08-24-2012, 02:52 AM
My Greek is very limited, but I decided to go over the TLG text of this passage to try to understand the problem. The following translations are very rough and probably riddled with errors.
The first three clauses are clear: τάδε μὲν γίνεσθαι, εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης προσβολῆς φυγὴ κατάσχοι τοὺς ἐναντίους· εἰ δὲ ἐπιστραφέντες ἐς κύκλους ὑπὲρ τὰ κέρατα παρελαύνειν ἐθέλοιεν "And such would be the situation, if flight seizes the opponents after the first assault, but if having wheeled they want to ride past beyond the wings, ..."
The fourth clause appears to have no finite verb just infinitives: ἀνατείνεσθαι μὲν <ἐς> τὰ ὑπερδεξιώτερα ἔτι τὰ κέρατα αὐτῆς τῆς ψιλῆς τοξείας "to extend the elevated right wings of the light-armed archery"
The fifth clause creates difficulty because it is joined to the fourth with an apo teleia/interpunkt which acts roughly like an English colon or semicolon:
ὡς οὐ δοκιμάζω μήποτε ἀσθενῆ τῇ ἀνατάσει τὰ κέρατα γινόμενα ἰδόντες δι' αὐτῶν ὤσαιντο καὶ διακόψαιεν τὸ πεζικόν. "I don't approve at all, as seeing the wings to have become weak by extension they might push through them and break the infantry.”
It does seem plausible that the apo teleia/interpunct is a mistake, and that δοκιμάζω has the infinitive ἀνατείνεσθαι as its object plus the ὡς clause to explain the lack of approval. Are there any other places in the Ektasis where Arrian uses an infinitive and expects readers to understand "(I would order them) to X"?
The first three clauses are clear: τάδε μὲν γίνεσθαι, εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης προσβολῆς φυγὴ κατάσχοι τοὺς ἐναντίους· εἰ δὲ ἐπιστραφέντες ἐς κύκλους ὑπὲρ τὰ κέρατα παρελαύνειν ἐθέλοιεν "And such would be the situation, if flight seizes the opponents after the first assault, but if having wheeled they want to ride past beyond the wings, ..."
The fourth clause appears to have no finite verb just infinitives: ἀνατείνεσθαι μὲν <ἐς> τὰ ὑπερδεξιώτερα ἔτι τὰ κέρατα αὐτῆς τῆς ψιλῆς τοξείας "to extend the elevated right wings of the light-armed archery"
The fifth clause creates difficulty because it is joined to the fourth with an apo teleia/interpunkt which acts roughly like an English colon or semicolon:
ὡς οὐ δοκιμάζω μήποτε ἀσθενῆ τῇ ἀνατάσει τὰ κέρατα γινόμενα ἰδόντες δι' αὐτῶν ὤσαιντο καὶ διακόψαιεν τὸ πεζικόν. "I don't approve at all, as seeing the wings to have become weak by extension they might push through them and break the infantry.”
It does seem plausible that the apo teleia/interpunct is a mistake, and that δοκιμάζω has the infinitive ἀνατείνεσθαι as its object plus the ὡς clause to explain the lack of approval. Are there any other places in the Ektasis where Arrian uses an infinitive and expects readers to understand "(I would order them) to X"?
Nullis in verba
I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
