Hesiod, Works and Days, 107-108

Greek Learning Greek
1

I am searching for help with this passage in Hesiod, Works and Days, 107-108

σὺ δʼ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν.

ὡς ὁμόθεν γεγάασι θεοὶ θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι.

Q1: Is βάλλεο 2nd ps imperative or indicative? And is the -εο ending due to the epic style (in Attic it would be -ου ?)

Q2: The second line: ὡς ὁμόθεν γεγάασι θεοὶ θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι. —> I don’t get which one is the subject here. It seems that both θεοὶ and θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι are nominative. PLZ help me :slight_smile:

Here’s the scaife link for reference:
https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0020.tlg002.perseus-grc2:91-120

PS: Let me know if this should have been posted somewhere else!

2

Yes, βάλλεο is imperative middle and it would be -ου in Attic.

θεοὶ θνητοί τʼ ἄνθρωποι both are subject here, loose translation “gods and men both have the same origin”.

3

Don’t know the context, but agree that βαλλεο is imperative. γεγαα is an Epic form of γιγνομαι . It’s perfect = “have become”, or just “be”; γεγαασι here is 3rd person plural ending (like λελυκασι). ὁμοθεν = “from the same source”, affix -θεν = “from”. Apparently Euripides has ὁ ὁμοθεν = “brother”. So “mortals and gods have become/are brothers” or something like that?

4

Great help , that makes sense!

So the first line would be something like “throw this into your mind”?

1 Like
5

Yep. You get a lot of imperatives with an emphatic συ.

6

Yes - but it’s important to note the middle voice here. Also note that it’s a present imperative and not an aorist (that’s actually the most difficult part in my opinion).

7

Could you help me with this line also:

θνῇσκον δʼ ὥσθʼ ὕπνῳ δεδμημένοι· (116)

I figure that θνῇσκον is a 3.pl. impf. they died and then ὥσθʼ ὕπνῳ δεδμημένοι translates “as if they were subdued by sleep” , meaning that when they died, which they did although it was a golden age, it was comparable to a sleep-state.

8

[…] οὐδέ τι δειλὸν
γῆρας ἐπῆν, αἰεὶ δὲ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ὁμοῖοι
τέρποντʼ ἐν θαλίῃσι κακῶν ἔκτοσθεν ἁπάντων·
θνῇσκον δʼ ὥσθʼ ὕπνῳ δεδμημένοι […]

You got it right. I’m quoting with a bit more context. Again, loose translation: “nor was there miserable old age, but rather with [the strength of] their hands and feet unchanged they always enjoyed abundance, apart from all evils; and they died like as if they were subdued by sleep”. The point is that their life was happy, and when they died, it happened without suffering and without any of the evils that come with old age.

EDIT: I forgot to translate a few words, now corrected.