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ἤδη δὲ καὶ οἱ Ἱππόγυποι ἀπεληλύθεσαν.

      Πλεύσαντες δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, περὶ ἑσπέραν ἀφικόμεθα ἐς τὴν Λυχνόπολιν καλουμένην, ἤδη τὸν κάτω πλοῦν διώκοντες. ἡ δὲ πόλις αὕτη κεῖται μεταξὺ τοῦ Πλειάδων καὶ τοῦ Ὑάδων ἀέρος, ταπεινοτέρα μέντοι πολὺ τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ. ἀποβάντες δὲ ἄνθρωπον μὲν οὐδένα εὕρομεν, λύχνους δὲ πολλοὺς περιθέοντας καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ καὶ περὶ τὸν λιμένα διατρίβοντας, τοὺς μὲν μικροὺς καὶ ὥσπερ πένητας, ὀλίγους δὲ τῶν μεγάλων καὶ δυνατῶν πάνυ λαμπροὺς καὶ περιφανεῖς. οἰκήσεις δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ λυχνεῶνες ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ πεποίηντο, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὀνόματα εἶχον, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ φωνὴν προϊεμένων ἠκούομεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ἠδίκουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ ξένια ἐκάλουν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ὅμως ἐφοβούμεθα, καὶ οὔτε δειπνῆσαι οὔτε ὑπνῶσαί τις ἡμῶν ἐτόλμησεν. ἀρχεῖα δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐν μέσῃ τῇ πόλει πεποίηται, ἔνθα ὁ ἄρχων αὐτῶν διὰ νυκτὸς ὅλης κάθηται ὀνομαστὶ καλῶν ἕκαστον· ὃς δ᾽ ἂν μὴ ὑπακούσῃ, καταδικάζεται ἀποθανεῖν ὡς λιπὼν τὴν τάξιν· ὁ δὲ θάνατός ἐστι σβεσθῆναι. παρεστῶτες δὲ ἡμεῖς ἑωρῶμεν τὰ γινόμενα καὶ ἠκούομεν ἅμα τῶν λύχνων ἀπολογουμένων καὶ τὰς αἰτίας λεγόντων δι᾽ ἃς ἐβράδυνον. ἔνθα καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον λύχνον ἐγνώρισα, καὶ προσειπὼν αὐτὸν περὶ τῶν κατ᾽ οἶκον ἐπυνθανόμην ὅπως ἔχοιεν· ὁ δέ μοι ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα διηγήσατο. Τὴν μὲν οὖν νύκτα ἐκείνην αὐτοῦ ἐμείναμεν, τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ ἄραντες ἐπλέομεν ἤδη πλησίον τῶν νεφῶν· ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὴν Νεφελοκοκκυγίαν πόλιν ἰδόντες ἐθαυμάσαμεν, οὐ μέντοι ἐπέβημεν αὐτῆς· οὐ γὰρ εἴα τὸ πνεῦμα. βασιλεύειν μέντοι αὐτῶν ἐλέγετο Κόρωνος ὁ Κοττυφίωνος. καὶ ἐγὼ ἐμνήσθην Ἀριστοφάνους τοῦ ποιητοῦ, ἀνδρὸς σοφοῦ καὶ ἀληθοῦς καὶ μάτην ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔγραψεν ἀπιστουμένου. τρίτῃ δὲ ἀπὸ ταύτης ἡμέρᾳ καὶ τὸν ὠκεανὸν ἤδη σαφῶς ἑωρῶμεν, γῆν δὲ οὐδαμοῦ, πλήν γε τῶν ἐν τῷ ἀέρι· καὶ αὗται δὲ πυρώδεις καὶ ὑπεραυγεῖς ἐφαντάζοντο. τῇ τετάρτῃ δὲ περὶ μεσημβρίαν μαλακῶς ἐνδιδόντος τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ συνιζάνοντος ἐπὶ τὴν θάλατταν κατετέθημεν.

    ἀπεληλύθεσαν: plupf. of ἀπέρχομαι, "they had left."

    τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν:  "for the following night and day" (G. 538; S. 1580 and 1582).

    ἀφικόμεθα: aor. of ἀφικνέομαι.

    τὴν Λυχνόπολιν καλουμένην: "the (place) called Lamptown" (S. 1170).

    τὸν κάτω πλοῦν: "the downward journey," the definite article makes the adverb attributive (S. 1156).

    μεταξὺ τοῦ Πλειάδων καὶ Ὑάδων ἀέρος: "in the air between the Pleiades and Hyades" (lit. "between the air of the Pleiades and the Hyades").

    ταπεινοτέρα...πολύ: "much lower" (S. 1609).

    εὕρομεν (=ηὕρομεν): aor. of εὑρίσκω, "we found."

    περιθέοντας: pres. part. of περιθέω, "running around," (for the uncontracted form, see S. 397).

    ὀλίγους δὲ τῶν μεγάλων καὶ δυνατῶν: "a few of the great and powerful ones" (S. 1312).

    πεποίηντο: plupf. pass. of ποιέω, "had been made" (on the lack of augment, see S. 438).

    εἶχον: impf. οf ἔχω, "they had (names)."

    φωνὴν προϊεμένων ἠκούομεν: pres. part. of προίημι, "we heard them talking" (lit. "sending forth speech"), (for the gen., see S. 1361; G. 511a).

    οὐδὲν ἡμᾶς ἠδίκουν: impf. of ἀδικέω, "they did us no harm" (on οὐδέν, see S. 1609).

    ἐκάλουν: impf. of καλέω, "they summoned."

    δειπνῆσαι, ὑπνῶσαι: aor. infinitives after ἐτόλμησεν, "to eat, to sleep."

    πεποίηται: perf. 3. sg. pass. of ποιέω, "was built."

    ὃς ἂν μὴ ὑπακούσῃ: "whoever does not answer..." (S. 2567; G. 616a).

    ὡς λιπὼν τὴν τάξιν: "on the grounds that he deserted his post" (S. 2086; G. 593c).

    σβεσθῆναι: aor. pass. infin. of σβέννυμι, "to be put out."

    παρεστῶτες: perf. part. nom. pl. of παρίστημι, "standing around.”

    ἑωρῶμεν τὰ γινόμενα: impf. of ὁράω, “we saw the things that were happening” (γινόμενα= γιγνόμενα: S. 89).

    περὶ τῶν κατ᾿οἶκον...ὅπως ἔχοιεν: "about things at home...how they were." For the substantival power of the definite article, see S. 1153c. The subject of the dependent clause appears as an object in the main clause, a form of anticipation known as prolepsis (S. 2182 and 3045).

    ὅπως ἔχοιεν: “how they were” (for the indir. question, see S. 2677; for ἔχω + adv., see S. 1438). 

    τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ (sc. ἡμέρᾳ): "on the following day," (G. 527c; S. 1540).

    ἄραντες: aor. part. of αἴρω, "after getting underway."

    Νεφελοκοκκυγίαν: Cloud-Cuckooland, a utopian place featured in Aristophanes' Birds.

    ἐπέβημεν: aor. of ἐπιβαίνω, "set foot on (+ gen.)," (for the root aorist, see G. 366 and 369a; S. 687). 

    εἴα: impf. 3 sg. of ἐάω, "allowed."

    βασιλεύειν...αὐτῶν ἐλέγετο Κόρωνος ὁ Κοττυφίωνος: "Crow, son of Blackbird, was said to rule them" ("speaking names" derived from ἡ κορώνη and ὁ κόττυφος respectively).

    ἐμνήσθην: aor. pass. 1. sg. of μιμνήσκω, "I remembered."

    μάτην...ἀπιστουμένου: "undeservedly not believed."

    ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔγραψεν: aor. of γράφω, “for what he wrote” (ἐφ᾿οἷς = ἐπὶ τούτοις ἅ). For the attraction of the rel. pron. into the case of the missing antecedent, see S. 2522a; G. 613b and 614. It is typical in such situations for the rel. pron. to be attracted from the acc. into the dat. or gen. cases.

    ἑωρῶμεν: impf. of ὁράω.

    ἐφαντάζοντο: "they began to appear (fiery and bright)" (S. 1900).

    ἐνδιδόντος τοῦ πνεύματος καὶ συνιζάνοντος: "while the wind gave way and settled down” (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    καθετέθημεν: aor. pass. of κατατίθημι, "we were set down."

     

    VERB LIST

    Ἱππόγυποι, οἱ: the Vulture-cavalry

    ἀπέρχομαι: go away, depart from

    ἐπιών, -ιοῦσα, -ιόν: (part. from ἔπειμι): following, succeeding 

    ἑσπέρα, ἡ: evening

    Λυχνόπολις, -εως, ἡ: Lamptown

    κάτω: down, downward

    πλοῦς (πλόος), ὁ: a sailing, voyage

    Πλειάδες, -ων, αἱ: the Pleiades

    Ὑάδες, -ων, αἱ: the Hyades

    ζῳδιακός, ὁ: the Zodiac

    ἀποβαίνω: step off, disembark

    ἀήρ, ἀέρος, ὁ: the air

    ταπεινός, -ή, -όν: low

    λύχνος, ὁ: a lamp

    περιθέω: run round

    ἀγορά, ἡ: the public square, market-place

    λιμήν, -ένος, ὁ: a harbor

    διατρίβω: spend time

    πένης, -ητος, ὁ: a poor man; as adj. poor

    περιφανής, -ές: seen all round, conspicuous

    οἴκησις, -εως, ἡ: a dwelling, habitation

    λυχνεών, -ῶνος, ὁ: a place to keep lamps in, sconce

    ἰδίᾳ: privately, at private expense (opp. of δημοσίᾳ)

    προίημι: send out, emit

    ξενία, τά: friendly gifts (often meat and drink given by a host to a guest)

    δειπνέω: dine, take the chief meal

    ὑπνόω: sleep

    ἀρχεῖον, τό: public building, town-hall, office of chief magistrates

    ἔνθα: (rel. adv.) where

    ἄρχων, -οντος, ὁ: a ruler, chief

    κάθημαι: sit down

    ὀνομαστί: by name

    ὑπακούω: answer, listen to, heed

    καταδικάζω: pass judgment against, condemn

    σβέννυμι: quench, put out

    παρίστημι: set beside, make standing

    λύχνος, ὁ: a portable light, a lamp

    ἀπολογέομαι: defend oneself

    βραδύνω: delay, be late

    γνωρίζω: discover, recognize

    προσεῖπον: spoke to, addressed

    διηγέομαι: set out in detail, describe in full

    πλησίον: near (+ gen.)

    νέφος, -ους, τό: a cloud

    Νεφελοκοκκυγία, ἡ: Cloudcuckootown

    ἐπιβαίνω: walk upon, step foot on (+ gen.)

    βασιλεύω: rule over, be king of (+ gen.)

    Ἀριστοφάνης, -ους, ὁ: Aristophanes

    μάτην: in vain, idly, fruitlessly

    ἀπιστέω: disbelieve, distrust

    ὠκεανός, ὁ: the ocean

    οὐδαμοῦ: nowhere

    πυρώδης, -ες: like fire, fiery

    ὑπεραυγής, -ές: shining brightly

    φαντάζομαι: appear

    μεσημβρία, ἡ: mid-day, noon

    μαλακῶς: gently

    ἐνδίδωμι: give out, give way, flag

    συνιζάνω: sink, settle down

    κατατίθημι: set down, put down

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