Herbert Weir Smyth [
n.d.],
A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [
info] [
word count] [
Smyth].
1781
An unattainable wish may also be expressed by ὤφελον (ought) with the present or aorist infinitive: ὤφελε Κῦρος ζῆν would that Cyrus were (now) alive (Cyrus ought to be alive) X. A. 2.1.4 ( cross1775). The negative is μή: μήποτ' ὤφελον λιπεῖν τὴν Σκῦρον
would that I had never left Scyros
S. Ph. 969. εἴθε or εἰ γάρ (poet. αἴθε, ὡς) may be used before ὤφελον: εἰ γὰρ ὤφελον οἷοί τε εἶναι οἱ πολλοὶ κακὰ ἐργάζεσθαι would that the multitude were able to do evil Pl. Cr. 44 d.
Herbert Weir Smyth [
n.d.],
A Greek Grammar for Colleges; Machine readable text [
info] [
word count] [
Smyth].
