Πῶς γὰρ οὔ: The phrase answers “yes” in the form of a question (S. 2680.d). Πῶς: Interrogative adverb of manner (S. 346, 1094). γὰρ: The post-positive particle marks assent in answers (S. 2806). οὔ: The simple negative particle οὐ is the negative of fact and statement (S. 2688). The proclitic takes an acute accent at the end of a sentence (S. 180.a). An acute, when not immediately followed by another word, does not change to a grave (S. 154).
῝Η τοίνυν τούτων, ἔφη, κρϵίττους γένϵσθϵ ἢ μένϵτ´αὐτοῦ. (327.c)
| αὐτοῦ: here, right here.γίγνομαι: to become, be, prove to be.ἢ …, ἤ: either …, or ….κρϵίττων, -ον: stronger, mightier, more powerful. | μένω: to stay, tarry, remain.οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο: this man, woman, or thing.τοίνυν: therefore, accordingly.φημί: to say. |
῝Η … ἢ: The repeated disjunctive conjunction connects the two coordinate clauses (S. 2163.C, 2856).
τοίνυν: The postpositive particle is here inferential, meaning “therefore, accordingly” (S. 2987).
τούτων: Plural, masculine, genitive demonstrative pronoun used substantively; the antecedent is the other men with Polemarchus referred to above (S. 1238). Genitive of comparison with κρϵίττους (S. 1431).
ἔφη: Third person, singular, imperfect, indicative of φημί (S. 783). The verb introduces the oratio recta (S. 2590). The subject ἐκϵῖνος (the antecedent is ὁ Πολέμαρχος) is not expressed but implied in the verb (S. 931).
κρϵίττους: Plural, masculine, nominative predicate irregular comparative adjective modifying ὑμϵῖς, the supplied subject of γένϵσθϵ, after γένϵσθϵ (S. 1040). A predicate adjective stands in the same case as the subject when coupled to it by a copulative verb (S. 918.d, 1040). Attic has -ττ- for -σσ- of Ionic and most other dialects (S. 78).
γένϵσθϵ: Second person, plural, aorist, deponent, imperative of γίγνομαι (S. 383). Main verb of the (first) simple coordinate clause: ῝Η … γένϵσθϵ (S. 2162). The aorist tense of the imperative denotes simple occurrence (S. 1864.b). The subject ὑμϵῖς is not expressed but implied in the verb; the nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190).
μένϵτ´: Second person, plural, present, active, imperative of μένω (S. 383). Main verb of the (second) simple coordinate clause: μένϵτ´αὐτοῦ (S. 2162). The present tense of the imperative denotes continued action (S. 1864.a). The subject ὑμϵῖς is not expressed but implied in the verb; the nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190). An elision of μένϵτϵ (S. 70).
αὐτοῦ: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
Οὐκοῦν, ἦν δ´ἐγώ, ἔτι ἐλλϵίπϵται τὸ ἢν πϵίσωμϵν ὑμᾶς, ὡς χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἀφϵῖναι; (327.c)
| ἀφίημι: to let go, loose, set free.δέ: and.ἐγώ, ἐμοῦ: I, of me.ἐλλϵίπομαι: to be left out, left unasked.ἔτι: yet, still.ἡμϵῖς, ἡμῶν: we, of us.ἠμί: to say. | ἤν: whether.οὐκοῦν: not therefore? not then?πϵίθω: to convince, persuade.τό: the (question, phrase, idea, or notion).ὑμϵῖς, ὑμῶν: you (all), of you (all).χρή: it is necessary.ὡς: that. |
Οὐκοῦν: Interrogative particle; here the stress lies on the inferential οὖν and an affirmative answer is expected as a matter of course. The particle stands at the beginning of its clause (S. 2951).
ἦν δ´ ἐγώ: This phrase introduces the oratio recta (S. 2590). ἦν: First person, singular, imperfect, indicative of ἠμί (S. 792). Main verb of the introductory phrase (S. 903). The irregular verb only occurs in the present and imperfect 1st and 3d singular (= Latin inquam, inquit) (S. 792). δ´: Postpositive conjunction connecting this sentence with the previous one; the copulative δέ marks transition, and is the ordinary particle used in connecting successive clauses or sentences which add something new or different, but not opposed, to what precedes, and are not joined by other particles, such as γάρ or οὖν (S. 2835-2836). “As a connective, δέ denotes either pure connection ‘and’, or contrast, ‘but’, with all that lies between” (D. δέ, pg. 162). An elision of δὲ (S. 70). ἐγώ: Singular, nominative of the personal pronoun ἐγώ (S. 325). Nominative subject (S. 927, 938). The personal pronoun is usually omitted unless emphatic (here changing subjects) (S. 1190). An acute, when not immediately followed by another word, does not change to a grave (S. 154).
ἔτι: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
ἐλλϵίπϵται: Third person, singular, present, deponent, indicative of ἐλλϵίπομαι (S. 383). Main verb of the complex sentence (S. 2173).
τὸ … ἀφϵῖναι: Nominative subject of ἐλλϵίπϵται (S. 927, 938).
τὸ: Singular, neuter, nominative definite article used substantively (S. 332). The neuter article makes a substantive of the following conditional statement and means “the question, phrase, idea, or notion” (S. 1153.g) (L.S. ὁ B.5).
ἢν πϵίσωμϵν ὑμᾶς ὡς χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἀφϵῖναι: A future, more vivid conditional statement; the protasis is formed by the conjunction ἢν with the subjunctive and the apodosis by the future indicative or equivalent (S. 2323). Here, the dependent clause ὡς … ἀφϵῖναι takes the place of the apodosis (S. 2350). Modern English substitutes the present for the more exact future in ordinary future conditions of this class; and often uses shall in the protasis with an emotional force (S. 2324).
ἢν … ἀφϵῖναι: The protasis of the conditional statement (S. 2282).
ἢν: ἢν, an older form of ἐάν, is a combination of ϵἱ + ἄν and introduces the protasis of the conditional statement (S. 2283.a). Conditional clauses requiring the subjunctive must have ἄν, which is more closely attached to the conditional word than it is to the subjunctive (S. 1768).
πϵίσωμϵν: First person, plural, aorist, active, subjunctive of πϵίθω (S. 383). Main verb of the protasis (S. 2173). The aorist tense of the subjunctive denotes simple occurrence (S. 1860).
ὑμᾶς: Plural, accusative personal pronoun of ὑμϵῖς (S. 325). Accusative direct object of πϵίσωμϵν (S. 1554).
ὡς χρὴ ἡμᾶς ἀφϵῖναι: A dependent statement after πϵίσωμϵν (S. 2577). The idea contained in the dependent clause is identical with the idea that would be expressed by the apodosis if there were one: “then it would be necessary to free us”; when the dependent clause expresses the same idea as the apodosis, the apodosis may be omitted (S. 2352.e).
ὡς: Conjunction introducing the dependent clause (S. 3000).
χρὴ {(ἐστί) = (χρή ἐστιν)}: The main verb of the dependent statement (S. 2173). An indeclinable substantive meaning “necessity” with the verb understood; in the present indicative ἐστί is to be supplied to form a quasi-impersonal verb meaning “it is necessary …” (S. 793, 933). The following infinitive functions as the subject