[B-Greek] "gnomic" masculine

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Thu Jun 26 16:20:39 EDT 2008


On Jun 26, 2008, at 3:38 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

> It was the syntax and not the gender that sent me to the reference
> works on Soph.Electra line 770-71
>
> KLUTAIMHSTRA
> 770       DEINON TO TIKTEIN ESTIN: OUDE GAR KAKWS
> 	771 PASCONTI MISOS hWN TEKHi PROSGIGNETAI.
>
> J.H.Kells (Soph.ELECTRA P.151 n770f) and G.Cooper (2:43.1.2.c) both
> comment on the masculine[or neuter] participle PASCONTI. KLUTAIMHSTRA
> makes what sounds like a rather modern (late 20th cent.) remark about
> childbirth using the participle PASCONTI. Kells and Cooper: since the
> statement is a general observation the masculine form is used. The
> syntax of the second half OUDE ... PROSGIGNETAI seems both awkward and
> obfuscatious.
>
> Kells
>
> ... MISOS hWN TEKHi PROSGIGNETAI "hatred accrues to one of the
> children (one) has borne."
>
> Cooper (Gildersleeve)
>
> OUDE GAR KAKWS PASCONTI
> "Not even when one has suffered wrong ..."
>
> MISOS hWN TEKHi PROSGIGNETAI
>
> "... can one be brought to hate the child that one has borne."

I don't find this at all problematic except for the term "gnomic" --  
do you perhaps mean "generic"?


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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