Negatives in X. An. 1.7.7

Greek Learning Greek
1

ὥστε οὐ τοῦτο δέδοικα, μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι δῶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν φίλων, ἂν εὖ γένηται, ἀλλὰ μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ἱκανοὺς οἷς δῶ.

I interpret the three negatives (οὐ) in this sentence like this:

As a result, I do not fear this — that I won’t have that which I may give to each of my friends, if things turn out well — but rather that I won’t have enough friends to reward.

Am I on the right track?

Thanks! —Mitch

2

Yes, you’re on the right track.

3

Yes. You might like to consider what difference it would make if δέδοικα were not negatived, and whether we might have expected ἂν in the relative clauses.

4

Isn’t the ἀλλὰ limb of the sentence implicitly introduced by non-negative δέδοικα, with no difference in the construction of the μὴ οὐκ clause?

With regard to the subjunctives δῶ without ἄν, Smyth § 2546 describes this idiom, οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι + subjunctive, as an extension of the deliberative subjunctive, which normally doesn’t take ἄν, and specifically quotes this sentence in § 2547a as illustrative. See also Goodwin GMT §§ 572.1, 677 (interrogative – i.e., deliberative– subjunctive in an indirect question). ( I couldn’t find anything in the Cambridge Grammar specifically addressing this idiom, which shows why Smyth and Goodwin are still relevant notwithstanding the excellence of the Cambridge Grammar.)

5

ΟΚ Michael let me give it a shot. Without the οὐ in the matrix clause, would it be something like this:

ὥστε ἂν εὖ γένηται τοῦτο δέδοικα, μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ἱκανοὺς τοὺς φίλους οἷς δῶ, οὐ μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν δῶ.

6

Or maybe this is better:

ὥστε ἂν εὖ γένηται τοῦτο δέδοικα μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ἱκανοὺς τοὺς φίλους οἷς δῶ· οὐ δέδοικα μὴ οὐκ ἔχω ὅ τι ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν δῶ.

7

Michael & Hylander:

Also regarding the absense of ἄν here. Aren’t these digressive relative clauses (CGCG 50.6) in which case they use moods identical to independent sentences (CGCG 50.17)? And in that case using ἄν with the subjunctive in these clauses would be unusal as per CGCG 34.12 which says “In Classical Greek (unlike in Homer) the subjunctive is not used together with ἄν in main clauses, only in subordinate clauses.”

Unless I’m totally misunderstanding something here.

8

I think you’re making it too complicated, Mitch, and your sentences don’t read at all well. If δέδοικα were not negatived the rest would remain the same (except that the second part wouldn’t make sense with ἀλλὰ, see Hylander above).

9

Well I guess that’s not surprising considering the amount of Classical Greek I’ve managed to read so far i.e. almost finished book 1 of Xenophon’s Anabasis.

But at least I’m trying :slight_smile:

And FWIW I didn’t understand what Hylander (Bill?) was getting at regarding ἀλλὰ…

10

OK. Bill was pointing out that in Xenophon’s sentence we tacitly and instinctively understand δέδοικα (and not οὐ δέδοικα) after ἀλλὰ. Much as in English: “I’m not afraid of not having … but [I’m afraid] of not having …”.

11

Thanks Michael that makes sense.