Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

This board is a composition workshop, like a writers' workshop: post your work with questions about style or vocabulary, comment on other people's work, post composition challenges on some topic or form, or just dazzle us with your inventive use of galliambics.
Post Reply
GreekN00b
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 8:11 pm

Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by GreekN00b »

Hey everyone,

I've taught myself basic Greek online, but am not too confident in my ability. I'm trying to say "Loyalty above all else" in ancient Greek - but I'm not sure if I've translated it correctly.

Here's what I have thus far: πίστη πριν από όλο άλλο
Is that correct?

Also, can someone give me a pronunciation key? I tried to do it myself, but...it came out pretty ugly...

NateD26
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 789
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:14 am
Contact:

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by NateD26 »

I don't know what you meant by πρὶν ἀπὸ. I know that πρίν is usually followed by a temporal clause
rather than being used in this manner, as a preposition, though I may be wrong.
and ἀπό needs gen. but doesn't have the meaning of above.

There isn't πίστη, but there's πιστή, though it's the adj., meaning loyal, trustworthy (female).

ὅλον is the neut. form.

I remember in Plato, and according to LSJ it's common in Herodotus and Attic Prose
περὶ πλείστου means above all, to denote value, which seems to be your intended meaning.

now all that's left is to find the right word for loyalty.

EDIT: ἡ πίστις, can mean loyalty.
also τὰ ἄλλα, neut. pl. substantive of ἄλλος, means all else.

so maybe πίστις περὶ πλείστου or πίστις περὶ τῶν ἄλλων.
[changed to neuter. gen. pl. in the 2nd option. sorry for not catching it sooner.]
Nate.

GreekN00b
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 8:11 pm

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by GreekN00b »

πίστις περὶ πλείστου or πίστις περὶ τῶν ἄλλων.
Hmm, so the first is "Loyalty above all" and the second is "Loyalty above all else"

So, why does τὰ ἄλλα change to τῶν ἄλλων?

GreekN00b
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Apr 04, 2010 8:11 pm

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by GreekN00b »

I already posted this, but my reply never showed up...
πίστις περὶ πλείστου or πίστις περὶ τῶν ἄλλων.

So, the difference between the two is that the first is "Loyalty above all" and the second is "loyalty above all else," right?

NateD26
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 789
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:14 am
Contact:

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by NateD26 »

GreekN00b wrote:So, why does τὰ ἄλλα change to τῶν ἄλλων?
Because it's the plural neuter substantive which has this meaning and after the preposition περί it'll be in the genitive plural.
GreekN00b wrote:I already posted this, but my reply never showed up...
πίστις περὶ πλείστου or πίστις περὶ τῶν ἄλλων.

So, the difference between the two is that the first is "Loyalty above all" and the second is "loyalty above all else," right?
Yes.
Nate.

AhmedGhanam
Textkit Neophyte
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:30 pm

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by AhmedGhanam »

I need some help too in Ancient Greek Translation

can anybody translate this for me ?

καιπερ λυθεντεσ τοισ θεοισ ουκ εθυσαμεν,

Thank you.

Pros
Textkit Member
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:43 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Need Help With Ancient Greek Translation

Post by Pros »

καιπερ λυθεντεσ τοισ θεοισ ουκ εθυσαμεν

Someone correct me if I err. My translation of this is....Although having been set free we did not sacrifice to the gods.

Post Reply