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εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν δεινόν οἱ
The phrase οἱ is an enclitic dative plural of the relative pronoun (or possibly an abbreviated form of οἱ [ἄνδρες] in a vocative or nominative context, though less likely here), functioning as an indirect object or dative of reference for the infinitive εἶναι. However, the construction 'εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν δεινόν οἱ' is syntactically irregular: the adjective δεινόν agrees with τὸν υἱὸν (accusative), but the dative οἱ lacks a clear antecedent or explicit verbal governor in this fragment. In context (Clouds 1397–1398), this likely reflects a colloquial or elliptical usage where οἱ refers to the 'Clouds' (Νεφέλαι) as a collective entity, functioning as a dative of interest or reference ('it is terrible for them that the son exists'). This construction is rare in Aristophanes and may reflect the playwright's experimentation with syntactic compression in the parabasis or a specific rhetorical effect tied to the personified Clouds.
Clouds. Aristophanes. . 2026-09-08.