316a

Post Reply
User avatar
Constantinus Philo
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1411
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:04 pm

316a

Post by Constantinus Philo »

ἔτι σμίκρ᾽ ἄττα διατρίψαντες καὶ ταῦτα διαθεασάμενοι
I do not quite understand it, and the Russian and the English translations are so different, Is it: still having made some little delays and having examined these matters;
or, as the Russian translation has it: after some delay and having looked around;
or, as Denhyer's commentary suggests, σμίκρ᾽ ἄττα refers to some philosophical issues, so it is the direct object of διατρίψαντες
Semper Fidelis

User avatar
jeidsath
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 5510
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:42 pm
Location: Γαλεήπολις, Οὐισκόνσιν

Re: 316a

Post by jeidsath »

The two aorist participles refer to the same temporal period (rather than consecutive periods) in relation to the finite verb, but not the same object, I think.

So before going in, they "yet spent a bit of time and looked over 'this'". He mentions having just indistinctly heard Prodikos speak in the previous paragraph, and I assume he means that they were comparing notes and getting his arguments straight.

Does Denhyer give examples of διατρίβω taking something equivalent to "philosophical issues" as a direct object? Absent that it seems like a weird suggestion.
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

User avatar
Constantinus Philo
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 1411
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 1:04 pm

Re: 316a

Post by Constantinus Philo »

yes he does in Symp 199b and Phlb20c
Semper Fidelis

User avatar
jeidsath
Textkit Zealot
Posts: 5510
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:42 pm
Location: Γαλεήπολις, Οὐισκόνσιν

Re: 316a

Post by jeidsath »

Symposium 199b is: σμίκρ’ ἄττα ἐρέσθαι
Phlb20c: Μίκρ’ ἄττα τοίνυν ἔμπροσθεν ἔτι διομολογησώμεθα

Those seem to justify σμίκρ᾽ ἄττα as "small matters", but it still can't be the object of διατρίψαντες.

Maybe if you took διατρίψαντες as intransitive:

<ὅτι> ἔτι σμίκρ᾽ ἄττα, διατρίψαντες καὶ ταῦτα διαθεασάμενοι
“One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato." "In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.”

Joel Eidsath -- jeidsath@gmail.com

Post Reply