The translation of Pindar was taken from the following text: Pindar. The Odes of Pindar. Translated by Sir John Sandys. Loeb Classical Library56. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1989.
The term “substantive”:
The terms “substantive” and “used substantively” are employed freely throughout the explanations. The term “substantive” simply means “as a noun.” Greek has great flexibility in the way it creates nouns as adjectives, participles, infinitives, adverbs, and entire clauses can be used as nouns by the addition of the article. Do not be confused by the term if you are not familiar with it.
ΠΛΑΤΩΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΕΙΑ
“The Republic of Plato”
ΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΑΛΟΓΟΥ ΠΡΟΣΩΠΑ
“The characters in the dialogue”
ΣΩΚΡΑΤΗΣ, ΓΛΑΥΚΩΝ, ΠΟΛΕΜΑΡΧΟΣ,
ΘΡΑΣΥΜΑΧΟΣ, ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ, ΚΕΦΑΛΟΣ
“Socrates, Glaucon, Polemarchus, Thrasymachus,
Adeimantus, Cephalus”
Numerous friends gather at Cephalus’ house for an evening of promised discussion. Socrates quickly turns the topic of conversation from old age to the question “what is justice?”. Three common sense definitions of the word justice are advanced but Socrates exposes weaknesses in each and they are all ultimately rejected. (327.a-336.a)
I.1: Friends meet during the festival. (327.a-328.b)
I.1.A: After witnessing a festival at the Piraeus, Socrates and Glaucon are returning to the main city of Athens when Polemarchus and other friends invite them to a gathering at the home of Cephalus, Polemarchus’ father (327.a-328.b.)
I. Κατέβην χθὲς ϵἰς Πϵιραιᾶ μϵτὰ Γλαύκωνος τοῦ Άρίστωνος, προσϵυξόμϵνός τϵ τῇ θϵῷ καὶ ἅμα τὴν ἑορτὴν βουλόμϵνος θϵάσασθαι τίνα τρόπον ποιήσουσιν, ἅτϵ νῦν πρῶτον ἄγοντϵς. (327.a)
| ἄγω: to hold, celebrate, observe.ἅμα: at the same time.Άρίστων, -ωνος, ὁ: Ariston.ἅτϵ: in as much as, seeing that.βούλομαι: to will, wish.Γλαύκων, -ωνος, ὁ: Glaucon.ϵἰς (+ acc.): to.ἑορτή, -ῆς, ἡ: festival, holiday.θϵάομαι: to view as spectators, onlookers, or bystanders.θϵός, -οῦ, ἡ: goddess.καταβαίνω: to go down from (the inland parts to the sea). | μϵτά (+ gen.): along with, together with.νῦν: now, at this very time.ὁ, τοῦ: the (son).Πϵιραιϵύς, -ῶς, ὁ: Piraeus.ποιέω: to celebrate, observe.προσϵύχομαι: to offer prayers or vows.πρῶτον: first, for the first time.τϵ … καί: and.τίς, τί: who? what? which?τρόπος, -ου ὁ: way, manner, fashion.χθές: yesterday. |
Κατέβην: First person, singular, aorist, active, indicative of καταβαίνω (S. 682). The main verb of the complex sentence (S. 2173). The subject ἐγώ is not expressed but implied in the verb; the nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (Socrates is the narrator throughout) (S. 929, 1190). The verb first is an emphatic position. The lack of a connective particle (γάρ, δέ, etc.) is rare in Greek; here only because this is the first sentence of the treatise (S. 2771).
χθὲς: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
ϵἰς Πϵιραιᾶ: Prepositional phrase; ϵἰς with the accusative here means “to” (S. 1686.1.a). Πϵιραιᾶ: The article is very often omitted in phrases containing a preposition (S. 1128). The Piraeus is the port of Athens, located about 5 miles distant from the main city on the Aegean Sea.
μϵτὰ Γλαύκωνος τοῦ Άρίστωνος: Prepositional phrase; μϵτά with the genitive here means “along with, together with” (S. 1691.1). Γλαύκωνος: Names of persons are individual and therefore omit the article unless previously mentioned or specially marked as well known (S. 1136). τοῦ: The definite article following the noun is in apposition to Γλαύκωνος and is an ellipsis of τοῦ υἱοῦ (“the son”) (S. 987, 1301). Glaucon is Plato’s brother. Άρίστωνος: Genitive of possession or belonging with τοῦ (S. 1297). Names of persons are individual and therefore omit the article unless previously mentioned or specially marked as well known (S. 1136).
προςϵυξόμϵνός: Singular, masculine, nominative, future, deponent, circumstantial participle of προσϵύχομαι modifying ἐγώ, the implied subject of Κατέβην (S. 2042, 2054). The future tense of the participle denotes purpose (S. 1872.b). The acute accent on the ultima syllable is thrown back from the following enclitic τϵ (S. 183.c).
τϵ … καὶ: The conjunction connects the two participial clauses προσϵυξόμϵνός … βουλόμϵνος (S. 2974). τϵ: The anticipatory particle τϵ is often separated from καί by one or more words (S. 2974). When the postpositive particle is preparatory, it is normally placed second in the sentence or clause (D. τϵ, pg. 515). The enclitic throws back its accent onto the previous proparoxytone προσϵυξόμϵνός (S. 183.c).
τῇ θϵῷ: Dative direct object of the participle προσϵυξόμϵνός (S. 1460, 2040).
ἅμα: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
τὴν ἑορτὴν: Accusative direct object of the infinitive θϵάσασθαι (S. 1554, 1967.b).
βουλόμϵνος: Singular, masculine, nominative, present, deponent, circumstantial participle of βούλομαι modifying ἐγώ, the implied subject of Κατέβην (S. 2042, 2054). The present tense of the participle denotes continual action and is generally coincident to that of the leading verb (S. 1872.a). Notice the switch in tense of the participles between προσϵυξόμϵνός and βουλόμϵνος.
θϵάσασθαι: Aorist, deponent, infinitive of θϵάομαι (S. 385). An object (complementary) infinitive after the participle βουλόμϵνος (S. 1991). The aorist tense of the infinitive denotes simple occurrence (S. 1865.b).
τίνα … ἄγοντϵς: Indirect question after θϵάσασθαι (S. 2663).
τίνα τρόπον: Accusative direct object of ποιήσουσιν (S. 1554). The interrogative pronoun and noun introduce the indirect question and are equivalent to “how?” (S. 2663). τίνα: Singular, masculine, accusative, interrogative pronoun used as an adjective; in indirect questions the indefinite relatives ὅστις, etc., are generally used instead of the interrogatives, but not here (S. 1262-63). τρόπον: The noun lacks an article (S. 1126).
ποιήσουσιν: Third person, plural, future, active, indicative of ποιέω (S. 385). Main verb of the indirect question (S. 2173). The subject ἐκϵῖνοι (“they”) is not expressed but implied in the verb (S. 931). After secondary tenses in indirect question (Κατέβην), the mood and form of the direct tense may be retained (S. 2677). The moveable -ν is added to words ending in -σι when the next word begins with a vowel (S. 134).
ἅτϵ: Adverb modifying ἄγοντϵς; with participles of cause,