Symposium 192C R.E. Allen
Ava Bridges /
- Created on 2026-04-03 07:10:04
- Modified on 2026-04-06 15:14:44
- Aligned by Ava Bridges
I picked this sentence for translation alignment because of the way Allen phrases the last few words. I am interested in the image which Aristophanes is creating here: souls wishing for something, i.e. eros, which is beyond their ability to articulate. Particularly, I am interested in μαντευται, it divines, and αἰνίττεται, it speaks in riddles. Aristophanes seems to draw on some mystic formulation here, the metaphor being one of oracular supernatural occurrence.
From doing this alignment, I've noticed that Allen has kept rather close to the original order of the passage, with most exceptions being due to English grammar structure. I also believe that this translation is honest to the original meaning of the passage as well. Overall, doing this alignment has reinforced the concept that Ancient Greek simply uses particles at a higher rate than English. While in most cases, there would be nothing incorrect in retaining all of the particles, the English translation would certainly be clunky.