A Sunday Trimeter (Greek)

[Didymus]

Some people do the Times crossword puzzle on Sundays, others write Greek tragic trimeters. (And at least one aspires to do both!)

In honor of annis's posting of the link to Sidgwick's Introduction to Greek Verse Composition, here is my draft rendering of exercise XLVIII from the same. The passage is from Shakespeare's Henry VI:

Richard:
I cannot joy, until I be resolved
Where our right valiant father is become.
I saw him in the battle range about;
And watch'd him how he singled Clifford forth.
Methought he bore him in the thickest troop
As doth a lion in a herd of neat;
Or as a bear, encompass'd round with dogs,
Who having pinch'd a few and made them cry,
The rest stand all aloof, and bark at him.
So fared our father with his enemies;
So fled his enemies my warlike father:
Methinks, 'tis prize enough to be his son.
See how the morning opes her golden gates,
And takes her farewell of the glorious sun!
How well resembles it the prime of youth,
Trimm'd like a younker prancing to his love!

οá½￾κ οἶδα χαίÏ￾ειν εá½￾τυχὴς Ï€Ï￾ὶν ἂν μάθω
φύσαντ’ ὅπου νῦν á¼￾στὶν ἀλκιμώτατος.
φοιτῶντα γὰÏ￾ τότ’ αá½￾τὸν εἶδον á¼￾ν μάχηι
κἀς χεῖÏ￾ας á¼￾λθόντ’ Ἀινέαι μόνον μόνωι·
ἔδοξέ μοι τολμᾶν νιν á¼￾ν μέσωι στÏ￾ατῶι
ὥσπεÏ￾ λέων στὰς ὠμὸς á¼￾ν νομῆι βοῶν,
εἴθ’ ὥσπεÏ￾ ἄÏ￾κτος τοῖς κυσὶν κυκλούμενος,
á¼￾ξ ὧν τινὰς μὲν á¼￾σπάÏ￾αξεν ἀγÏ￾ίοις
γνάθοισιν ὥστ’ ἄλγει γε κνυζεῖσθαι μέγα,
ἄλλοι δὲ πάντες νῦν ὑλακτοῦσιν Ï€Ï￾όσω·
οὕτως μετ’ á¼￾χθÏ￾ῶν á¼￾σθλὸς ἔπÏ￾αξεν πατήÏ￾.
ὡς οὖν ἔφευγον πατÏ￾ὸς ἀνδÏ￾είου βίαν!
ὢν δ’ υἷος αá½￾τοῦ, ποῖον αἰτήσω πλέον;
ἴδ’ ὡς ἔλυσεν νῦν á¼￾ως χÏ￾υσᾶς πυλάς
λαμπÏ￾όν τ’ ἀφῆκεν ἥλιον· καὶ δὴ νέωι
ἔοικε γαμβÏ￾ῶι κἀν ἀκμῆι κούφωι ποδί!

Corrections and improvements are welcome and encouraged!

EDIT: Corrected two minor errors in notebook-to-computer transcription.

[Didymus]

Today I showed a copy of these verses to a Greek professor (along with the recent Latin elegiacs that I posted). I nervously await whether he has any comments. (He's a busy man, so he may not.)

[annis]

I nervously await whether he has any comments. (He's a busy man, so he may not.)

I would love to hear of any comments he had, if you're willing to air these in public. Of all the work with Greek I do, composition is the one I worry most about undertaking without expert guidance.

[Didymus]

I nervously await whether he has any comments. (He's a busy man, so he may not.)

I would love to hear of any comments he had, if you're willing to air these in public. Of all the work with Greek I do, composition is the one I worry most about undertaking without expert guidance.

No word yet, but I'll certainly post whatever I hear.