ἰώ
δυοῖν κακοῖν προκειμένοιν τὸ μὴ χεῖρον βέλτιστον → the lesser of two evils, the less bad thing of a pair of bad things, better the devil you know, better the devil you know than the devil you don't, better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, better the devil you know than the one you don't, better the devil you know than the one you don't know, the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't
English (LSJ)
an exclam., chiefly in dramatic poetry (lyr.); freq. repeated twice, rarely three times, as A.Supp.125; esp. in invoking aid, ἰ. μάκαρες, ἰ. θεοί, Id.Th.96, S.Ph.736;
A ἰ. ἰ. Παιάν Id.Tr.222; ἰ. Βάκχαι E.Ba.578. 2 freq. also of grief or suffering, oh! ἰ. δύστανος S. Ant.850; ἰ. μοί μοι Id.OC199, etc.; ἰ. κακοπάρθενε Μοῖρα AP7.468 (Mel.); ἰ. Σπάρτα ib.434 (Diosc.): c. gen., ἰ., πάτερ, σοῦ τῶν τε . . τέκνων A.Ag.1305; ἰ. μοι πόνων E.Ph.1290; ἰ. ἰ. τραυμάτων Ar.Ach. 1205. 3 rarely in Prose, ἰ., φασί τινες, of an objector, Gal.Thras. 32. II with other Interj., ἰ. ὢ ὤ S.OC224; ἒ ἒ ἰ. Id.El.840. [ῐ: yet sts. ῑ, in anap., A.Ag.1455, S.El.149, E.Alc.741.]
German (Pape)
[Seite 1277] Interjection, bes. der Freude, häufig bei den Tragg., z. B. ἰὼ μάκαρες εὔεδροι Aesch. Spt. 93, ἰὼ θεοί Soph. Phil. 736, ἰὼ γενεαὶ βροτῶν O. R. 1186; zweimal, ἰὡ ἰώ, Ai. 693, ἰὼ ἰὼ Παιάν Tr. 220; Eur. Bacch. 576; – der Trauer, ἰὼ τάλαινα Aesch. Ag. 1028; ἰὼ δύστανος, ἰὼ τλήμων Soph. Ant. 843 Ai. 877; Eur. Hec. 716 u. öfter; ἰὼ ἰὼ ἰὼ δυσάγκριτοι πόνοι Aesch. Suppl. 118; ἰώ μοι, ἰώ μοί μοι, Soph. O. C. 199 Ai. 326 u. öfter; Eur. El. 159; Ar. Vesp. 750; c. gen., ἰὼ πάτερ σοῦ τῶν τε γενναίων τέκνων Aesch. Ag. 1300; ἰώ μοι πόνων Eur. Phoen. 1289; ἰὼ ἰὼ τραυμάτων ἐπωδύνων Ar. Ach. 1166. Seltener bei anderen Dichtern, Diosc. 34 Mel. 124 (VII, 434. 468). [Ι eigentlich kurz. wird auch lang gebraucht von den Tragg.]
