Third person, singular, imperfect, indicative of ϵἰμί (S. 768). Main verb of the protasis (S. 2173). The imperfect refers to present time (S. 2304).
τοῦτ´: Singular, neuter, nominative demonstrative pronoun used substantively; the antecedent is the idea two sentences prior of old age being the cause of misery (S. 1238, 1247). Nominative subject of ἦν (S. 927, 938). Elision for τοῦτο (S. 70).
αἴτιον: Singular, neuter, nominative predicate noun modifying τοῦτ´ after ἦν (S. 939). The predicate noun has no article, and is thus distinguished from the subject (S. 1150).
κἂν … ἡλικίας: The apodosis of the conditional statement; in a past, unreal condition the apodosis states what would have be the result if the conditional had been realized (S. 2302).
κἂν … καὶ: κἂν: Crasis of καὶ ἂν (S. 62). καὶ … καὶ: The combination of conjunctions connects the two nominative nouns and means“not only … but also, both … and” (S. 2877). ἂν: See below with ἐπϵπόνθη.
ἐγὼ: Singular, nominative of the personal pronoun ἐγώ (S. 325). The nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190). First nominative subject of ἐπϵπόνθη (S. 927, 938).
τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτα: Accusative direct object of ἐπϵπόνθη (S. 1554). τὰ … ταῦτα: Plural, neuter, accusative demonstrative pronoun used substantively with the article; the antecedent is the litany of problems associated with old age enumerated above (S. 1153.g, 1238). αὐτὰ: Plural, neuter, accusative demonstrative pronoun used as an adjective modifying ταῦτα; after the article, in the attributive position, αὐτός in any case means “same” (S. 1204, 1210).
(ἂν) ἐπϵπόνθη: Main verb of the apodosis (S. 2173). ἂν: The particle is used in the apodosis with the past tense of the indicative to denote the non-fulfillment of the condition (S. 2284). ἐπϵπόνθη: First person, singular, pluperfect, active, indicative of πάσχω (S. 383). The pluperfect is used only when stress is laid on the completion of the act or on the continuance of the result of the act, and generally refers to present time (S. 2306). When there is more than one subject, the verb may agree with the nearest (S. 969).
ἕνϵκά γϵ γήρως: Prepositional phrase; ἕνϵκα with the genitive here means “on account of, because of” (L.S. ἕνϵκα). ἕνϵκά: The acute accent on the ultima syllable is thrown back from the following enclitic γϵ (S. 183.c). γϵ: The postpositive enclitic article is here limitative; when the emphatic word is preceded by a preposition, γϵ is normally placed after the preposition and before the stressed word (S. 2821) (D. γϵ, pg. 146). The enclitic particle throws back its accent onto the previous proparoxytone ἕνϵκά (S. 183.c). Professor Denis Feeney once remarked in a Greek course that the particle γϵ sometimes seemed equivalent to the British expression “bloody”; this seems to me to be one of those instances. γήρως: The article is very often omitted in phrases containing a preposition (S. 1128).
οἱ ἄλλοι πάντϵς: Second nominative subject of ἐπϵπόνθη (S. 927, 938). οἱ ἄλλοι: Plural, masculine, nominative adjective of ἄλλος used substantively with the article (S. 1153.a, 1188). πάντϵς: In the predicate position, the adjective means “all” (S. 1168, 1174.b).
ὅσοι … ἡλικίας: Relative clause (S. 2488-2573).
ὅσοι: Singular, masculine, nominative, pronomial adjective used substantively; the antecedent is ἄλλοι (S. 340, 2501). Nominative subject of ἦλθον (S. 927, 938).
ἐνταῦθα … ἡλικίας: The adverb of time ἐνταῦθα is here used with the genitive and means “to” (Lat. ad hoc aetatis) (S. 1439) (L.S. ἐνταῦθα II.2). ἡλικίας: The noun lacks an article (S. 1126).
ἦλθον: Third person, plural, aorist, active, indicative of ἔρχομαι (S. 384). Main verb of the relative clause (S. 2173). Although ἔρχομαι is a deponent verb, the second aorist form is active (S. 801).
νῦν δ´ ἔγωγϵ ἤδη ἐντϵτύχηκα οὐχ οὕτως ἔχουσι καὶ ἄλλοις καὶ δὴ καὶ Σοφοκλϵῖ ποτὲ τῷ ποιητῇ παρϵγϵνόμην ἐρωτωμένῳ ὑπό τινος Πῶς, ἔφη, ὦ Σοφόκλϵις, ἔχϵις πρὸς τἀφροδίσια;ἔτι οἷός τϵ ϵἶ γυναικὶ συγγίγνϵσθαι; (329.b-c)
| ἄλλοι, -ων, οἱ: the other men.ἀφροδίσια, -ων, τά: sexual pleasures.γυνή, -αικός, ἡ: woman.ἔγωγϵ, ἔμοῦγϵ: I at least, for my part, for myself.ϵἰμί: to be.ἐντυγχάνω: to meet with, converse with, talk to.ἐρωτάω: to ask, enquire, question.ἔτι: yet, as yet, still.ἔχω: to hold, consider; to hold oneself, keep, be.ἤδη: already.καί: also, even.καὶ δὴ καί: and especially, and in particular, and what is more.νῦν δέ: but in fact, but as the case now stands.οἷός τϵ, οἵα τϵ, οἷον τϵ: fit or able to. | οὐ: not.οὕτως: in this way or manner, so, thus.παραγίγνομαι: to be beside, by, or near.ποιητής, -οῦ, ὁ: the composer of a poem, author, poet.ποτέ: once.πρός (+ acc.): in reference to, in respect of.πῶς: how?Σοφοκλέης, -έους, ὁ: Sophocles.συγγίγνομαι: to have sexual intercourse with.τις, τι: someone, something.ὑπό (+ gen.): by.φημί: to say.ὦ: O. |
νῦν δ´: The combination of particles marks a strong contrast (S. 2835). νῦν: Adverb (S. 341, 1094, 2924). δ´: Postpositive conjunction connecting this sentence with the previous one; here the particle δέ has an adversative sense and serves to mark that something is different from what precedes, but only to offset it, not to exclude or contradict it (S. 2834-35). “As a connective, δέ denotes either pure connection ‘and’, or contrast, ‘but’, with all that lies between” (D. δέ, pg.162). An elision of δὲ before a short vowel (S. 70).
ἔγωγϵ: Singular, nominative form of the personal pronoun ἔγωγϵ (S. 325.b). Nominative subject of ἐντϵτύχηκα and παρϵγϵνόμην (S. 927). The nominative of the personal pronoun is usually omitted except when emphatic (S. 929, 1190). The suffix -γϵ attached to the pronoun ἐγώ makes it emphatic (S. 325.b). The compound of ἐγώ γϵ becomes a proparoxytone (S. 186.a).
ἤδη: Adverb (S. 341, 1094).
ἐντϵτύχηκα: First person, singular, perfect, active, indicative of ἐντυγχάνω (S. 383). Main verb of the (first) simple coordinate clause: νῦν … ἄλλοις (S. 2162).
οὐχ: The simple negative particle οὐ is the negative of fact and statement (S. 2688). The -χ is added to οὐ before a rough breathing (S. 137). The negative goes with ἔχουσι rather than ἐντϵτύχηκα.
οὕτως: Demonstrative adverb of manner with ἔχουσι (S. 346, 1094). Adverbs, rather than adjectives, modify participles (S. 2040). A final
