Expert: Maria - 11/2/2009

Question
Hello, I was wondering if you could help me out,
Im trying to get a translation of a section on the Iliad book 6,
The conversation between Glaucus and Diomedes,

"Woe to those fathers whose sons face my might."

Thank you very much,
John.

Answer
Hello,

Since "Woe to those fathers whose sons face my might" is nothing but an English translation/adaptation  of the original Greek text of Homer’s Iliad, book 6, line 127, here are the original words Diomedes says when talking to Glaucus:

-“δυστήνων δέ τε παῖδες ἐμῷ μένει ἀντιόωσιν “(ancient Greek letters)
-“dusténôn dé te paîdes emôi ménei antióôsin” (Latin transliteration)

The literal translation of this line is the following:

-”They who face my might are sons of unhappy persons”
(See below for grammatical analysis)


Such a literal translation has been modified in English simply  to better express how are unhappy those fathers whose sons dare to face Diomedes force, just like Glaucus, and then we have the following lines:

-"Woe to those fathers whose sons face my might”
or:
-“Unhappy are they whose children face my might”.

Best regards,
Maria
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GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS:

-δυστήνων / dusténôn  (genitive plural of the adjective “dústenos”/ δύστηνος, unhappy)= of unhappy persons

-δέ τε παῖδες / dé te paîdes (subject in the nominative plural of “paîs”/ παῖς”, son, child) = [are] sons

-ἐμῷ / emôi (indirect object, dative case of the possessive adjective “emós”/ ἐμός, my)= my

-μένει / ménei (indirect object,dative of the noun “ménos”/ μένος”, might, force)= might

-ἀντιόωσιν / antióôsin (3rd pl pres ind act of the verb “antiáô”/”ἀντιάω”, I face, I encounter, I meet)= they who face