Analysis of Homeric prepositions: when a preposition 'reverses' (ἀναστρέφεται) to follow or be separated by particles, especially with medial elements like δέ and αὖ, line-final position, and cases where one preposition substitutes for another; illustrated with Homeric citations (e.g., ζ 12, H 163, Ψ 290, σ 1, Α 258) and a Platonic reading.
πόλλ´ ἐμόγησα. «θεῶν ἄπο μήδεα εἰδώς» (ζ 12) ἀπὸ θεῶν εἰδὼς μήδεα. εἰ δὲ μεταξὺ τῆς προθέσεως καὶ τοῦ προσηγορικοῦ ὀνόματος ἢ ῥήματος, πρὸς ὃ τὴν σύνταξιν ἔχει ἡ πρόθεσις, ἕτερον μέρος λόγου πέσῃ, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ «τῷ δ´ ἐπὶ Τυδείδης ἦλθε κρατερὸς Διομήδης» (Η 163, Ψ 290)· ἔστι γὰρ τὸ ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τούτῳ δὲ ὁ Τυδείδης ἦλθε· οὐκ ἀναστρέφεται ἡ πρόθεσις διὰ τὸ μεσοσυλλαβῆσαι τὸν δέ. τοιοῦτό ἐστι καὶ τὸ «ἦλθε δ´ ἐπὶ πτωχὸς πανδήμιος» (σ 1). Εἰ μέντοι ἐν τέλει στίχου εἴη ἢ ἁπλῶς ἐν τέλει ὀνόματος, μεθ´ ἣν τίθεται στιγμή, ἀναστρέφεται πάντως οἷόν ἐστι «τῶν πάντων δ´ ἔπτυσε πουλὺ κάτα». ἀναστρέφομεν γὰρ τὴν πρόθεσιν, τοῦ ἑξῆς ὄντος κατέπτυσε, κἂν μεσοσυλλαβήσῃ τινὰ μόρια. διὸ σημειοῦνται τὴν παρὰ τῷ Πλάτωνι ἀνάγνωσιν «ἀρετῆς δ´ αὖ πέρι», διότι ἀνεστράφη ἡ πρόθεσις, μεσοσυλλαβοῦντος τοῦ δέ συνδέσμου καὶ τοῦ αὖ. τὸ γὰρ ἑξῆς ἐστι περὶ ἀρετῆς δ´ αὖ. * Ὅταν πρόθεσις ἀντὶ ἑτέρας προθέσεως παραλαμβάνηται, οὐκ ἀναστρέφεται οἷον «οἱ περὶ μὲν βουλήν» (Α 258)· ἡ περί γὰρ ἀντὶ ἑτέρας κεῖται τῆς ὑπέρ.
I suffered much. “Knowing the counsels of the gods” (ζ 12): knowing the counsels from the gods. But if, between the preposition and the appellative noun or verb to which the preposition has its construction, another part of speech falls, as in “and upon him came Tydeus’ son, mighty Diomedes” (Η 163, Ψ 290)—for the sequence is: and upon this one came the son of Tydeus—then the preposition is not anastrophized because δέ has been interposed. Such too is “and there came upon him a poor man, one of the common people” (σ 1). If, however, it is at the end of a verse, or simply at the end of a noun, after which a punctuation mark is placed, it is anastrophized in any case, as in “and of all of them he spat much down.” For we anastrophize the preposition, since the sequence is κατέπτυσε, even if certain particles are interposed. Therefore they mark the reading in Plato “but about virtue,” because the preposition has been anastrophized, with the connective δέ and αὖ being interposed; for the sequence is: but about virtue. * Whenever a preposition is taken in place of another preposition, it is not anastrophized, as “those about counsel” (Α 258); for περί is used in place of another, namely ὑπέρ.