329. Imperfect and perfect are restricted to the expression of the historical past.

Now, the imperfect and the perfect are restricted to that sphere of employment. They cannot be used except of such facts as have lost their actuality for the speaker (*1). Both of them are only available for the historical past. They are to be rendered by our past tense, both akarot and cakāra being = „he did.”

Both of them are equally applied to facts, that have happened but once (Lat. perfectum historicum), and to actions repeated or continuous (Lat. imperfectum). (*2).

(*1)
This is meant by Pâṇini, when he teaches laṅ (and, as it stands under the same adhikâra, also liṭ) to be used anadyatane. P. 3, 2, 111.

(*2)
Cp. Kathâs. 24, 214 dṛtānvisasṛjustadā / te ca tam abruvan = nuntios miserunt, iique ei dixerunt, with Mhbh. 1, 68, 9, which verse describes the happiness of the subjects of Dushyanta during his reign svadharmai remire varṇāḥ… āsaṃścaivākutobhayāḥ = hominum ordines suis quisque officiis delectabantur, erantque ab omni parte tuti.

329. Impf.とPf.は史的過去の表現に限られる

さて、半過去(imperfect)と完了(perfect)は、そのような〔史的過去を表すという〕使用範囲に限られる。話者にとってその現存性を失ってしまった事実以外には、これらを用いることはできない(*1)。両者は史的過去にのみ用いることができるのである。これらは英語の過去時制で以て翻訳され、akarotcakāraはともに“he did”となる。

impf.とPf.は、1回のみ起こった事実(ラテン語におけるperfectum historicum)と、繰り返される/切れ目ない行為(imperfectum)とに等しく適用される(*2)

(*1)
このことはPāṇiniにより、laṅ(および同じadhikāraの下にあるものとしてliṭも)を過去時制として(anadyatane)用いることを説く際に言及されている(P. 3, 2, 111)。

(*2)
以下を比較せよ。
Kathâs. 24, 214 dṛtānvisasṛjustadā / te ca tam abruvan = nuntios miserunt, iique ei dixerunt
Mhbh. 1, 68, 9, which verse describes the happiness of the subjects of Dushyanta during his reign svadharmai remire varṇāḥ… āsaṃścaivākutobhayāḥ = hominum ordines suis quisque officiis delectabantur, erantque ab omni parte tuti.