Regular Verbs in Ω: Active Voice

1a. οἱ πονηροὶ, etc.: order: οἱ πονηροὶ ἀποβλέπουσι μόνον εἰς τὸ κέρδος, "the wicked look only to gain."

ἀποβλέπουσι: 3rd pl. pres. ind. act. > ἀποβλέπω.

1b. τὰ πάθη: "his passions" (LSJ πάθος II).

αὐτὸς ὑπ’ αὐτῶν κολάζεται: "is himself chastised by them." 

κολάζεται: 3rd sing. pres. ind. pass. > κολάζω.

1d. σώζεσθαι: pres. infin. pass. > σώζω.

καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν, etc.: "they draw him up even from deep caverns themselves," i.e., from the very midst of deep caverns.

ἀνασπῶσι: 3rd pl. pres. ind. act. > ἀνασπάω.

1e. οὐδὲν τῆς εὐμορφίας ὄφελος: "there is no advantage from a fair exterior," i.e., no advantage arises from. Supply ἐστί after ὄφελος.

μὴ … ἔχῃ: "does not have," 3rd sing. pres. subj. act. > ἔχω. Subjunctive is regular after  ὅταν.

1f. εὖ θνήσκοις: "may you die happily," 2nd sing. pres. opt. act. > θνήσκω. The opt. has here its genuine meaning, indicating a wish (G. 476).

ἔλθῃ: "comes." More literally, "may have come," 3rd sing. 2nd aor. subj. act. > ἔρχομαι. 

1g. ὁπότε σχολάζοι, etc.: "that whenever he had nothing to do, and was not leading an army." More literally, "that whenever he might have nothing to do, and might not be leading an army." The opt. is normal after ὁπότε referring to repeated occasions in the past. (The subjective would be used when referring to an indefinite number of occasions in the future.)

σχολάζοι: 3rd sing. pres. opt. act. > σχολάζω.

στρατεύοιτο: 3rd sing. pres. opt. mid. > στρατεύω.

τῶν ἱπποκόμων οἴεσθαι, etc.: "he thought he differed in no respect from his grooms." The absence of the pronoun before οἴεσθαι shows that this verb refers to the same person that is implied in ἔλεγεν. The pronoun is understood in the nom.

μηδὲν: acc. sing. neut. taken adverbially, "in no way."

1h. ἂν μάλιστα … εὐδοκιμοίη: "might gain applause in the greatest degree," sing. pres. opt. act. > εὐδοκιμέω, Attic for εὐδοκιμοῖ. Potential Optative (G. 479).

1i. καταφρονῶν: pres. ptc. act. > καταφρονέω, "by despising," literally, "by thinking against." The gen. is governed by κατά in composition.

2a. θάπτουσιν τοὺς νεκροὺς: "inter their dead," i. e., dispose of their bodies after death.

ταριχεύοντες: "by embalming them," supply αὐτούς.

Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ καίοντες: "but the Romans (bury) theirs by burning them (on funeral piles)." After Ῥωμαῖοι supply θάπτουσι τοὺς νεκροὺς, and after καίοντες the pronoun αὐτούς.

2b. διώκουσιν: "(actually) pursue it," supply αὐτόν.

2c. εἴκαζε: "used to liken," 3rd sing. imperf. ind. act. > εἰκάζω, without any augment.

τοῖς Ἑρμαῖς: "to their own herms." A herm was a distinctive type of sculpture among the Athenians. It had a sculpted head (often of Hermes, hence the name), but a plain stone shaft instead of a body, with no arms or legs. The joke here is that in Phillip's eyes the Athenians, famed as orators, were all talk and no action.

ἔχουσιν: "which have," dat. pl. pres. act. participle > ἔχω. 

3a. περὶ τὴν ἰατρικὴν ἐσπούδασε: "was full of zeal about the healing art," i.e., paid zealous attention to it. With ἰατρικὴν supply τέχνην.

ἐσπούδασε: 3rd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > σπουδάζω.

καὶ αὐτὸς ἰᾶτο: "and he himself used to practice it," literally, "used to act as a physician." 

ἰᾶτο: 3rd sing. imperf. ind. mid. > ἰάομαι.

καὶ τὰ λοιπά: "and so forth," literally "and the other things," i.e., the other things connected with the practice of medicine. Supply ἐποίει, imperf. > ποιέω. The phrase is analogous to the Latin et cetera. 

3b.  ἐστασιαζέτην: 3rd dual imperf. ind. act. > στασιάζω.

ἔτι παῖδε ὄντε: "while yet boys," "even as boys."

ὄντε: nom. dual masc. participle > ὢν, from εἰμί.

3c. κατέλιπε: "left behind," i.e., abandoned, 3rd sing. 2nd aor. ind. act. > καταλείπω.

ἐξέπλευσε: 3rd sing. 1st aor. indic. act. > ἐκπλέω.

ἀπήγαγεν: 3rd sing. 2nd aor. ind. act. > ἀπάγω.

3d. ἤγαγεν: "(typically) leads," 3rd sing. 2nd aor. ind. act. > ἄγω. The so-called gnomic aorist is used for stating general truths (G. 465).

3e.  ἐπρώτευσεν … τῆς Ἑλλάδος: "stood at the head of Greece," literally, "was first of Greece." 3rd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > πρωτεύω, governing the genitive of the whole (G. 507.e).

χρόνον: "for a period," acc. extent of time (G. 538).

χρωμένη: "by following." Λiterally, "by using," pres. ptc. mid. > χράομαι, +DAT., as is normal with this common verb.

4a.  ὁ Διογένης: "the well-known Diogenes." 

ὅτι: when ὅτι stands, as here, in the beginning of a direct remark or speech, it is not to be translated, but is equivalent merely to quotation marks in English.

οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι κύνες: "the rest of dogs." Diogenes, the Cynic, had the nickname κύων given him on account of his snarling and snappish manner. He playfully alludes here to this peculiar appellation.

ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς φίλους, etc.: "I, however, bite my friends, in order that I may save them," alluding to the caustic but salutary nature of his advice. With ἐγὼ supply δάκνω.

σώσω: 1st sing. 1st aor. subj. act. > σώζω.

4b. Isocrates 1.29.

μηδενὶ συμφορὰν ὀνειδίσῃς: "reproach no one with misfortune," literally, "bring up misfortune as a criticism to no one," 2nd sing. 1st aor. subj. act. > ὀνειδίζω.

4c. κὰν μόνος ᾖς: "even though you may be alone." 

κἂν: = καὶ ἂν, by crasis.

ᾖς: 2nd sing. pres. subj. > εἰμί.

φαῦλον μήτε λέξῃς, etc.: "neither say nor do anything evil."

λέξῃς: 2nd sing. 1st aor. subj. act. > λέγω.

ἐργάσῃ: 2nd sing. 1st aor. subj. mid. > ἐργάζομαι.

μηδέν: the negation is strengthened in the Greek by the negative particles, but, in translating, μηδέν becomes equivalent to τὶ.

4d. αἰδοῦς παρὰ πᾶσιν, etc.: "you will be worthy of respect with all."

αἰδοῦς: gen. > αἰδώς, governed by ἄξιος.

ἔσει: 2nd sing fut. ind. > εἰμί, with the Attic termination, instead of the common ἔσῃ.

ἄρξῃς: 2nd sing. 1st aor. subj. act. > ἄρχω.

αἰδεῖσθαι: pres. inf. mid. > αἰδέομαι. 

5a.  ἀδύνατον: supply ἐστί.

ἄνευ τῆς τῶν οὐρανίων θεωρίας: "without the studious contemplation of celestial phenomena," i.e., without a knowledge of astronomy, etc.

5c. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers 6.2.41.

μεθ’ ἡμέραν: "during the day," literally, " after day (had appeared)."

 μεθ’: = μετά. The alpha is elided before the initial vowel in the next word, and tau is aspirated to become theta because the following vowel has a rough breathing.

ἅψας: "having lighted," 1st aor. ptc. act. > ἅπτω.

5d. τὴν τῆς: in this position of the article, the second agrees with the nearer noun, the first with the more remote, so that τὴν here agrees with σκληρότητα.

καταλύσαντες: "having laid aside." Μore literally, "having dissolved," or "loosened," 1st aor. ptc. act. > καταλύω.

ἐξώκειλαν: "wrecked (themselves)," more literally, "drove" > ἐξοκέλλω, a metaphor borrowed from the running of a vessel ashore.

5e. συνοικίσας: 1st aor. ptc. act. > συνοικίζω.

τοὺς τὴν Ἀττικὴν κατοικοῦντας: "the inhabitants of Attica," more literally, "those who were inhabiting Attica."

κατοικοῦντας: imperf. ptc. act. > κατοικέω.

ἀπέφηνεν: "made of them," literally, "showed forth," i.e., to the world, 3rd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > ἀποφαίνω. 

6a. τὸ καλῶς ἀποθανεῖν, etc.: the order is, ἡ φύσις ἀπένειμεν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τὸ καλῶς ἀποθανεῖν ἴδιον, "nature has assigned the dying well unto the good, as something peculiar," i. e., as their peculiar property. The article τὸ joined to the infinitive ἀποθανεῖν, produces a species of verbal noun.

ἀποθανεῖν: 2nd aor. infin. act. > ἀποθνήσκω.

ἀπένειμεν: 3rd sing. 1st aor. indic. act. > ἀπονέμω.

6b. ὑπέμεινα: 1st sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > ὑπομένω.

6c. Ἐξ οὗ: "since," supply χρόνου. The full expression is, ἐκ τοῦ χρόνου ἐξ οὗ (χρόνου). οὗ > ὅς ἥ ὅ.

φιλοσοφεῖν ἐπενόησας: "you have turned your thoughts to philosophy," 2nd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > ἐπινοέω.

σεμνός τις ἐγένου: "you have become a grave sort of a person."

ἐγένου: 2nd sing. 2nd aor. ind. mid. > γίνομαι.

καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς, etc.: "and have raised your eyebrows above your temples," i. e., have assumed an arrogant, supercilious look.

ἐπῆρας: 2nd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > ἐπαίρω. 

6d. τούτων δὲ σπαρέντων: "and these having been sown."

σπαρέντων: 2nd aor. ptc. pass. > σπείρω; gen. absolute.

ἀνέτειλαν: 3rd pl. 1st aor. ind. act. > ἀνατέλλω.

6e. ἀφροσύνης ἐστὶ, etc.: "the forming of wrong judgments about things is a mark of want of understanding."  ἀφροσύνης is genitive of characteristic (S. 1304).

κρῖναι: 1st aor. infin. act. > κρίνω, forming with the article a species of verbal noun.

6f. οὔτε ... οὔτε: "neither ... nor."

περιστεῖλαι: 1st aor. inf. act. > περιστέλλω. There is a play on two meanings of this word, "to clothe" and "to cover, conceal."

δυνατὸν: supply ἐστι.

7a. σχολαστικὸς: "the student," the stereotypical butt of jokes preserved in the ancient Greek joke collection Philogelos, from which this sentence is drawn (no. 255). Possible English translations could include "egghead," or "braniac."

μαθὼν: "having learned," 2nd aor. ptc. act. > μανθάνω.

ζῇ: 3rd sing. pres. ind. act. > ζάω.

ἀγοράσας: 1st aor. ptc. act. > ἀγοράζω.

εἰς ἀπόπειραν: "for a test," "to test" the assertion that crows live more than 200 years.

7b. Φιλεῖ τῷ κάμνοντι, etc.: "the deity loves to labor with him that labors." Μore freely, "is wont to assist him that labors."

7c. οὐκ ἂν δύναιο, etc.: "you will not, I think, prosper, not having labored," i.e., without labor or employment of some kind or other.

καμὼν: 2nd aor. ptc. act. > κάμνω. The optative with ἄν is here employed to express a milder assertion than would have been conveyed by the simple future, and which we have endeavored to convey by the words "I think." 

αὐτὸς ἔτεμεν: "cut with his own hands," more literally, "himself cut," 3rd sing. 2nd aor. indic. act. > τέμνω.

7e. Δημοσθένους εἰπόντος: "Demosthenes having said," gen. absolute.

ἀποκτενοῦσι: 3rd pl. fut. > ἀποκτείνω.

ἐὰν μανῶσι: "if they become insane." 3rd plur. 2nd aor. subj. act. > μαίνομαι.

ἐὰν σωφρονῶσιν: "if they become sane." 3rd pl. pres. subj. act. > σωφρονέω. 

8a. λέγε … κακῶς, etc.: "ay, speak ill, since you have not learned how to speak well." There is here a play upon the words. The expression κακῶς λέγειν signifies both "to speak incorrectly" and "to speak injuriously," and καλῶς λέγειν, on the other hand, both "to speak correctly" and "to praise." "To speak correctly" here, is to speak in accordance with the dictates of true wisdom, i. e., philosophy.

μεμάθηκας: 2nd sing. perf. ind. act. > μανθάνω.

8b. Ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ, etc.: "the man of moral excellence submits his own judgment to him who governs all things," i. e., to the ruler of the universe. The expression καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ is meant to indicate man as he should be, both externally and internally, and is best rendered by a paraphrase. 

ὑποτέταχε: 3rd sing. perf. ind. act. > ὑποτάσσω. The continued action implied by the perfect gives it here the force of a present.

διοικοῦντι: dat. sing. pres. ptc. act. > διοικέω. 

8c. Τὸν εὐτυχοῦντα, etc.: "the prosperous man should be wise," i. e., we ought to make a wise use of prosperity. Literally, "it behooves the one who is fortunate," etc.

εὐτυχοῦντα: acc. sing. pres. ptc. act. > εὐτυχέω.

πεφυκέναι: perf. inf. act. > φύω, equivalent here merely to εἶναι (LSJ φύω II). 

8d. κατ’ ὄναρ δοκῶν, etc.: "imagining in a dream that he had trodden on a nail," i.e., dreaming that he had, etc.

πεπατηκέναι: perf. inf. act. > πατέω, and referring to the same person that is implied in δοκῶν, as the absence of the pronoun indicates.

ὕπαρ: "on waking."

περιεδήσατο: 3rd sing. 1st aor. ind. mid. > περιδέω.

διὰ τί γὰρ: "why then." Literally, supplying the ellipsis, "(It serves you right), for why," etc.

8e. σφόδρα κεκυφότα: "greatly bent," more freely, "bent almost double," i. e., as indicative of pain. κεκυφότα: acc. sing. perf. ptc. act. > κύπτω.

συμβέβηκεν: 3rd sing. perf. ind. act. > συμβαίνω.

8f. οἱ πρὸς τὴν δόξαν, etc.: "they who are eagerly desirous of renown."Lliterally, "they who gape after renown."

κεχηνότες: nom. plur. perf. ptc. mid. > χάσκω, "to yearn for," literally "open the mouth wide," in eager expectation of something.

8g. εἰρήκασι: 3rd plur. perf. ind. act. > ἐρῶ.

τὸν ἥλιον … εἶναι: "that the sun is." Indirect statement, acc. + inf. after a verb of saying or thinking (G. 578).

8h. κατεσκεύασε: 3rd sing. 1st aor. ind. act. > κατασκευάζω.

πεφευγὼς: perf. ptc. mid. > φεύγω.

ἐπὶ φόνῳ: "on account of a murder." It is said that he killed, through envy, Talus, or Attalus, his sister’s son, having thrown him down from a window (Tzetzes, Chiliades 1.490).

9a. ἐπεφύκει: "was" (LSJ φύω II). Literally, "had been and continued," 3rd sing. pluperf. ind. act. > φύω, and equivalent here to ἦν.

τοὺς πόδας: "of foot." More literally, "as to her feet," acc. of respect, where some understand κατά.

9b. ἐπέπνεον: 3rd plur. imperf. ind. act. > ἐπιπνέω.

ἐπεφρίκει: "was rough," pluperf. rendered by the imperf, literally "had been and continued rough," 3rd sing. pluperf. indic. act. > φρίσσω.

ἐξηνθήκει: "swelled forth like an opening flower," 3rd sing. pluperf. indic. act. > ἐξανθέω. Pluperfect again as an imperfect.

Δημοσθένης, etc.: "Demosthenes replied to a thief, who said." Literally, "to a thief having said." In construction, ἔφη follows immediately after Δημοσθένης.

9c. οὐκ ᾔδειν: "I did not know," 1st sing. pluperf. ind. act. > οἶδα, rendered as an imperfect.

ὅτι δὲ … σὸν, etc.: "you knew, however, that it is not your."

9d. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers 2.3.13.

προσαγγελθείσης: "having been announced," gen. sing. fem. 1st aor. ptc. pass. > προσαγγέλλω; gen. absolute.

ᾔδειν αὐτοὺς θνητοὺς γεννήσας: "I knew that I begat them as mortal." Some verbs in Greek (of which οἶδα is one) take with them a participle, where we employ the simple conjunction that with its clause. If the subject indicated by the participle is the same as that of the preceding verb, the participle stands in the nom.; if the subject is different, the participle is in one of the oblique cases (G. 586).

9e. χρήσιμ’: = χρήσιμα.

εἰδὼς:  = εἰδηκὼς, perf. ptc. act. > οἶδα.

πόλλ’:  = πολλά.  An oxytone word that is elided retracts its accent back to the penult, except for prepositions and a few other instances.

10a. γεγόναμεν: "we have been born," 1st pl. perf. ind. mid. > γίγνομαι.

γενέσθαι: "to exist," 2nd aor. inf. mid. > γίγνομαι.

10b. ἔοικεν: "is like," "is similar to," 3rd sing. perf. ind. mid. > ἔοικα + dat..

10c. κατὰ τὴν ῥάχιν κύρτωμα, etc.: "have on the back a swelling like a camel," i. e., like a camel’s; as if the Greek had been, παρεμφερὲς τῷ τῆς καμήλου κυρτώματι.

10d. δεδοίκασιν: "fear," 3rd pl. perf. ind. mid. > δείδω.

οὐ τοσοῦτον ... ὅσον: "not so much ... as."

10e. οὐκ ἀκήκοας: "have you not heard," 2nd sing. perf. mid. > ἀκούω, with Attic reduplication.

ὄντες ἄνθρωποι τὸ παλαιὸν: "being formerly men" (LSJ παλαιός II.2).

μετέβαλον: "changed," i.e. were transformed. 3rd pl. 2nd aor. ind. act. > μεταβάλλω, translated here as if intransitive, but having in reality ἑαυτούς understood. 

10f. ἐγρηγορότος ἐνύπνιον: "is the dream of one awake," i.e. is a waking dream.

ἐγρηγορότος: gen. sing. perf. ptc. > ἐγείρω.