αἴ
χρὴ τῶν ἀγαθῶν διακναιομένων πενθεῖν ὅστις χρηστὸς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς νενόμισται → when a good man is hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with him | when good men are being dragged down, anyone with worthy credentials must feel their pain | when the noble are afflicted, those who all their lives have been deemed loyal must mourn
English (LSJ)
or αἶ (authorities vary, cf. Hdn.Gr.1.496, Tz.adLyc.31), interj. of astonishment or grief:—A 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 AP7.554 (Phil.), cf. 9.424 (Duris Elait.). [αῐαῑ generally, sometimes αῖαῑ, as A. Th. l.c.]
Greek (Liddell-Scott)
αἴ: ἐπιφώνημα θαυμασμοῦ ἢ ἀγανακτήσεως, = ἆ ! Ἡρωδιαν. παρ’ Ἀρκαδ. 183. 20, Ἰωανν. Ἀλεξ. τονικὰ παραγγέλμ. 32, 25, ὅστις ἀναφέρει ὡς παράδειγμα τὸ αἲ τάλαν, ἐκ τοῦ Πλούτ. τοῦ Ἀριστοφ. 706. ΙΙ. αἶ (περισπώμενον) ἐπιφώνημα θλίψεως, = ἄχ ! Λατ. vae μόνον ἐν χρήσει ἐν τῷ δισυλλάβῳ αἰαῖ, (ὡς μανθάνομεν παρὰ τοῦ Ἡρωδιαν. Περὶ μον. λέξ. 27. 13.), οὐχὶ κατὰ διαίρεσιν αἶ αἶ ἢ αἴ αἴ (ὡς ἐν τοῖς χειρογρ.), ἀλλὰ καθ’ ἕνωσιν, ὡς ἀνωτέρω. Εἶναι συχν. παρὰ Τραγ. αἰαῖ τόλμας, Εὐρ. Ἱππ. 814· καὶ κατ’ ἐπανάληψιν, αἰαῖ αἰαῖ μελέων ἔργων, Αἰσχύλ. Χο. 1007, πρβλ. Πέρσ. 1039: συχνάκις δὲ τίθεται ἐν τῷ στίχῳ μετὰ χασμωδίας, οἷον, αἰαῖ ἱκνοῦμαι, Σοφ. Ἠλ. 136, πρβλ. Τρ. 969, μεταγεν. μετὰ αἰτ. αἰαῖ τὰν Κυθέρειαν, Βίων 1. 28 κλπ.· αἰαῖ πέτρον ἐκεῖνον, Ἀνθ. Π. 7. 554, πρβλ. 9, 424: - ἐν Ἀριστοφ. Ἀχ. 1083 τὸ αἰαῖ τοῦ Λαμάχου ἐμπαικτικῶς ἐπαναλαμβάνεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Δικαιοπόλιδος.
French (Bailly abrégé)
adv.
dans les loc. αἲ γάρ, αἲ γὰρ δή avec l’opt. ou un inf. employé abs. : « plaise ou plût aux dieux que… ! ».
English (Autenrieth)
if, if only, whether; conjunction, used in conditional clauses, and in the expression of a wish; always with κέ, κέν (never ἄν), or γάρ, and never separated from these particles by another particle (εἰ δέ κε, never αἰ δέ κε).—I. conditional, regularly foll. by subj., rarely by opt. (Il. 7.387, Od. 13.389). Here belongs the so-called ‘interrogative’ use, as πειρήσομαι αἴ κε τύχωμι, Il. 5.279.—II. optative, to express a wish, ‘would that,’ αἲ γάρ, or αἲ γὰρ δή w. opt., generally referring to fut. time, but sometimes of an unfulfilled wish in pres. time (Il. 7.132); foll. by inf., Od. 7.311, Od. 24.376.
Spanish (DGE)
• Alolema(s): tb. αἶ; redupl. αἲ αἴ, αἶ αἶ, αἰαῖ
• Prosodia: [prosod. gener. αῐαῑ, pero tb. αῖαῑ A.Th.787]
interj.
1 gener. expr. asombro o dolor ay c. voc. αἲ τάλαν Ar.Pl.706, αἴ, δύσμορ' Men.Epit.292, αἲ κυρία Mim.Fr.Pap.Charit.123
•c. ac. αἶ Λίνον E.HF 348, αἲ τὸν Ἄδωνιν Biol.32, cf. IMEG 83.7 (heleníst.)
•más frec. redupl. ay, ay αἰαῖ πέπειρα Lyr.Adesp.478.26S., de un amor no correspondido αἰαῖ παιδὸς ἐρῶ ἁπαλόχροος Thgn.1341, αἰαῖ, τί ποτε πείσομαι; Ar.Ec.911, cf. Ar.Ach.1083, Alciphr.4.12.3
•c. nom. o voc. αἰαῖ δαιμόνιοι A.Th.893, αἰαὶ ... Φιλῖνε Theoc.7.121, αἰαῖ Ἔρως Theoc.2.55, cf. B.5.153, Call.Fr.64.13
•c. ac. αἰαῖ Ἄδωνιν Ar.Lys.393, αἰαῖ τὰν Κυθέρειαν Bio 1.28, τὰν Κύπριν αἰαῖ Bio 1.31, cf. AP 7.554 (Phil.), 9.424 (Duris)
•c. gen. αἰαῖ στρατοῦ φθαρέντος A.Pers.283, αἰαῖ σᾶς ψυχᾶς E.Hec.182, αἰαῖ τῶ σκληρῶ μάλα δαίμονος Theoc.4.40, cf. IUrb.Rom.1379.1 (imper.)
•c. dat. αἰαῖ σοι, κραδίη δειλή Orac.Sib.5.111.
2 expr. la risa o la carcajada, equiv. a ay, ay o ja, ja αἰαῖ· γελῶν δ' ἐπηκροώμην Pl.Com.16, (αἰαῖ) ἔστι δὲ πολὺ παρὰ τοῖς τῆς μέσης κωμῳδίας καὶ τῆς νέας ποιηταῖς Phot.α 499 (ad loc.).
Russian (Dvoretsky)
αἴ: (с γάρ) о, если бы, только бы, лишь бы: αἲ γὰρ δὴ οὕτως εἴη! Hom. о, если бы так вышло!
Frisk Etymological English
Grammatical information: interj.
Meaning: exclamation of surprise, pain, sorrow.
Other forms: Also αἰαι.̃
Origin: XX [etym. unknown]
Etymology: Elementary formation, found in many languages.
Middle Liddell
Exclam. of astonishment, ha! αἲ τάλας Ar.
Dutch (Woordenboekgrieks.nl)
αἴ κε Aeol. voor εἰ ἄν (= ἐάν), zie εἰ.