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| Εἴθ’ ὤφελ’ Ἀργοῦς μὴ διαπτάσθαι σκάφος Κόλχων ἐς αἶαν κυανέας Συμπληγάδας |
| Nurse: Would that the Argo had never winged its way to the land of Colchis through the dark-blue Symplegades! (0001) |
unfulfilled wish
| οὐ γὰρ ἂν δέσποιν’ ἐμὴ Μήδεια πύργους γῆς ἔπλευσ’ Ἰωλκίας ἔρωτι θυμὸν ἐκπλαγεῖσ’ Ἰάσονος· |
| For then my lady Medea would not have sailed to the towers of Iolcus, her heart smitten with love for Jason, (0006) |
the accusative of respect | the dative of instrument | the objective genitive | the potential indicative
| θεοὺς μαρτύρεται / οἵας ἀμοιβῆς ἐξ Ἰάσονος κυρεῖ. |
| She calls the gods to witness the kind of recompense she is getting from Jason (0022) |
relative clauses
| Τροφός: ὡς δὲ πέτρος ἢ θαλάσσιος κλύδων ἀκούει νουθετουμένη φίλων, ἢν μή ποτε στρέψασα πάλλευκον δέρην αὐτὴ πρὸς αὑτὴν πατέρ’ ἀποιμώξῃ φίλον καὶ γαῖαν οἴκους θ’, οὓς προδοῦσ’ ἀφίκετο μετ’ ἀνδρὸς ὅς σφε νῦν ἀτιμάσας ἔχει. |
| She is as deaf to the advice of her friends as a stone or a wave of the sea: she is silent unless perchance to turn her snow-white neck and weep to herself for her dear father and her country and her ancestral house. All these she abandoned when she came here with a man who has now cast her aside. (0029) |
μι verbs
| ἔγνωκε δ’ ἡ τάλαινα συμφορᾶς ὕπο οἷον πατρῴας μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι χθονός. |
| The poor woman has learnt what a boon it is not to abandon one's home (0034) |
infinitives | relative clauses
| δέδοικα δ’ αὐτὴν μή τι βουλεύσῃ νέον· |
| I fear that she is planning something new. (0037) |
fear clauses with the subjunctive
| Παιδαγωγός: παλαιὸν οἴκων κτῆμα δεσποίνης ἐμῆς, τί πρὸς πύλαισι τήνδ’ ἄγουσ’ ἐρημίαν ἕστηκας, αὐτὴ θρεομένη σαυτῇ κακά; |
| Tutor: Aged slave of my mistress' household, why do you stand alone like this at the palace-gate, complaining of your troubles to your own ears? (0049) |
μι verbs
| Τροφός: τί δ’ ἔστιν, ὦ γεραιέ; μὴ φθόνει φράσαι. |
| What is it old man? Do not begrudge me the news (0063) |
infinitives | prohibition | questions
| Τροφός: μή, πρὸς γενείου, κρύπτε σύνδουλον σέθεν· σιγὴν γάρ, εἰ χρή, τῶνδε θήσομαι πέρι. |
| Nurse: I beg you by your beard, do not conceal this from your fellow-slave! I will keep it a secret if I must. (0065 ) |
μι verbs
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| Nurse: We are done for, it seems, if we add this new trouble to our old ones before we've weathered those (0078) |
future future conditionals | πρίν
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| And she will not let go of her wrath, I am sure, before she brings it down on someone's head. (0092) |
πρίν
| Μήδεια: Κορίνθιαι γυναῖκες, ἐξῆλθον δόμων / μή μοί τι μέμψησθ’· |
| Medea: Women of Corinth, I have come out of the house lest you find some fault with me. (0214) |
μή
| κἂν μὲν τάδ' ἡμῖν ἐκπονουμέναισιν εὖ πόσις ξυνοικῇ μὴ βίᾳ φέρων ζυγόν, ζηλωτὸς αἰών· εἰ δὲ μή, θανεῖν χρεών. |
| And if we work hard and our husband lives with us without inflicting the yoke violently, our life is enviable. If not we should die. (0241) |
crasis | ἐάν as ἄν or ἤν
| ὡς τρὶς ἂν παρ’ ἀσπίδα στῆναι θέλοιμ’ ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ τεκεῖν ἅπαξ. |
| I would prefer to enter battle by my shield three times than give birth once. (0250) |
the potential optative | μι verbs | ὡς
| Μήδεια: τοσοῦτον οὖν σου τυγχάνειν βουλήσομαι, ἤν μοι πόρος τις μηχανή τ’ ἐξευρεθῇ πόσιν δίκην τῶνδ’ ἀντιτείσασθαι κακῶν τὸν δόντα τ’ αὐτῷ θυγατέρ’ ἥ τ’ ἐγήματο, σιγᾶν. |
| if I find any means or contrivance to punish my husband for these wrongs and the bride's father and the bride, keep my secret. (0259) |
indirect command | μι verbs | τε
| γυνὴ γὰρ τἄλλα μὲν φόβου πλέα κακή τ’ ἐς ἀλκὴν καὶ σίδηρον εἰσορᾶν· ὅταν δ’ ἐς εὐνὴν ἠδικημένη κυρῇ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη φρὴν μιαιφονωτέρα. |
| Usually a woman is full of fear, and is not capable of looking on battle and cold steel, but when she is wronged in the bedroom there is no-one with fouller intent. (0263) |
present general temporal clauses | the accusative of respect | μέν…δέ...
| πενθεῖν δ’ οὔ σε θαυμάζω τύχας. |
| I am not surprised that you are suffering at your fate. (0268) |
infinitives
| κοὐκ ἄπειμι πρὸς δόμους πάλιν πρὶν ἄν σε γαίας τερμόνων ἔξω βάλω. |
| I will not return home before I have thrown you from this land. (0275) |
πρίν
| κλύω δ’ ἀπειλεῖν σ’, ὡς ἀπαγγέλλουσί μοι, τὸν δόντα καὶ γήμαντα καὶ γαμουμένην δράσειν τι. |
| I hear that you are threatening, as some people tell me, to do something to the groom, the bride and her father. (0287) |
attributive participles | the accusative and infinitive | μι verbs | ὡς
| οὐχ ὧδ’ ἔχει μοι, μὴ τρέσῃς ἡμᾶς, Κρέον, ὥστ’ ἐς τυράννους ἄνδρας ἐξαμαρτάνειν. |
| I am not the kind of person, fear not Creon, to wrong my rulers (0307) |
prohibition | ὥστε
| ἐξέδου κόρην / ὅτῳ σε θυμὸς ἦγεν. |
| You gave your daughter to the man your heart told you. (0309) |
relative clauses | μι verbs | ὁστις
| ἀλλ’ ἔξιθ’ ὡς τάχιστα, μὴ λόγους λέγε· |
| Go straightaway, don't say anything (0321) |
prohibition | the imperative | ἀλλά | ὡς
| Μήδεια: φεῦ φεῦ, βροτοῖς ἔρωτες ὡς κακὸν μέγα. Κρέων: ὅπως ἄν, οἶμαι, καὶ παραστῶσιν τύχαι. |
| Medea: Oh, what a bane is love to mortals. Creon: I fancy that depends on the circumstances. (0330) |
μι verbs
| Μήδεια: Ζεῦ, μὴ λάθοι σε τῶνδ’ ὃς αἴτιος κακῶν. |
| Zeus, do not forget who has caused this anguish! (0332) |
the wish optative
| προυννέπω δέ σοι, εἴ σ’ ἡ ’πιοῦσα λαμπὰς ὄψεται θεοῦ καὶ παῖδας ἐντὸς τῆσδε τερμόνων χθονός, θανῇ· |
| I warn you: if the coming dawn finds you and your children still within the bounds of this land, you will die. (0351) |
future future conditionals
| ὁ δ’ ἐς τοσοῦτον μωρίας ἀφίκετο, ὥστ’, ἐξὸν αὐτῷ τἄμ’ ἑλεῖν βουλεύματα γῆς ἐκβαλόντι, τήνδ’ ἐφῆκεν ἡμέραν μεῖναί μ’, ἐν ᾗ τρεῖς τῶν ἐμῶν ἐχθρῶν νεκροὺς θήσω, πατέρα τε καὶ κόρην πόσιν τ’ ἐμόν. |
| He is so stupid that, while he could have stopped my plans by exiling me, he has let me stay this one day. (0371) |
circumstantial participles | the accusative absolute | μι verbs | ὥστε
| πολλὰς δ’ ἔχουσα θανασίμους αὐτοῖς ὁδούς, οὐκ οἶδ’ ὁποίᾳ πρῶτον ἐγχειρῶ, φίλαι· |
| Having many murderous paths open to me, I don't know which one I will choose (0376) |
circumstantial participles | indirect questions
| Μήδεια: ἀλλ’ ἕν τί μοι πρόσαντες· εἰ ληφθήσομαι δόμους ὑπερβαίνουσα καὶ τεχνωμένη, θανοῦσα θήσω τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐχθροῖς γέλων. |
| One thing, however, stands in my path: if I am caught entering the house and plotting its destruction, I will be killed and bring joy to my foes. (0384) |
μι verbs
| Ἰάσων: καὶ γὰρ εἰ σύ με στυγεῖς, / οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην σοὶ κακῶς φρονεῖν ποτε. |
| Even if you hate me, I could never bear you ill-will. (0463) |
mixed conditionals
| εἰ γὰρ ἦσθ’ ἄπαις ἔτι, / συγγνώστ’ ἂν ἦν σοι τοῦδ’ ἐρασθῆναι λέχους. |
| If you were still childless it would have been forgivable to desire this marriage. (0490) |
infinitives | mixed conditionals
| εἰ δὲ γῆς ἐπ’ ἐσχάτοις / ὅροισιν ᾤκεις, οὐκ ἂν ἦν λόγος σέθεν. |
| If you were living at the ends of the earth, there would be no talk of you. (0540) |
present unreal conditionals
| τί τοῦδ’ ἂν εὕρημ’ ηὗρον εὐτυχέστερον ἢ παῖδα γῆμαι βασιλέως φυγὰς γεγώς; |
| What better luck could I have found than marrying the daughter of the king, though an exile? (0553) |
infinitives | the genitive of comparison | the potential indicative
| οὐδ’ ἂν σὺ φαίης, εἴ σε μὴ κνίζοι λέχος. |
| You would not say so, if this marriage did not annoy you (0568) |
future unreal conditionals
| ἀλλ’ ἐς τοσοῦτον ἥκεθ’ ὥστ’ ὀρθουμένης εὐνῆς γυναῖκες πάντ’ ἔχειν νομίζετε |
| You women are so far gone that you think that you have everything as long as everything is all right in the bedroom. (0569) |
result clauses with indicative | the genitive absolute
| Μήδεια: τί δ’ ὀμφαλὸν γῆς θεσπιῳδὸν ἐστάλης; Αἰγεύς: παίδων ἐρευνῶν σπέρμ’ ὅπως γένοιτό μοι. |
| Medea: Why did you go to the prophetic heart of the world? Aegeus: For children: to find out how I could have them. (0668) |
secondary purpose clauses | stichomythia
| Μήδεια: πρὸς θεῶν, ἄπαις γὰρ δεῦρ’ ἀεὶ τείνεις βίον; Αἰγεύς: ἄπαιδές ἐσμεν δαίμονός τινος τύχῃ. Μήδεια: δάμαρτος οὔσης ἢ λέχους ἄπειρος ὤν; |
| Medea: By the gods are you still now dragging out your life without children? Aegeus: We have no children at the whim of some god. Medea: Do you have a wife or do you have no experience of marriage? (0670) |
circumstantial participles | stichomythia | the genitive absolute | προς 'by the' | τις
| Μήδεια: τί δῆτα Φοῖβος εἶπέ σοι παίδων πέρι; Αἰγεύς: σοφώτερ’ ἢ κατ’ ἄνδρα συμβαλεῖν ἔπη. |
| Medea: Tell me what the god said about children Aegeus: Words to wise for a mortal to interpret. (0674) |
infinitives | postpositions | δῆτα
| Μήδεια: θέμις μὲν ἡμᾶς χρησμὸν εἰδέναι θεοῦ; |
| Medea: Is it lawful for me to hear the response? (0676) |
infinitives
| Μήδεια: τί δῆτ’ ἔχρησε; λέξον, εἰ θέμις κλύειν. |
| Medea: Tell me what the prophesy was. Speak, if I can hear. (0678) |
infinitives | the imperative
| Μήδεια: ἀλλ’ εὐτυχοίης καὶ τύχοις ὅσων ἐρᾷς. |
| I wish you luck: may all your wishes come true. (0688) |
relative clauses | the wish optative
| Μήδεια: Αἰγεῦ, κάκιστός ἐστί μοι πάντων πόσις. |
| Medea: Aegeus, I have the worst husband in the world. (0690) |
the possessive dative
| Αἰγεύς: συγγνωστὰ μέντἄρ’ ἦν σε λυπεῖσθαι, γύναι. |
| Aegeus: Well then, it's forgivable for you to be aggrieved. (0703) |
infinitives
| Μήδεια: ἀλλ’ ἄντομαί σε τῆσδε πρὸς γενειάδος γονάτων τε τῶν σῶν ἱκεσία τε γίγνομαι, οἴκτιρον οἴκτιρόν με τὴν δυσδαίμονα καὶ μή μ’ ἔρημον ἐκπεσοῦσαν εἰσίδῃς, |
| Medea: I beg you by this chin of yours, and by your knees, I am your suppliant: pity me, pity me, poor wretch that I am. Do not see me thrown out, alone. (0709) |
prohibition | the imperative | προς 'by the'
| εὕρημα δ’ οὐκ οἶσθ’ οἷον ηὕρηκας τόδε· |
| You don't know what a find you've made. (0716) |
indirect questions | relative clauses
| Μήδεια: ἔσται τάδ’· ἀλλὰ πίστις εἰ γένοιτό μοι τούτων, ἔχοιμ’ ἂν πάντα πρὸς σέθεν καλῶς. Αἰγεύς: μῶν οὐ πέποιθας; ἢ τί σοι τὸ δυσχερές; |
| Medea: These things will come to pass. But if I had a pledge from you, I would have everything I wanted from you. Aegeus: You can't not trust me, can you? What is your problem? (0731) |
future unreal conditionals | μῶν
| Μήδεια: οὗτος γὰρ ἁνὴρ ᾗ μάλιστ’ ἐκάμνομεν λιμὴν πέφανται τῶν ἐμῶν βουλευμάτων· |
| This man has appeared where I was most struggling as a harbour for my plans. (0768) |
relative clauses
| Μήδεια: πέμψασ’ ἐμῶν τιν’ οἰκετῶν Ἰάσονα ἐς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἐμὴν αἰτήσομαι. |
| I will send one of my servants and will beg Jason to come into my sight. (0774) |
circumstantial participles | infinitives | τις
| Μήδεια: κἄνπερ λαβοῦσα κόσμον ἀμφιθῇ χροΐ, κακῶς ὀλεῖται πᾶς θ’ ὃς ἂν θίγῃ κόρης· |
| And if she takes the dress and puts it on her skin, she will die a miserable death, as will anyone who touches the girl. (0787) |
circumstantial participles | future real conditionals | present general relative clauses | μι verbs | τε
| Μήδεια: ᾤμωξα δ’ οἷον ἔργον ἔστ’ ἐργαστέον τοὐντεῦθεν ἡμῖν· τέκνα γὰρ κατακτενῶ τἄμ’· οὔτις ἔστιν ὅστις ἐξαιρήσεται· |
| I lament at the act I must now commit. I will kill my children. Nobody can stop me. (0791) |
relative clauses | the dative of agent | the dramatic aorist | the gerundive | γάρ
| Μήδεια: οὐ γὰρ γελᾶσθαι τλητὸν ἐξ ἐχθρῶν, φίλαι. |
| Medea: It is unbearable to be mocked by enemies, my friends. (0797) |
infinitives | τος sufix
| Μήδεια: μηδείς με φαύλην κἀσθενῆ νομιζέτω μηδ’ ἡσυχαίαν, ἀλλὰ θατέρου τρόπου, βαρεῖαν ἐχθροῖς καὶ φίλοισιν εὐμενῆ· |
| Medea: Let no-one think me worthless, weak and meek, but rather the other type: a burden to enemies and a boon to friends. (0807) |
prohibition | the potential optative | the third person imperative
| Χορός: ἀλλὰ κτανεῖν σὸν σπέρμα τολμήσεις, γύναι; Μήδεια: οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα δηχθείη πόσις. |
| Chorus: Will you dare to kill your children, my lady? Medea: That's how to punish my husband the most. (0816) |
infinitives | the potential optative
| Μήδεια: λέξῃς δὲ μηδὲν τῶν ἐμοὶ δεδογμένων, εἴπερ φρονεῖς εὖ δεσπόταις γυνή τ’ ἔφυς. |
| Medea: Say nothing of my decisions, if you respect your mistress and are a woman by nature. (0822) |
present real conditionals | prohibition | τε
| τὰς δ’ ἐμὰς ὀργὰς φέρειν εἰκός σ’, ἐπεὶ νῷν πόλλ’ ὑπείργασται φίλα. |
| it is reasonable for you to put up with my anger since many acts of love have passed between us in the past. (0870) |
infinitives