αἴ

αἴ or αἶ (authorities vary, cf. Hdn.Gr. 1.496, Tz. ad Lyc. 31),

• interj. of astonishment or grief:—αἲ τάλαν Ar. Pl. 706, cf. Min. Oxy. 413.73: c. acc., αἲ τὸν Ἄδωνιν Bion 1.32; freq. doubled αἰαῖ (Hdn.Gr. 2.933), Thgn. 1341, B. 5.153, A. Th. 787, Alciphr. Fr. 4: c. gen., αἰαῖ τόλμας E. Hipp. 814 (lyr.), cf. A. Ch. 1007, Alciphr. 3.67, etc.: c. acc., αἰαῖ Ἄδωνιν Ar. Lys. 393, cf. Bion 1.28; αἰαῖ πέτρον ἐκεῖνον AP 7.554 (Phil.), cf. 9.424 (Duris Elait.). [αῐαῑ generally, sometimes αῑαῑ, as A. Th. l.c.]

αἴ, Wunschpartikel ; Hom. αἲ γάρ, αἲ γὰρ δή, z.B. Od. 9.523 αἲ γὰρ δὴ ψυχῆς τε καὶ αἰῶνός σε δυναίμην εὖνιν ποιήσας πέμψαι δόμον Ἄιδος εἴσω, ὡς οὐκ ὀφθαλμόν γʼ ἰήσεται οὐδʼ ἐνοσίχθων, vgl. 17.251 ; Il. 4.189 αἲ γὰρ δὴ οὕτως εἴη, φίλος ὦ Μενέλαε. ἕλκος δʼ ἰητὴρ ἐπιμάσσεται ; 4.288 αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον, τοῖος πᾶσιν θυμὸς ἐνὶ στήθεσσι γένοιτο· τῷ κε τάχʼ ἠμύσειε πόλις Πριάμοιο ἄνακτος, Od. 7.311 αἲ γάρ, Ζεῦ τε πάτερ καὶ Ἀθηναίη καὶ Ἄπολλον, τοῖος ἐὼν οἷός ἐσσι, τά τε φρονέων ἅ τʼ ἐγώ περ, παῖδά τʼ ἐμὴν ἐχέμεν καὶ ἐμὸς γαμβρὸς καλέεσθαι αὖθι μένων· οἶκον δέ τʼ ἐγὼ καὶ κτήματα δοίην, εἴ κʼ ἐθέλων γε μένοις. ἀέκοντα δέ σʼ οὔ τις ἐρύξει.

αἴ

[cf. εἰ.]

• • 1

    αἲ γάρ with opt. expressing a wish = εἰ 2..b: αἲ γάρ μή τις φύγοι Il. 16.97. Cf. Il. 4.288, Il. 10.536, Il. 18.272, 464, Il. 22.346, 454: αἲ γὰρ δύναμιν περιθεῖεν Od. 3.205. Cf. Od. 4.341, Od. 6.244, Od. 8.339, Od. 9.523, Od. 15.156, 536, Od. 17.132, 163, 251, Od. 18.235, Od. 19.22, 309, Od. 20.169, 236, Od. 21.200, 402.

    Of the present: αἲ γὰρ ἡβῷμι Il. 7.132. Cf. Il. 2.371, Il. 4.189: Od. 4.697, Od. 16.99, Od. 21.372.

    See also αἴθε 1.

    With infin.: αἲ γὰρ παῖδʼ ἐμὴν ἐχέμεν Od. 7.311. Cf. Od. 24.376.

  • 2

    With fut. indic. and κεν,

    subj. and κεν, and opt. and κεν in the protasis of conditional sentences = εἰ 5. For the examples and constructions see Table at end (III).

  • 3

    In final clauses, if haply, in the hope that.

    With subj. and κεν = εἰ 9.b.β: σπεύδειν αἴ κʼ ὄφελος γενώμεθα Il. 13.236. Cf. Il. 1.66 (reading βούλητʼ (the indic. cannot be explained)), 207, 408, 420, Il. 2.72, 83, Il. 6.94, 275, 277, 281, 309, Il. 7.243, Il. 8.282, Il. 9.172, Il. 10.55, Il. 11.797, 799, Il. 12.275, Il. 13.743, Il. 16.41, 725, Il. 17.121, Il. 18.143, 199, 213, 457, Il. 21.293, Il. 23.82, Il. 24.116, 301, 357: Od. 1.279, 379, Od. 2.144, Od. 3.92, Od. 4.34, 322, Od. 12.215, Od. 13.182, Od. 15.312, Od. 17.51, 60, Od. 22.7, 252.

  • 4

    In object clauses, whether.

  • • a

      With subj. and κεν = εἰ 10 b.β: πειρήσομαι αἴ κε τύχωμι (and see whether . . .) Il. 5.279, εἰπέμεναι ἔπος αἴ κʼ ἐθέλωσιν (i.e. ask if they will agree) Il. 7.375, πειρήσεται αἴ κε θέῃσιν (to see whether . . .) Il. 18.601. Cf. Il. 4.249, Il. 7.394, Il. 11.791, Il. 17.652, 692, Il. 19.71, Il. 20.436: εἰπέ μοι, αἴ κε γνώω (that I may see whether . . .) Od. 14.118. Cf. Od. 2.186, Od. 24.217.

    • b

      With opt. and κεν = εἰ 10 c.β: εἰπεῖν αἴ κέ περ ὔμμι φίλον γένοιτο (and see whether . . .) Il. 7.387.

αἴ

• Exclam. of astonishment, ha! αἲ τάλας Ar.