Unit 24 Part III, Excercise 4

Greek Learning Greek
1

Χαίρετε!

I am having trouble translating Dr. Masttronarde’s Introduction to Attic Greek, Unit 24, Part III, exercise 4. The passage reads,

“πῶς διαφέρει τῶν ἄλλων ἡ ἡμετέρα πόλις; τί δεῖ λέγειν ἃ πάντες ἤκουσαν; τὴν γὰρ χώραν οἱ αὐτοὶ ἀεὶ ᾤκουν καὶ ἐλευθέραν δι’ ἀρετὴν πόλιν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῖν παρέδοσαν.”

I am especially having trouble figuring out what the relative pronoun “ἃ” is referring to. Is it a plural neuter referring to “things?” Could the antecedent be τί?

Here is a very, very rough translation so far,

“How differs our city the others? Why (what?) is it necessary to speak [things?] all heard? For the same always inhabited the territory and the fathers of us gave over a city free by aid of excellence.”

2

A few things.

τῶν ἄλλων ἡ ἡμετέρα πόλις Do you understand the significance of the genitive here? check p 257 if you are unsure

τί. note the accent so it’s an interrogative. why? or what?

τί δεῖ λέγειν why must it be said ( that) or what need is there to say

ἃ πάντες ἤκουσαν

πάντες is the subject of ἤκουσαν and ἃ is the object of ἤκουσαν. Note that the verb is in the past tense

" Is it a plural neuter referring to “things?” " Yes it is.

“οἱ αὐτοὶ” the “same people”.

ἡμῖν παρέδοσαν. handed down to us

δι’ ἀρετὴν because of (on account of) excellence (valour)

διά (6), (+ gen.) through, by; (+ acc.) by aid of, on account of

Is that enough to help? You were most of the way there.

3

Εὐχαριστῶ!

The answer book says about the passage “Cf. in part Thucydides 2.36.1.”

4

You might be interested to see that passage:

“Ἄρξομαι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν προγόνων πρῶτον· δίκαιον γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ πρέπον δὲ ἅμα ἐν τῷ τοιῷδε τὴν τιμὴν ταύτην τῆς μνήμης δίδοσθαι.

τὴν γὰρ χώραν οἱ αὐτοὶ αἰεὶ > οἰκοῦντες διαδοχῇ τῶν ἐπιγιγνομένων μέχρι τοῦδε > ἐλευθέραν δι᾿ ἀρετὴν παρέδοσαν> .



I shall speak first of our ancestors, for it is right and at the same time fitting, on an occasion like this, to give them this place of honour in recalling what they did.

For this land of ours, in which the same people have never ceased to dwell in an unbroken line of successive generations, they by their valour transmitted to our times a free state.

Thucydides 2.36.1. Loeb