Iliad line 5, pa^si or dai^ta?

[Eureka]

Pharr says [face=SPIonic]dai=ta[/face], but I know that at least some books say [face=SPIonic]pa~si[/face].

Pharr also said that the Iliad segments in his book haven’t been altered, so I presume both words are acceptable.


Is this sort of thing common in Greek verse?

[annis]

Is this sort of thing common in Greek verse?

Oh, yes. In a full critical text there would be zillions of notes in a very teeny font listing the major variants and where they occur.

[Eureka]

So is that identical accent-placement a coincidence, or a vital factor?

[annis]

So is that identical accent-placement a coincidence, or a vital factor?

The accent placement is coincidence, but what the circumflex shows - that the vowel is long - is the deciding matter. The choices scan identically. Only in very much later Greek poetry does accent placement become a consideration.