the antecedent or its exact identification with the consequent (S. 2843) (D. δή, pg. 218).
ἐπὶ γήραος οὐδῷ: Prepositional phrase; ἐπί with the dative here means “upon, at, near” (S. 1689.2.a). The prepositional phrase stands in the predicate position after ϵἶναι (S. 917-18). γήραος: Partitive genitive with οὐδῷ without the article; the partitive genitive stands before or after the word denoting the part (S. 1126, 1306-07). οὐδῷ: The article is often omitted in phrases containing prepositions (S. 1128).
φασὶν: Third person, plural, present, indicative of φημί (S. 783). Main verb of the relative clause (S. 2173). The enclitic retains its accent after the improper diphthong ῷ (= ωι) (S. 5, 183.d). The moveable -ν is added to words ending in -σι when the next word begins with a vowel (S. 134).
οἱ ποιηταί: Nominative subject of φασὶν (S. 927, 938).
πότϵρον … ἢ … ἐξαγγέλλϵις: Indirect alternative questions in apposition to τοῦτο (S. 994).
πότϵρον … ἢ: The interrogative adverb and conjunction introduce the coordinate indirect questions (S. 2675).
χαλϵπὸν {(ἐστί ἐκϵῖο) = (χαλϵπόν ἐστιν ἐκϵῖο)}: Singular, neuter, nominative predicate adjective modifying ἐκϵῖο (“this”), the supplied subject of the supplied verb ἐστιν (S. 910). ἐστιν ἐκϵῖο: Supply ἐστιν as the main verb of the (first) simple coordinate clause: πότϵρον … βίου and ἐκϵῖο (the antecedent is τοῦτο) as its subject (S. 944, 948).
τοῦ βίου: Partitive genitive; here the noun of which this is a part is implied (“part”, “time”, etc.)
πῶς: Indirect interrogative adverb (S. 346, 1094).
σὺ: Singular, nominative personal pronoun of σύ (S. 325). Nominative subject of ἐξαγγέλλϵις (S. 927, 938). The nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190).
αὐτὸ: Singular, neuter, accusative demonstrative pronoun used substantively (S. 1238). The antecedent is the thought expressed above on the difficulties of old age (S. 1247). Accusative direct object of ἐξαγγέλλϵις (S. 1554).
ἐξαγγέλλϵις: Second person, singular, present, active, indicative of ἐξαγγέλλω (S. 383). Main verb of the (second) simple coordinate clause: πῶς … ἐξαγγέλλϵις (S. 2162). The mood and tense of the direct question are retained after a potential optative (πυθοίμην) (S. 2677).
III. ᾿Εγώ σοι, ἔφη, νὴ τὸν Δία ἐρῶ, ὦ Σώκρατϵς, οἷόν γέ μοι φαίνϵται. πολλάκις γὰρ συνϵρχόμϵθά τινϵς ϵἰς ταὐτὸ παραπλησίαν ἡλικίαν ἔχοντϵς, διασώζοντϵς τὴν παλαιὰν παροιμίαν. (328.e-329.a)
| αὑτός, αὑτή, ταὐτό: the very one, the same.γάρ: for.γϵ: ever, at least, at any rate.διασώζω: to preserve, maintain, keep in mind.ἐγώ, ἐμοῦ: I, of me.ϵἴρω: I will tell, proclaim.ϵἰς (+ acc.): for, to seek.ἔχω: to be, have.Ζϵύς, Διός, ὁ: Zeus.ἡλικία, -ίας, ἡ: time of life, age.νή: yea, by.οἷον how? | παλαιός, -ά, -όν: of old date, ancient.παραπλήσιος, -α, -ον, and -ος, -ον: about equal, nearly equal.παροιμία, -ίας, ἡ: proverb, maxim, saw.πολλάκις: many times, often.σύ, σοῦ: you, of you.συνέρχομαι: to come together, assemble, meet.Σωκράτης, -ους, ὁ: Socrates.τις, τι: some.φαίνομαι: to appear to be.φημί: to say.ὦ: O. |
᾿Εγώ: Singular, nominative of the personal pronoun ἐγώ (S. 325). Nominative subject of ἐρῶ (S. 927, 938). The nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190). The oxytone, followed by an enclitic, retains its accent and does not change from the acute to grave (S. 154.a).
σοι: Singular, dative, enclitic form of the personal pronoun σύ (S. 325). Dative indirect object of ἐρῶ (S. 1471). The enclitic pronoun loses its accent after the oxytone ᾿Εγώ (S. 183.a).
ἔφη: Third person, singular, imperfect, indicative of φημί (S. 783). The verb introduces the oratio recta (S. 2590). The subject ἐκϵῖνος (the antecedent is Κέφαλος) is not expressed but implied in the verb (S. 931).
νὴ τὸν Δία: The accusative τὸν Δία is used in asseverations with the adverb of swearing νή (S. 1596.b, 2894, 2923). τὸν: Names of deities omit the article except where emphatic (S. 1137). For the article with Δία see also 334.B. Δία: This is an irregular substantive; Ζϵύς is from Διϵυς (S. 285.12).
ἐρῶ: First person, singular, future, active, indicative of ϵἴρω (S. Appendix, list of verbs). Main verb of the complex sentence (S. 2173).
ὦ Σώκρατϵς: Vocative; the vocative forms an incomplete sentence (S. 1283). ὦ: The exclamation is used with the vocative (S. 1284). Σώκρατϵς: The noun Σωκράτης uses the pure