Help - translation of one sentence

Greek Learning Greek
1

Hello, all,

I just began to learn ancient Greek by myself last year. There is a sentence of a reading exercise from Menander, Monostichoi, which I don’t understand…

λύπης ἰατρός ἐστιν ἀνθρώποις λόγος
(Word is the doctor of pain to the people. Does it make sense?)

Thanks,
FangYi

2

Talk therapy is the doctor of pain for humanity.

That’s anachronistic, to be sure, but I think that may convey what he’s driving at. Talking through your grief is therapeutic.

3

Words being therapeutic was something of a commonplace for the Greeks. You can find more information here for a start: https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/16568/5_ch.1.pdf?sequence=5