You do not appear to comprehend my opinion (for you wouldn’t have sent the second letter and promised more) but, just like the sophists, you appear to suspect Socrates to be a repeater of education, the things he first wrote not sincerely expressed, but just someone after more than what was then being given by you. But now you promise more and you think I will abandon the bulk of what was given, having both left the Athenian paths and come to you, someone not generally well practiced at the speeches made in philosophy, and for me to be especially unlike myself.
Here’s my belated attempt:
You don’t help me very much to gain knowledge (for if the second letter is not full of such gifts…), but of the sophists, Socrates shines/reveals … to be a child … the first will not write … full teachings under you. And not yet … full of the teachings … left behind lectures to Athens … whole good knowing philosophy; and as to myself …The game is kind of fun, although probably it will work better for people whose skills are much higher than mine. This passage talks about Socrates, so I’m guessing it’s Plato.
Divine father’s servant spoke thus: I and the father of Bassarios, wandering in the desert… came out of a cave and… brother sitting and working … to our not … whole word … and the old man says to me: Let us follow … from, fast … the brother not fully having brought upon us. But departing from there were took the road to Lyko, throwing forward (=setting out?) for the father of John. Let us come to him, the same God fully bringing … among us. And coming out of that end. And the old man tells me: Come, brother, … of the corpse (=living body in koine?), for God to send us here. But … woman will flourish. And the old man was amazed and said: Look how the women … Satan: … And teaching God … beloved … left that region.
I assume this is from the New Testament. Possibly John refers to John the baptist.
I’m glad that you’re having fun. Later this afternoon, I’ll update the original post with source information and links to any online translation that I can find (in a spoiler) so that people can check their work. Here is my attempt:
Father Doulas related [this] saying: "Once we were walking in the desert, I and father Bissarion and we came to a certain cave and we found a certain brother sitting and working the σειρά (weaving or grinding related word?) and he would not nod in our direction nor greet us nor in a word was he willing to take up (associate) with us. And the Elder says to me, ‘Let us go from here, the brother is hardly motivated [borne to fullness?] to speak with us.’ And from there we went away and traveled into Lyko to reside with Father John. And during the time we made our return we came again to the cave where we had seen the brother. And the Elder says to me: ‘Let us go in to him, perhaps God motivates him to speak with us.’ And so we entered and found him passed away. And the Elder says to me: ‘Come, brother, let us gather up his body, as God sent us here for this very thing.’ We gathering him up for burial found that he was a woman according to nature. And the Elder was amazed and said: ‘Look how even women battle against Satan. And we lounge in the cities.’ And having glorified God the one shielding over those that love him [and the rest?] we went away from there."EDIT:
Having looked up σειρά, I see that it means “rope”. I suppose a rosary? I’ll have to check Lampe when I have a chance.
I haven’t touched Homer in a bit, and it seems my Homeric vocabulary has gotten pretty spotty, so I have to guess on εἵατο, ποτιδέγμεναι, ἄμμι, and αὔτως, which all seem on the tip of my tongue. But here we are with guessing:
And our wedded wives no doubt and our small babes reside in the longhouses being fed, and we elsewhere, the work unfulfilled for which we came here. But come on, by what I will say let us all be persuaded: let us flee with our our ships to our fatherland, for it’s no longer the case that we shall take broad-wayed Troy.
I’m impressed. Here’s the translation by Buckley:
Iliad 2.136
Our wives and infant children sit in our dwellings expecting us; but
to us the work for which we came hither remains unaccomplished,
contrary to expectation. But come, as I shall recommend, let us all
obey; let us fly with the ships to our dear native land, for at no future
time shall we take wide-wayed Troy.”
εἵατο is the 3 pl of ἧμαι, to sit, lie, which is used in the perfect to mean the present. κάθημαι is κατα+ἧμαι.
Easier passage (I hope) for anyone who would like to attempt it (I won’t myself):
Source and translation:
This is actually from the key to Sidgwick’s “First Greek Writer”.
And here is some Plutarch. I don’t know which work this is from beyond that (I spun the wheel again in TLG). I was interested in what @mahasacham said in a recent post about Plutarch’s high Koine. I will update this post with the exact source, and a translation if I can find one, once I’ve posted my attempt.
I’m going to guess that this is koine and is about Alexander. My attempt: –
And immediately a shout was heard among the soldiers, for terrible emotion came upon them. And that same fear was throughout the noise, and … immediately to the (general?). And he released a message around the …, and its words were the following: O beloved citizens of Macedon, through what fear have you thus … oaths? Indeed our rescue is not … upon us. For Friday (?) a wonder has been…: and the tyrant leads the army, and for five days near equal of our walls. Through…all…(sayings?)…? For now victory is upon us and never-waning the …s. This was his message.
Nice. I’ve added sources and translations for both. Here is my attempt on the Plutarch:
The Pergamon Γύναιον
And then Mithridates, having sent 60 of the most noble Galatens to Pergamon as friends, appeared to carry on tyrannically and everyone was annoyed. Eporedorix, a man strong in body and distinguished in character (he was son of the tetrarch of Tosiope), expected (? ἀνεδέξατο) to capture Mithridates, when he would χρηματίζῃ (?) in the βήματι (bath/toilet?) of the gymnasium, and murder him, some among his guard (? φάραγγος) being with him on it. But it chanced on that day [Mithridates] had not gone up to the gymnasium himself, but was sending the Galatens home. [Eporedorix] called on them to have courage, and when they should come together to the same place, to carve up his body and murder him falling on him from all sides. This did not decieve Mithridates, but an accusation came out against one of the Galatens and he gave him up to be slain. Afterwards somehow he recalled the boy as much the foremost in youth and beauty of those with him, and he was grief-stricken and changed his mind, and obviously being upset at one among the foremost being lost. So he sent ordering that if he should be found alive for him to be returned. The name of the boy was Bepolitanos. And an amazing stroke of fortune happened to him. He was wearing beautiful and expensive clothing when he was captured, which the jailer (? δήμιος) wanted to set apart for himself unmarked (? ἀναίμακτον) and clean, and was removing it without harming boy when he saw those sent from the king calling the name of the youth. So greed, which has destroyed many, saved Bepolitanos unexpectedly. But Eporedorix, cut limb from limb, was left unburied, and none of his friends risked going to him. But a well-known Pergamon γύναιον (?) living with the Galaten from youth, endured the danger to inter and arrange the corpse. But the guards having seen her and captured her, brought her to the king. Mithridates was said to feel something looking at her face, she appearing youthful in everyway and unspoiled from love affairs (? παιδίσκης). But still more, as it appeared, knowing the reason being for love, he released (?? ἐπεκλάσθη) and went with her to take up and inter the corpse, her having recieved garment and dress from him.
On a trip, so I can’t look for the translation/source to link just now.
Method:
Holding [a horn, murder-weapon?], [await?] night, and taking a dagger say: <vaguely menacing guttural incantation, ιωα=YHWH?>. While you say this, the girl [Kore?, demon name?] will go, bearing lights. You say , and the [candles?] will have been extinguished by her, and she shall stand by you moaning and insulting. You say “Do this, and I will touch you to the lights.” If she is [dream-sending?], you will light them, and she [flies?, fut.?]. If you would send for murder, give her the dagger, and she will give you the lights, and she will go bearing the murder dagger. You say to her to wait before the lights, and they will have been [lit?] and she will flee. So doing, say: ? You will bear the charm, having touched it [why aorist?, clasp/rub?] with your right and left hand all night.
I chose “7th century” on TLG and picked a random author/section. (I’d like to find a better way to pick random text, since using python randint for authors over-privileges the minor author fragment collections.)
Yes it does. However the point of this thread is not for looking things up in dictionaries, but for practicing context learning. But please, we could use another person giving attempts on these passages. It would be great to have you contribute. See the first post in the thread for rules.
And then there’s that distinction between Macedon and Mamedon.