*Some savage difficulties appear while exercising greek*

Greek Learning Greek
1

Hallo Leute,

I have been making my routinary translation exercising but some difficulties -those that appear against and assault me- emerge.

\

  1. The first one here (Medea speaks)
    ”ἐξέλθετ᾿, ἀσπάσασθε καὶ προσείπετε
    πατέρα μεθ’ ἡμῶν καὶ διαλλάχθηθ᾿ ἅμα
    τῆς πρόσθεν ἔχθρας εἰς φίλους μητρὸς μέτα·
    λάβεσθε χειρὸς δεξιᾶς“,

Ηere my question is on the meaning or the sense properly talking. I understand all this verbs as orders (imperative mood) but I get lost when διαλλάχθηθ᾿ it’s a imperative of second person plural or 3 person singular –morphologically it´s ambiguous- I think it still being a second P. plural like the others. Also for me is not clear the meaning of the rest of the sentence, I propose this: διαλλάχθηθ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἅμα μητρὸς - τῆς πρόσθεν ἔχθρας εἰς φίλους- μέτα: that reconciled with us and at the same time with the Mather –the one who before was hostile (enemy/hated) for (their) friends- (suppose the next imperative is an expression of take fidelity) λάβεσθε χειρὸς δεξιᾶς.
2. The second doubt appears here: Δράσω τάδ᾿· οὔ τοι σοῖς ἀπιστήσω λόγοις, my question properly concerns to -οὔ ἀπιστήσω- which at least seems to have two senses, the first one I won’t entrust (that means I will trust, and the second one I won´t believe –no translating the first οὔ wich is depending of the ethic dative-. That´s why I translate as follow: I will do those things: I won´t believe in those your words. What do you thing happen here? I´m right?

  1. The other one is here (Narrator speaks)

τὸ δὲ δῶρον ἦν ἐσθὴς λαμπρά, ἣν ἔβαψεν ἐν φαρμάκῳ, ὥστ᾿ ἐκκαίεσθαι τὴν νύμφην καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς, περιβαλόντα τὰς χεῖρας τῇ ἀποθvῃσκούσῃ.

περιβαλόντα τὰς χεῖρας τῇ ἀποθωῃσηκούσῃ. Is the part that I don´t get it. περιβαλόντα and τῇ ἀποθvῃσκούσῃ make concordance with? I don´t know but I intuit some thing but I prefer your versions to see how far or close I was.

Thanks for your comments, I apologize for my English and hope your answers.

Regards

Ángel

2

  1. διαλλάχθητε “Be reconciled” or “Change from the previous enmity (τῆς πρόσθεν ἔχθρας) into friends, along with your mother (μητρὸς μέτα).”
    She’s addressing her children, and is pretending to want to patch up her quarrel with Jason who has dumped her.

  2. οὔ τοι σοῖς ἀπιστήσω λόγοις “I won’t distrust/disobey your words.”

3 is just a prose summary of the messenger speech, it’s not part of the play proper.
… καὶ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς, περιβαλόντα τὰς χεῖρας τῇ ἀποθvῃσκούσῃ.
“and her father, wrapping his arms around the dying woman” (his daughter).

Do you see how it goes now?

3

Thanks. Yes it makes clear much more things. I just have three little doubts

  1. what do you thing is the role of ἅμα in the second part.
  2. In the first part I want you to explain how you understand this τοι.
  3. λάβεσθε χειρὸς δεξιᾶς - How you understand it?

Thanks

4
  1. ἅμα enhances the idea of togetherness.
  2. τοι adds a note of assurance to the negative.
  3. “Take hold of his right hand.”
5

Well it seems to me enough, thanks for your help :slight_smile: