Translation to Attic Greek

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OI_Paul_1
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Translation to Attic Greek

Post by OI_Paul_1 »

Translating:

The dangers seemed so great that many of my friends returned each to his own home.

I have:

οἱ κίνδῡνοι τοσοῦτοι ἐδοκὸν ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φιλῶν ἔκαστοι ἐς τὸν ἑαυτὸν οἶκον ἐπανῆλθον.

I would appreciate an explanation of the errors.

Qimmik
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by Qimmik »

ἐδοκὸν should be ἐδόκουν. δοκέω is a contract verb (and in any event the accent would be recessive).

ὅτι -- this is a result clause. It should be introduced by ὥστε, not ὅτι. (ὡς is also a possibility, but less common.)

ἑαυτοῦ , ῆς, οῦ, etc. are pronouns, not adjectives. You need to use the genitive plural ἑαυτῶν. Also, put οἶκον in the plural and you can omit ἔκαστοι. ἐς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν οἴκους

οἱ κίνδῡνοι τοσοῦτοι ἐδόκουν ὥστε πολλοὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φιλῶν ἐς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν οἴκους ἐπανῆλθον.

Qimmik
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by Qimmik »

I think you might write πολλοὶ ἐμοὶ φιλοὶ or πολλοὶ ἐμοῦ φιλοὶ instead of the partitive construction πολλοὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φιλῶν but I can't confirm this.

This may be the best rendering: οἱ κίνδῡνοι τοσοῦτοι ἐδόκουν ὥστε πολλοὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φιλῶν ἔκαστος ἐς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον ἐπανῆλθον.

Smyth secs. 950-952

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ythp%3D950

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ythp%3D951

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... ythp%3D952

Markos
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by Markos »

If your Attic writer were more elliptical, the thought might be captured by something like:

οἴκαδε δὴ οἴχονται πόλλοὶ φίλοι ὡς κινδυνεύοντες.

ὡς plus the participle meaning "on the grounds that, as if, they were in danger."

Qimmik
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by Qimmik »

Liddell & Scott, ἕκαστος, cites this from Iliad 1.106:

ἔβαν οἶκόνδε ἕκαστος they went home each to his own house

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/mor ... ek#lexicon

You could write: οἱ κίνδῡνοι τοσοῦτοι ἐδόκουν ὥστε πολλοὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φιλῶν οἶκόνδε ἕκαστος ἐπανῆλθον.

Qimmik
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by Qimmik »

οἶκόνδε is Homeric.

It should be οἴκαδε in Attic.

NateD26
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Re: Translation to Attic Greek

Post by NateD26 »

I remember Sidwick's note in his intro to Greek composition regarding
the usage of verbs where we might expect a noun in English.

So you could express something as seemingly ambiguous and not outright pertaining
to these particular people as "the dangers were so great" with "they were in such a dire peril...",
and it appears κινδυνεύω by itself was used with such a meaning in Thuc. 3.28, 6.33 and so on (LSJ A.b).
You could intensify it with οὕτω if it strikes your fancy.

I would also look at the second part of the sentence as a kind of exercise with result/final
clauses. Were they in such a great peril as to potentially (ὥστε + inf.) run to their houses with their tails
between their legs or did they actually go to their respective houses (ὥστε + ind.)?
Nate.

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