Ancient Greek→English translation forum

τὰ δὲ πεπερασμένα πεπερασμενάκις ἀνάγκη πεπεράνθαι πάντα → and the product of a finite number of things taken in a finite number of ways must always be finite

Started by spiros

τῷ ἄφρονι περιττεύει τὸ πάθος → the stupid man is carried away by passion

Started by spiros

πάντα πόνος τεύχει θνητοῖς μελέτη τε βροτείη → all things are made for mortals by human toil and care

Started by spiros

ἔτλην δ' οἷ' οὔ πώ τις ἐπιχθόνιος βροτὸς ἄλλος → I have endured as much as no other mortal

Started by spiros

Ὥσπερ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἡλίου μὴ ὄντος καυστικοῦ, ἀλλ' οὔσης ζωτικῆς καὶ ζωοποιοῦ θέρμης ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπλήκτου, ὁ ἀὴρ παθητικῶς δέχεται τὸ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ϕῶς καὶ καυστικῶς· οὕτως οὖν ἁρμονίας οὔσης ἐν αὐτοῖς τινὸς καὶ ἑτέρου εἴδους ϕωνῆς ἡμεῖς παθητικῶς ἀκούομεν –> Just as although the Sun itself does not cause burning but has a heat in it that is life-giving, life-engendering, and mild, the air receives light from it by being affected and burned, so also although there is a certain harmony and a different kind of voice in them, we hear it by being affected.

Started by spiros

φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρήσθ' ὁμιλίαι κακαί → bad company ruins good habits

Started by spiros

μάλα δ' ὦκα θύρηθ' ἔα ἀμφὶς ἐκείνων –> very soon I was out, away from them | very soon was out of the water, and away from them

Started by spiros

ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον → how God ever brings like men together | birds of a feather flock together | how the god always leads like to like | as ever, god brings like and like together | as always the god brings like to like

Started by spiros

ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς φιλαυτίας παρηγμένοι ἄλογα φασὶν τὰ ζῷα ἐφεξῆς τὰ ἄλλα σύμπαντα → it is self-love which leads them to say that all the other animals without exception are non-rational

Started by spiros

ἐν ξηρῷ → in a dry manner, drily, in the dry

Started by David N

ἄμμες δὲ γ' ἐσσόμεσθα πολλῷ κάρρονες → and we shall be better by far | we shall be sometime mightier men by far than both | sometime we shall become much better than you | so we shall be, and braver far

Started by spiros

Βίων δύο ἔλεγε διδασκαλίας εἶναι θανάτου, τόν τε πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι χρόνον καὶ τὸν ὕπνον –> Bion used to say that we have two teachers for death: the time before we were born and sleep | Bion said that there are two rehearsals for death: the time before being born and sleep

Started by spiros

Ἀναξαγόρας δύο ἔλεγε διδασκαλίας εἶναι θανάτου, τόν τε πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι χρόνον καὶ τὸν ὕπνον –> Anaxagoras used to say that we have two teachers for death: the time before we were born and sleep | Anaxagoras said that there are two rehearsals for death: the time before being born and sleep

Started by spiros

τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι κρεῖσσον ἢ φῦναι βροτοῖς → not existing is better for mortals than being born, not to be born is better than life for mortals

Started by spiros

τὸν θάνατον τί φοβεῖσθε, τὸν ἡσυχίης γενετῆρα, τὸν παύοντα νόσους καὶ πενίης ὀδύνας –> why fear ye death, the parent of repose, who numbs the sense of penury and pain

Started by spiros

οὐ δικαίως θάνατον ἔχθουσιν βροτοί, ὅσπερ μέγιστον ῥῦμα τῶν πολλῶν κακῶν –> unjustly men hate death, which is the greatest defence against their many ills | men are not right in hating death, which is the greatest succour from our many ills

Started by spiros

κακῶν ἀπέστω θάνατος, ὡς ἴδῃ κακά –> of all evils let only death be absent, so he may see evils

Started by spiros

ὦ θάνατε, σωφρόνισμα τῶν ἀγνωμόνων –> o death, chastener of the foolish | ο death, warning to the arrogant

Started by spiros

κάλλιστον τὸ δικαιότατον, λῷστον δ' ὑγιαίνειν –> nothing is more beautiful than being just, but nothing is more pleasant than being healthy | Most beautiful is what is most just; the best thing is to be healthy.

Started by spiros

ὡς τρὶς ἂν παρ' ἀσπίδα στῆναι θέλοιμ' ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ τεκεῖν ἅπαξ → I would rather stand three times with a shield in battle than give birth once

Started by spiros