Help with Xenophon Hellenica

[Petronius1993]

Salvete omnes,

I was wondering if someone could help me with the grammar of Hellenica 2.3.31.

Critias is accusing Theramenes of treason and makes the point that leaders should not simply turn back and retreat when the going gets tough. He compares this to how captains should not turn their vessels around at the first sight of bad weather and says:

εἰ δὲ μή, πῶς ἂν ἀφίκοιντό ποτε ἔνθα δεῖ, εἰ ἐπειδάν τι ἀντικόψῃ, εὐθὺς εἰς τἀναντία πλέοιεν;

I understand the translation, my questions are:

1) What is δει doing if there is no infinitive? Is there some usage with the optative that I'm missing?

2) I don't really understand the role of the optative and subjunctive, or the relationship between them in the two clauses. Is the optative used in a potential clause with αν with the subjunctive in the relative clause standing for a future? I'm completey baffled.

Thank you so much in advance and apologies for my ineptness. . .

 

[Dantius]

1. With δεῖ, one should supply ἀφικέσθαι, i.e. "how would they arrive to where they ought (to arrive)".

2. The condition πῶς ἂν ἀφίκοιντο, εἰ πλέοιεν; is a future less vivid conditional (if x were to happen, y would happen).

Within that, the ἐπειδάν clause is simulating a present general conditional (recall that, when you have a clause like "whenever x happens, y happens," the standard formula is to use ἄν + subjunctive in the subordinate clause, and a present indicative in the main clause). So "whenever anything hinders them, they sail back" would be ἐπειδάν τι ἀντικόψῃ, εἰς τἀναντία πλέουσιν. That structure for the ἐπειδάν clause is preserved even if the main clause (the apodosis) has reason to be in another tense/mood — which, in this case, it does, being the protasis of the future less vivid conditional.

 

[Petronius1993]

Thank you so much for your response, that clears everything up! I'm teaching myself so I really appreciate you taking the time out to give such a clear explanation!