• This Knol is part of the Learning Greek for Beginners collection. (Note: This series was started in Google Knol that is now discontinued)
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Lesson 5 summary

In Lesson 4 we will keep using the same model we used in the previous lessons. We will see a new dialogue and attempt to analyze it.  The main goal is to learn how some verbs are used in various persons. Please do not forget to ask anything you want, either via email or via comments in this page.

Dialogue No. 5

This dialogue concerns the trick Odysseus (Gr. Οδυσσέας) uses against the cyclops Polyphemus regarding his name. When Odysseus was asked about his name, he answered that his name was "Nobody". As a result, when he blinded the giant and escaped and others asked Polyphemus who had blinded him, Polyphemus told everyone that "nobody" had done this to him, hence making the escape of the hero easier. The dialogue will have a philosophical twist regarding the name and a more clever cyclops who questions the existence of the name, since we are in... Harmonia Philosophica! [In brackets one can read the way the Greek words are pronounced, with Latin characters].

The dialogue goes like this:

- Πως σε λένε; [Pos se lene?]

- Το όνομα μου είναι Κανένας [To onoma mou einai kanenas]

- Κανένας; Πως γίνεται αυτό; Αφού είσαι κάποιος! [Kanenas? Pos ginetai auto? Afou eisai kapoios!]

- Κάποιος που δεν έχει όμως όνομα. [Kapoios pou den exei omos onoma]

- Και όμως σε βλέπω. Και σου μιλάω. Όπως και εσύ εμένα. [Kai omos se blepo. Kai sou milao. Opos kai esy emena]

- Πρέπει όλα όσα βλέπεις να έχουν όνομα; [Prepei ola osa blepeis na exoun onoma?]

- Ναι. Αλλιώς δεν υπάρχουν. Ο Λόγος δίνει ύπαρξη στα πάντα. [Nai. Allios den yparxoun. O Logos dinei iparxi sta panta]

- Τότε ας σου πω το όνομα μου. Είναι Οδυσσέας. Υπάρχω. Και σου μιλάω. [Tote as sou po to onoma mou. Einai Odysseas. Yparxo. Kai sou milao]

- Χάρηκα Οδυσσέα. Και εγώ υπάρχω. Και σε βλέπω. [Xarika Odyssea. Kai ego yparxo. Kai se blepo]

- Μην βασίζεσαι πολύ στην όραση σου. Τα μάτια της ψυχής βλέπουν καλύτερα. [Min basizesai poly stin orasi sou. Ta matia tis psyxis blepoun kalytera]

In English that same dialogue means:

- What is your name?

- My name is Nobody.

- Nobody? How can this be? You are somebody!

- Somebody with no name.

- And yet I see you. And I talk to you. As you see me.

- Must everything that you see have a name?

- Yes. Otherwise they do not exist. Logos gives existence to everything.

- Then let me tell you my name. It is Odysseus. I exist. And I talk to you.

- Nice to meet you Odysseus. I exist too. And I see you.

- Do not rely too much on your vision. The eyes of the soul see better.

In that dialogue, the discussion is developed around the name of Odysseus and the word Nobody. Polyphemus wisely says that everything that exists must have a name.

name => όνομα (onoma)

exist => ύπαρξη (iparxi)

Since he sees Odysseus in front of him, then Odysseus cannot be called Nobody.

Yet => Και όμως (similar to "but" that translates usually to "αλλά") (kai omos)

See => Βλέπω (blepo)

Eyes => Μάτια (matia)

Lesson Questions & Answers

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