LESSON XIV
The Optative Mood
The optative mood, or subjunctive in a historic sequence after a past tense, is distinguished by the domination of the diphthong οι, and runs thus—
| βουλεύω, | I advise. | ||||
| βουλεύοιμι, | βουλεύοις, | βουλεύοι, | I, thou, he | might | |
| βουλεύοιμεν, | βουλεύοιτε, | βουλεύοιεν, | we, you, they | advise. | |
And so in the second aorist, where there is one, as λάβοιμι, λάβοις, λάβοι, etc., from λαμβάνω, might, could, would, or should get.
In the first aorist the vowel α rules, and becomes αι, as singular, βουλεύσαιμι, βουλεύσαις or ειας, βουλεύσαι or ειε; plural, βουλεύσαιμεν, βουλεύσαιτε, βουλεύσαιεν or ειαν.
The most common uses of the optative may be classified thus—
(1) In narrating what some one said, without guaranteeing the fact; as if I should say in English, he said that he were going to do so, instead of was; e.g. ἔλεγεν ὅτι ἀνδρὶ νέῳ καὶ σφοδρῷ οὐ ῥᾴδιον εἴη κολάζειν τὰ πάθη, he said that it was not easy for a man young and vehement to control his passions.
(2) To express a purpose or consequence in past time, with ὡς, ἵνα, or ὅπως, as ἐπόνει σταθερῶς ἵνα ἆθλον λάβοι, he laboured steadily that he might gain a prize.
(3) After εἰ, if, to express an indefinite future, generally with ἄν in the dependent clause, as εἴ τις αἵρεσίν μοι δοίη, σπουδάζοιμι ἂν περὶ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν γλῶσσαν μᾶλλον ἢ περὶ τὴν Ἰταλικήν, if one gave me the choice, I should prefer to study Greek rather than Italian.
(4) To express a wish (from which use the name optative came), as μὴ γένοιτο, may it not happen—God forbid!
ὁ φίλος μου συνεβούλευσέ μοι πηδᾷν εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ, ὅπως
κυνὸς δίκην μάθοιμι τὸ
νήχεσθαι· ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐς τοσοῦτο ἥκω μωρίας,
my friend advised me to leap into the water that I might
learn to swim like a dog; but I am not such a fool.
εὖ λέγεις· ὁμολογῶ σοι τερπνότερον μὲν εἶναι τὸ ὀρχεῖσθαι,
χρησιμώτερον δέ ποτε
τὸ νήχεσθαι ἔν γε τῇ ναυαγίᾳ,
you say well; I must confess dancing is more agreeable, but
swimming
is sometimes more useful, especially in a shipwreck.
τῶν γνωρίμων τῶν ἐμῶν τις εἶπε ὅτι ἀσκοῖ τὸ νήχεσθαι, ἵνα
διαφεύγοι τοὺς κινδ́ῡνους τῆς θαλάσσης,
an acquaintance of mine told me that he is practising
swimming to escape the dangers of the sea.
σοφὸς ἐκεῖνος, a wise man he.
ἀσπὶς τῶν σοφῶν ἡ πρόνοια,
forethought is the shield of the wise.
ἀκούσας ᾄδοντος τοῦ ἀλεκτρυόνος εὐθὺς ἀπέσεισα τὸν ὕπνον καὶ
ἀπέδραμον ὡς τάχιστα ἵνα μὴ ὑστεροῖμι τῶν ἀγώνων,
hearing the cock crow I forthwith shook off sleep, and ran at
full speed that I might not be too late for the games.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἄνευ τῆς χλαίνης ἀπέδραμον ἵνα μὴ τοῦ λαμπροῦ
θεάματος ἀστοχοῖμι,
and I ran off without my plaid, that I might not miss so
splendid a spectacle.
ἐκεῖ δὲ τί εἶδες;
what did you see there?
θύλακον μέγαν εἶδον ὑδρογόνῳ οἰδοῦντα ἀέρι,
I saw a huge bag full of hydrogen gas.
καὶ ἄνδρα ἔντοσθεν ἀεροβατοῦντα, ἵνα γε προσχάνοι αὐτῷ πολὺς
ὄχλος ὡς ἐπισκεψομένῳ δῆθεν τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἐν τῇ σελήνῃ,
and a man inside, sailing through the air, that he might
make a rabble of people stare at him, as one going to pay
a visit to the man in the moon.
ὦ τῆς μωρίας, O what folly!
μωρὸς μωρὸν θαυμάζει, fool admires fool.
καταβαίνοντα αὐτὸν σφοδρότερος αἰφνιδίως ἁρπάσας ἄνεμος
παρήνεγκε εἰς τὸ κωδωνοστάσιον τοῦ μεγάλου ἱεροῦ τῶν ἐπισκοπικῶν,
καὶ ὁ ἀλεκτρυὼν ὁ ἐν τῷ ἄκρῳ διεκέντησε τὰ ἐντόσθια,
as he was coming down a strong blast suddenly seized him
and drove him on to the steeple of the cathedral, and the
cock on the top of the steeple pierced his bowels.
ὦ τοῦ δειλαίου, O the poor wretch!
ὦ τοῦ ἄφρονος· δίκαια ἔπαθεν· ἀεροβατεῖν δεῖ τὰς ὄρνῑθας
τὸν αἰθέρα, οὐ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους,
O the fool! served him right!
birds ought to tread the air, not men.
English Affinities
Mathematics. Homologate. Orchestra. Ode. Agony. Theatre. Acrobat. Ochlocracy. Sceptic. Ornithology. Fugitive. Hypnotism. Pathology. Ether.