[Dickey] Ch 3: Analysis

A subforum for working through Eleanor Dickey's An Introduction to the Composition and Analysis of Greek Prose, which can be purchased online at Cambridge press or Amazon.

If you are interested and want to get started, or want to look at a sample before you jump in, the intro on accents and the first chapter is available online as a free PDF here .
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Daniel Semler
Posts: 315
Joined: February 18th, 2019, 7:45 pm

[Dickey] Ch 3: Analysis

Post by Daniel Semler »

Hi All,

I've been delayed a lot on this chapter. Finally, done now. I have a question or two on Dickey's analysis process. I have been playing with it a bit and have read her description multiple times. Some examples not unnaturally are simpler than others. Question 8 Xenophon's Memorabilia 2.2.3 was a challenge. I have been trying to get the process worked out in a word-processor and this and 7 are my most complete examples to date. Anyhow, here is what I have for 8. For anyone who has tried this approach I would be really interested in feedback. In particular I think to use Dickey's method I think you need to know your connectives, relatives and verb compliments and occasionally idioms. I have tried to follow Dickey's format as closely as possible.

Thx
D

8. Xenophon, Memorabilia 2.2.3
Identify verbs

τίνας οὖν, ἔφη, ὑπὸ τίνων εὕροιμεν ἄν μείζω εὐηργετημένους ἢ παῖδας ὑπὸ γονέων΄οὕς οἱ γοωνεῖς ἐκ μὲν οὐκ ὄντων ἐποίησαν εἶναι, τοσαῦτα δὲ καλὰ ἰδεῖν καὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν μετασχεῖν, ὅσα οἱ θεοὶ παρέχουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· ἃ δὴ καὶ οὕτως ἡμῖν δοκεῖ παντὸς ἄξια εἶναι ὥστε πάντες τὸ καταλιπεῖν αὐτὰ πάντων μάλιστα φεύγομεν, καὶ αἱ πόλεις ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις ἀδικήμασι ζημίαν θάνατον πεποιήκασιν ὡς οὐκ ἄν μείζονος κακοῦ φόβῳ τὴν ἀδικίαν παύσαντες.

Divide sentence into units

τίνας οὖν, ἔφη,| ὑπὸ τίνων εὕροιμεν ἄν μείζω εὐηργετημένους| ἢ παῖδας ὑπὸ γονέων΄... οὕς οἱ γονεῖς ... ἐκ μὲν οὐκ ὄντων ... ἐποίησαν … εἶναι,| τοσαῦτα δὲ καλὰ ἰδεῖν| καὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν μετασχεῖν,| ὅσα οἱ θεοὶ παρέχουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις·| ἃ δὴ καὶ οὕτως ἡμῖν δοκεῖ| παντὸς ἄξια εἶναι| ὥστε πάντες τὸ καταλιπεῖν| αὐτὰ πάντων μάλιστα φεύγομεν,| καὶ αἱ πόλεις ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις ἀδικήμασι ζημίαν θάνατον πεποιήκασιν| ὡς οὐκ ἄν μείζονος κακοῦ φόβῳ τὴν ἀδικίαν παύσαντες.

Work out dependencies

1. τίνας οὖν, ἔφη,
2. ὑπὸ τίνων εὕροιμεν ἄν μείζω εὐηργετημένους
2.1 ἢ παῖδας ὑπὸ γονέων΄... … εἶναι,
2.1.1 οὕς οἱ γονεῖς ... ... ἐποίησαν
2.1.1.1 ἐκ μὲν οὐκ ὄντων
3.1 τοσαῦτα δὲ καλὰ ἰδεῖν
3.2 καὶ τοσούτων ἀγαθῶν μετασχεῖν,
3.2.1 ὅσα οἱ θεοὶ παρέχουσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις·
3.2.2 ἃ δὴ καὶ οὕτως ἡμῖν δοκεῖ
3.2.2.1 παντὸς ἄξια εἶναι
3.2.2.2 ὥστε πάντες τὸ καταλιπεῖν
3.2.2.2.1 αὐτὰ πάντων μάλιστα φεύγομεν,
3.5 καὶ αἱ πόλεις ἐπὶ τοῖς μεγίστοις ἀδικήμασι ζημίαν θάνατον πεποιήκασιν
3.5.1 ὡς οὐκ ἄν μείζονος κακοῦ φόβῳ τὴν ἀδικίαν παύσαντες.

Translate

Who therefore, he said,
because of others might we find would be greater beneficiaries
than children
whose parents brought them up
from nothing
and to know so many good things
and to partake of so many good things
which the gods provide for people;
which indeed seem to/are thought by us
to be worthy of all [above all else]
that everyone abandoning
anything of all we certainly flee things from all
and the cities, for the greatest crimes, have made death the punishment
as if with fear of greater harm they might stop crime.

[Ed. The last lines make little sense in this section without the greater context of the passage, alas.]

Explain
εὕροιμεν 1st pl opt. Agrees with the context of their being participants (at least two) in a conversation (we)
ἐποίησαν 3 pl aorist – subj the parents
εἶναι inf. To be – compliment of ἐποίησαν – made them to be. Translated here as ‘brought them up’
μετασχεῖν aorist act inf – to share in – translated with the rather biblical “partake”
παρέχουσι 3rd plural pres act ind. Agrees with subj “the gods”. Present indicating a gnomic present I would think.
δοκεῖ 3rd singular impersonal of the neuter plural obj referred to by the relative ἃ – “it seems to us the good things provided ….”
εἶναι present ath inf – compliment of δοκεῖ
καταλιπεῖν to abandon/leave – acting almost like a participle here setting the circumstance for the following φεύγομεν
φεύγομεν 1st plu act ind. 3.2.2.2 and 3.2.2.2.1 seem to use a somewhat unusual sense for φεύγομεν
πεποιήκασιν This last portion is odd. It really doesn’t seem to following from the preceding clauses. Reading further back in the discourse it makes more sense.
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