ὁι πάλαι σοφοὶ οὐκ αποθνήσκουσιν ἀλλὰ παιδευσιν ἀεί
First of all, did the above go through and, if so, does the translation read:
The wise ones of long ago have not died but they always teach.
I should say that I am using a book called Ancient Greek: A New Approach
by Carl A.P. Ruck. The book has no answer key and no attribution is given for the above sentence, though it occurs in a chapter dealing with verbal sentences. This is the second chapter with the first being on nominal sentences.
that’s pretty much correct, yes. the perfect need not be introduced in the former verb:
the wise men of yore die not but teach for evermore.
~D
Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.
PeterD
Thank you for your response:I was dying to know how I did. I am really glad about what you said about not needing to use the perfect in the former verb. I had plenty of reservations about employing it as my author is nowhere near going over the perfect, but I had been mulling over what the most correct translation most probably was for so long that I finally said to myself, “Heck, I had better just write something that sounds right before I go bananas.”
I hope that I do not lack imagination, but because the author glossed the last word ἀεί as “always” and πάλαι as “of long ago” I just could not understand how much leeway I had to translate the sentence. Yours seems the perfect translation. I guess I need to not be so literal about some things and more creative with others. I knew my translation seemed stilted but I could not figure out what to do about it.
Thanks again,
Big John
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PeterD wrote:
Except for the lack of answers to the exercises, it is an excellent text, Big John. Ruck has you thinking like a Greek in no time. But, if I may, it would be wise to supplement it with a more traditional grammar book, perhaps with one of the fine, online texts right here on textkit.
Peter, thanks for the good review of my primary text. I will indeed consider getting one of the textbooks at Textkit. This is a great site and thanks again for your response.
Take care,
Big John
Hi, there !
(I’d like to apologize for seeming maybe abrupt, but I am no native English speaker, so…)
“They teach” : I think it should be παιδεύουσιν, from παιδεύω, just like λύουσι from λύω (and ἀκούουσι fromἀκούω. παίδευσιν would be the substantive παίδευσις, “process or system of education” in the accusative.
χαῖρε[/i]
clearly that is true, though I am sure a typographical error is more likely here than the introduction of a relatively rare deverbal noun in the accusative without a stated transitive verb governing it. that would, of course, be nonsense.
~D
Let’s see if I can type it correctly this time: παιδεύουσιν