Taking, as
an illustration, the 233d line of the first book of the _Iliad_, where the
hero of the poem is violently abusing Agamemnon for depriving him of his
prize, the fair maid Briseis, he says,
[Greek: "All' ek toi ereo, kai epi megan horkon homoumai."]
What is the meaning of [Greek: ek] in the above line? It is commonly
construed with [Greek: ereo], and translated, "I plainly tell thee--I
declare to thee;" [Greek: exereo], "I speak out--proclaim." But may it not
be identical with the Sanscrit _ek_, "one," a word, as most of your readers
are doubtless aware, in universal use throughout India, Persia, &c; the
rendering literally running thus:
"But _one_ thing I tell thee," &c.
That this is the original sense of the line appears probable by comparing
it with line 297. of the {419} same book, where in the _second_ speech of
Achilles, that _impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer_, chieftain _again_
scolds "the king of men,"--
"[Greek: Allo de toi ereo, sy d' ene phresi balleo sesi.]"
"And _another_ thing I tell thee."
This rendering receives additional confirmation by a comparison with the
following:
"[Greek: Touto de toi ereo.]"
_Il._ iii. 177., and _Od._ vii. 243.
"[Greek: Panta de toi ereo.]"
_Od._ iv. 410., and x. 289.
In the last three lines [Greek: Allo], [Greek: Touto], and [Greek: Panta]
stand precisely in the same relation to [Greek: ereo] that [Greek: ek] does
in the first, [Greek: All'] merely taking the place of [Greek: de], for the
sake of versification.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25