Help with translation

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Big John
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Help with translation

Post by Big John »

ὁι πάλαι σοφοὶ οὐκ αποθνήσκουσιν ἀλλὰ παιδευσιν ἀεί


First of all, did the above go through and, if so, does the translation read:


The wise ones of long ago have not died but they always teach.


I should say that I am using a book called Ancient Greek: A New Approach
by Carl A.P. Ruck. The book has no answer key and no attribution is given for the above sentence, though it occurs in a chapter dealing with verbal sentences. This is the second chapter with the first being on nominal sentences.

whiteoctave
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Post by whiteoctave »

that's pretty much correct, yes. the perfect need not be introduced in the former verb:

the wise men of yore die not but teach for evermore.

~D

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Re: Help with translation

Post by PeterD »

Big John wrote:I should say that I am using a book called Ancient Greek: A New Approach
by Carl A.P. Ruck.
Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.

PeterD
Fanatical ranting is not just fine because it's eloquent. What if I ranted for the extermination of a people in an eloquent manner, would that make it fine? Rather, ranting, be it fanatical or otherwise, is fine if what is said is true and just. ---PeterD, in reply to IreneY and Annis

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Big John
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Thanx pal!

Post by Big John »

Thank you for your response:I was dying to know how I did. I am really glad about what you said about not needing to use the perfect in the former verb. I had plenty of reservations about employing it as my author is nowhere near going over the perfect, but I had been mulling over what the most correct translation most probably was for so long that I finally said to myself, "Heck, I had better just write something that sounds right before I go bananas."

I hope that I do not lack imagination, but because the author glossed the last word ἀεί as "always" and πάλαι as "of long ago" I just could not understand how much leeway I had to translate the sentence. Yours seems the perfect translation. I guess I need to not be so literal about some things and more creative with others. I knew my translation seemed stilted but I could not figure out what to do about it.
Thanks again,
Big John


whiteoctave wrote:that's pretty much correct, yes. the perfect need not be introduced in the former verb:

the wise men of yore die not but teach for evermore.

~D
[face=Arial][/face][face=Arial][/face]

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Big John
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Re: Help with translation

Post by Big John »

PeterD wrote:
Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.


Peter, thanks for the good review of my primary text. I will indeed consider getting one of the textbooks at Textkit. This is a great site and thanks again for your response.
Take care,
Big John

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Post by Skylax »

Hi, there !

(I'd like to apologize for seeming maybe abrupt, but I am no native English speaker, so...)

"They teach" : I think it should be παιδεύουσιν, from παιδεύω, just like λύουσι from λύω (and ἀκούουσι fromἀκούω. παίδευσιν would be the substantive παίδευσις, "process or system of education" in the accusative.

χαῖρε[/i]

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Post by whiteoctave »

clearly that is true, though I am sure a typographical error is more likely here than the introduction of a relatively rare deverbal noun in the accusative without a stated transitive verb governing it. that would, of course, be nonsense.

~D

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Big John
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oops ...

Post by Big John »

Let's see if I can type it correctly this time: παιδεύουσιν



Skylax wrote:Hi, there !

(I'd like to apologize for seeming maybe abrupt, but I am no native English speaker, so...)

"They teach" : I think it should be παιδεύουσιν, from παιδεύω, just like λύουσι from λύω (and ἀκούουσι fromἀκούω. παίδευσιν would be the substantive παίδευσις, "process or system of education" in the accusative.

χαῖρε[/i]

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