Translation - Μετάφραση

Translation Assistance => Other language pairs => Ancient Greek→English translation forum => Topic started by: panther on 26 Aug, 2005, 20:04:23

Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: panther on 26 Aug, 2005, 20:04:23
I was hoping someone could help me translate this fragment of Euripides into English:

Πολλοις ο Δαιμων, οε κατ' ευνοιαν φερων, / Μεγαλα διδωσιν ευτυχηματ', αλλ' ινα / Τας συμφορας λαζωσιν εμφανεστερας.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer! 
Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: banned8 on 27 Aug, 2005, 15:15:13
I have no idea where you have unearthed this and would love to know its source.

There are a couple of typos: οε should be ου, and I have no idea what λαζωσιν stands for.

However, what it means is:

[Word for word]
To many God, not out of good will, great gives prosperities, misfortunes ... greater.

In other words:
God will often bring good fortune to many, not out of good will, but only to make misfortunes appear greater.
Or something to that effect.
Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: panther on 27 Aug, 2005, 15:23:04
Thanks for the help!

I came across this Greek passage in an annotation to a nineteenth-century edition of John Milton's poetry, edited by Henry J. Todd.  The annotation is associated with line 682 of Milton's Samson Agonistes. 



Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: banned8 on 27 Aug, 2005, 15:29:41
Right, so I now have to start wondering where Henry J. Todd unearthed it... Could you please confirm the accurate spelling of those two words?
Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: panther on 27 Aug, 2005, 21:09:46
I've found two typos that I made:

1.) You were right: “oε” should be replaced with “ου”
2.) “εμφανεστερας” should be replaced with “εμφανεςερας”

Regarding the word "λαζωσιν", the third character is difficult to read in the edition of Todd that I consulted.  Otherwise, I have copied the word correctly.

Regarding Todd's source, he lists (without further explanation) "Incert. Trag. Eurip. v. 12. edit. Barnes."
Title: Πολλοῖς ὁ Δαίμων, οὐ κατ' εὔνοιαν φέρων, / Μεγάλα δίδωσιν εὐτυχήματ' ... (Euripides) → God brings great good fortune to many, not out of good will,...
Post by: banned8 on 27 Aug, 2005, 21:38:29
The complete saying should then be:

Πολλοις ο Δαιμων, ου κατ' ευνοιαν φερων,
Μεγαλα διδωσιν ευτυχηματ', αλλ' ινα
Τας συμφορας λαβωσιν εμφανεστερας.


The best I can do with this:
God will bring good fortune to many, not out of good will, but only to make misfortunes appear greater to them.

And for those interested, here is the relevant section in Samson Agonistes:

Yet toward these, thus dignified, thou oft,
Amidst their highth of noon,
Changest thy countenance and thy hand, with no regard
Of highest favours past
From thee on them, or them to thee of service         685
Nor only dost degrade them, or remit
To life obscured, which were a fair dismission,
But throw’st them lower than thou didst exalt them high—
Unseemly falls in human eye,
Too grievous for the trespass or omission;         690
Oft leav’st them to the hostile sword
Of heathen and profane, their carcasses
To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captived,
Or to the unjust tribunals, under change of times,
And condemnation of the ungrateful multitude.