A grammar of the Homeric dialect - Wilbourhall.org

264.] HOMERIC AND ATTIC ARTICLE. 233
fining Article of modern languages, and of Attic Greek, we
naturally import it into Homer whenever it is not made impos-
the context. But even when a Homeric use falls under
sible by
the general head of the ' defining Article'' ( 261),
the effect is
perceptibly different from that of the ' Definite Article ' properly
so called. In Homer the Article indicates, not that a person or
thing is a known or definite one, but that it is presented
to us in
an antithesis or contrast. Objects so contrasted are usually
definite, in the sense that they are already known or suggested
by the context : and hence the readiness with which the later
defining sense can be applied to passages in Homer. Thus avrap
o y 7Jpo)s can usually be translated but the hero (before mentioned),
as though 6 distinguished him from other heroes. But when we
find that aurap 6 in Homer constantly means but Jie, or but the
other ,
and that it
may be followed by an epexegetic Noun (as
avrap 6 (3ovv I4pvapirr]$6va blov
not the others, but others as well, certain others.
II. 5- 672 TJ Trpore/xo Atos vlov epiyboviroio 6"ia>Koi,
77 o ye Ttov irXtovtov AVKLMV aTro Qvpbv eAoiro
or should take the lives of more Lydans instead. Here ot TT\OVS
does not mean ' the greater number/ but ' a greater number/ in
contrast to the one person mentioned.
II. 22. 162 ws 5' OT aeOXotyopoi 7re/)t repjmara fJLu>vv^S iTnroi
piu(f)a jj,d\a TP^UKTL' TO /uteya Ketrat ae#Aoz>
and there a great prize lies ready. So Od. 20. 242 avrap o . .
opvLs but a bird. The same thing is shown by T&V
fjivrjo-Trjpcov
pw KT\. ( 259, It is evident that TWK
b).
is used, not because
the suitors are definite persons, but because a contrast is made
by jjieK.
The same remark applies to the use with Adjectives ( 260),
especially to the use by which they are turned into Substantives,
as TO Kpyyvov,
TO. KaKa. In Homer ra KUKCL is said because in
the particular context KaKa evils are opposed to good. In Attic
ra KaKa or TO Kattov implies that evils form a class of things,
distinguished from all other things.
This again
is a difference,