φεῦ
ἆρ' ἐς τὸ κάλλος ἐκκεκώφηται ξίφη → can it be that her beauty has blunted their swords, can it be that their swords are blunted at the sight of her beauty
English (LSJ)
exclamation of grief or anger,
A alas! freq. in Trag.; φ. τάλας S.Aj.983, etc.: freq. c. gen., φ. τοῦ ὄρνιθος . . A.Th.597, cf. S.El.920, 1183; φ. τῆς βροτείας [φρενός] E.Hipp.936: joined with other exclam., οἰοῖ δᾶ φ. A.Eu.841 (lyr.); παπαῖ φ. or φ. π., S.Ph.785,792; φ. ὦ Ἑλλάς X.Ages.7.5, cf. Cyr.7.3.8. II of astonishment or admiration, ah! oh! E.Heracl.552, El.262, Ph.1740 (lyr.), Pl.Phdr. 273c, etc., cf. Sch.Ar.Av.162; doubled, φ. φ. E.Heracl.535, Ar. l.c., Theoc.5.86: c. gen., φ. φ. τῆς ὥρας, τοῦ κάλλους Ar.Av.1724 (lyr.); φ. τοῦ ἀνδρός oh, what a man! X.Cyr.3.1.39 (where, however, there is also a sense of grief): also φ. τὸ καὶ λαβεῖν πρόσφθεγμα τοιοῦδ' ἀνδρός oh, but to get speech of such a man! S.Ph.234; folld. by a relat., φεῦ, ὅσῳ λέγεις κτλ. Pl.Phdr.263d; φ. ὡς εὖ λέγεις Id.Hp. Ma.287b.—φεῦ in Trag. and Com. Poets sts. stands extra versum, A.Ag.1307, Ch.194, Ar.Nu.41, etc.; when it forms part of the verse, it is usu. at the beginning, but not so in S.Ph.234, 1302.
