Reading Passages
Assignment
1. Read the entire passage aloud in Greek.
2. Vocabulary and commentary is provided for each verse. For words that do not appear in the vocabulary, please use your dictionary.
3. Translate the passage. As you translate the sentences, pay careful attention to words that go together, such as prepositional phrases and relative clauses. Breaking the sentences up into logical units is oftentimes a better first approach than attempting to translate all the words in succession.
To download this assignment as a pdf, click here: AGE Readings 12.
Classical Readings
In his study of the reproduction of living things, Aristotle takes a moment to discuss the different ways we use the term “from”.
ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλαχῶς γίγνεται ἄλλο ἐξ ἄλλου—ἕτερον γὰρ τρόπον ὡς ἐξ ἡμέρας φαμὲν νὺξ γίγνεται καὶ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀνήρ, ὅτι τόδε μετὰ τόδε· ἄλλον δὲ τρόπον ὡς ἐκ χαλκοῦ ἀνδριὰς καὶ ἐκ ξύλου κλίνη καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα ὡς ἐξ ὕλης γίγνεσθαι τὰ γιγνόμενα λέγομεν, ἔκ τινος ἐνυπάρχοντος καὶ σχηματισθέντος τὸ ὅλον ἐστίν. ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον ὡς ἐκ μουσικοῦ ἄμουσος καὶ ὡς ἐξ ὑγιοῦς κάμνων καὶ ὅλως ὡς τὸ ἐναντίον ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου. ἔτι δὲ παρὰ ταῦτα ὡς Ἐπίχαρμος ποιεῖ τὴν ἐποικοδόμησιν, ἐκ τῆς διαβολῆς ἡ λοιδορία, ἐκ δὲ ταύτης ἡ μάχη· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἔκ τινος ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεως. τῶν δὲ τοιούτων ἐνίων μὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεώς ἐστιν οἷον καὶ ἐν τοῖς νῦν εἰρημένοις (μέρος γάρ τι ἡ διαβολὴ τῆς πάσης ταραχῆς ἐστιν), ἐνίων δ’ ἔξω οἷον αἱ τέχναι τῶν δημιουργουμένων καὶ ὁ λύχνος τῆς καιομένης οἰκίας.
Aristotle Generation of Animals 724a20-35
Sentence One
ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλαχῶς γίγνεται ἄλλο ἐξ ἄλλου—ἕτερον γὰρ τρόπον ὡς ἐξ ἡμέρας φαμὲν νὺξ γίγνεται καὶ ἐκ παιδὸς ἀνήρ, ὅτι τόδε μετὰ τόδε·
Vocabulary:
ἄλλο –ου τό (adj) other
ἕτερον –ου τό (adj) different
πολλαχῶς (adv) in many ways
τρόπος –ου ὁ way
Comments:
ἄλλο ἐξ ἄλλου: “an other from an other.” In English, we would say “one thing from another.”
ὅτι τόδε μετὰ τόδε: supply in this clause the verb ἐστί.
Sentence Two
ἄλλον δὲ τρόπον ὡς ἐκ χαλκοῦ ἀνδριὰς καὶ ἐκ ξύλου κλίνη καὶ τἆλλα ὅσα ὡς ἐξ ὕλης γίγνεσθαι τὰ γιγνόμενα λέγομεν, ἔκ τινος ἐνυπάρχοντος καὶ σχηματισθέντος τὸ ὅλον ἐστίν.
Vocabulary:
ἀνδριάς –άντος ὁ image of a man; statue
γιγνόμενον –ον τό something born
ἐνυπάρχον –οντος τό pre-existing
κλίνη –ης ἡ bed, couch
ὅλον –ου τό whole
ὅσον –ου τό all that, all which
σχηματισθέν –έντος τό shaped
ὕλη –ης ἡ material
χαλκός -οῦ ὁ bronze
Comments:
ὡς: Translate as “how.”
τἆλλα: Note the accents! τἆλλα = τὰ ἄλλα. This is an example of crasis, in which a vowel or diphthong that ends a word is contracted with a vowel or diphthong that begins the following word. The result is that the two words are now pronounced as one. Note that the smooth breathing of the second word is preserved in the contraction, which makes crasis easy to spot.
Sentence Three
ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον ὡς ἐκ μουσικοῦ ἄμουσος καὶ ὡς ἐξ ὑγιοῦς κάμνων καὶ ὅλως ὡς τὸ ἐναντίον ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου.
Vocabulary:
ἄμουσος –ου ὁ unmusical, inartistic
ἐνάντιον –ου τό opposite
κάμνων –οντος ὁ sick
μουσικός -οῦ ὁ musical, artistic
ὅλως wholly, in all ways
ὑγιοῦς (gen sg) ὁ healthy
Comments:
For this phrase, supply the verb ἐστί.
Sentence Four
ἔτι δὲ παρὰ ταῦτα ὡς Ἐπίχαρμος ποιεῖ τὴν ἐποικοδόμησιν, ἐκ τῆς διαβολῆς ἡ λοιδορία, ἐκ δὲ ταύτης ἡ μάχη· ταῦτα δὲ πάντα ἔκ τινος ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεως.
Vocabulary:
διαβολή -ῆς ἡ slander
Ἐπίχαρμος –ου ὁ Epicharmus (a playwright and philosopher from Sicily)
ἐποικοδόμησις –εως ἡ build-up
κίνησις –εως ἡ movement
λοιδορία –ας ἡ a screaming fight
Comments:
ἐκ δὲ ταύτης: What is the antecedent of ταύτης?
Sentence Five
τῶν δὲ τοιούτων ἐνίων μὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεώς ἐστιν οἷον καὶ ἐν τοῖς νῦν εἰρημένοις (μέρος γάρ τι ἡ διαβολὴ τῆς πάσης ταραχῆς ἐστιν), ἐνίων δ’ ἔξω οἷον αἱ τέχναι τῶν δημιουργουμένων καὶ ὁ λύχνος τῆς καιομένης οἰκίας.
Vocabulary:
δημιουργούμενον –ου τό something crafted
εἰρημένον –ου τό something mentioned
ἔνιοι -ων οἱ some
ἔξω outside
καιομένη –ης ἡ burning
λύχνος –ου ὁ torch
οἷον for example
ταραχή -ῆς ἡ trouble