[89] εἶσι τέταρτον. A comparison of infra 106 “ὣς τρίετες μὲν ἔληθε . . ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε τέτρατον ἦλθεν ἔτος”, and Od.13. 377“οἳ δή τοι τρίετες μέγαρον κάτα κοιρανέουσι”
“μνώμενοι ἀντιθέην ἄλοχον”, must decide the rendering of this line. ‘Already is it the third year,’ (“ἐστίν” has the sense of ‘is completed,’ as Il.2. 295“ἡμῖν δ᾽ εἴνατός ἐστι περιτροπέων ἐνιαυτὸς”“ἐνθάδε μιμνόντεσσι”, compared with ibid. 134 “ἐννέα δὴ βεβάασι Διὸς μεγάλου ἐνιαυτοί”), ‘and the fourth is fast passing.’ So “ἰέναι” is used to signify ‘move away’ in Il.9. 701“ἤ κεν ἴῃσιν ἦ κε μένῃ”. The Schol. here renders “εἶσι” by “διελεύσεται, πληρωθήσεται”, and Nitzsch interprets it by ‘is coming,’ ‘bald wird gehn, d. h. kommt das Vierte,’ but this rendering would seem to necessitate the reading “δίετες” for “τρίετες” infra 106, and “δὴ τρίτον” for “τέτρατον”, a reading to which Aristonicus alludes.
