1.25 | Dickinson College Commentaries

Ἐσθὴς δὲ τοῖς μὲν πλουσίοις ὑαλίνη μαλθακή, τοῖς πένησι δὲ χαλκῆ ὑφαντή· πολύχαλκα γὰρ τὰ ἐκεῖ χωρία, καὶ ἐργάζονται τὸν χαλκὸν ὕδατι ἀποβρέξαντες ὥσπερ τὰ ἔρια. περὶ μέντοι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, οἵους ἔχουσιν, ὀκνῶ μὲν εἰπεῖν, μή τίς με νομίσῃ ψεύδεσθαι διὰ τὸ ἄπιστον τοῦ λόγου. ὅμως δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐρῶ· τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς περιαιρετοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ ὁ βουλόμενος ἐξελὼν τοὺς αὑτοῦ φυλάττει ἔστ᾽ ἂν δεηθῇ ἰδεῖν· οὕτω δὲ ἐνθέμενος ὁρᾷ· καὶ πολλοὶ τοὺς σφετέρους ἀπολέσαντες παρ᾽ ἄλλων χρησάμενοι ὁρῶσιν. εἰσὶ δ᾽ οἳ καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποθέτους ἔχουσιν, οἱ πλούσιοι. τὰ ὦτα δὲ πλατάνων φύλλα ἐστὶν αὐτοῖς πλήν γε τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν βαλάνων· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ μόνοι ξύλινα ἔχουσιν.

notes

τοῖς μὲν πλουσίοις...τοῖς δὲ πένησι: "for the wealthy...while for the poor" (S. 1021 and 1022).

ἐπειδὰν ῥιγώσῃ: “whenever it is cold” (S. 2410 and 2399a).

ῇ: subj. 3 sg. of εἰμι.

ὑαλίνη μαλθακή: "soft glass."

χαλκῆ ὑφαντή: "spun bronze."

τὰ ἐκεῖ χωρία: "the places there," the def. article makes the adverb attributive (S. 1156).

ἐργάζονται τὸν χαλκὸν ὕδατι ἀποβρέξαντες: "they work the bronze by soaking it in water."

ἀποβρέξαντες: aor. part. of ἀποβρέχω with instrumental force.

ὥσπερ τὰ ἔρια: "just like wool."

οἵους ἔχουσιν: "what sort (of eyes) they have."

ὀκνῶ μὲν εἰπεῖν, μή τίς με νομίσῃ: "I hesitate to say out of concern that someone may think that I..." (object clause after a verb of apprehension or caution; this is related to a fear clause: S. 2221 and 2224a; G. 611b). For the accenting of μή τίς με, see S. 182 and 185.

νομίσῃ: aor. subj. of νομίζω.

διὰ τὸ ἄπιστον τοῦ λόγου: "due to the unbelievability of the account," (S. 1021 and 1023).

ἐρῶ: future of λέγω, "I will say."

ὁ βουλόμενος: "anyone who wishes" (G. 582b; S. 2052).

ἐξελὼν: aor. part. nom. sg. of ἐξαιρέω, "after removing."

ἔστ᾽ ἂν δεηθῇ ἰδεῖν: "until he needs to see," (S. 2383c and 2394; G. 631). ἐστε governs the aor. subj. and ἄν when referring to future time.

δεηθῇ: aor. pass. subj. of δέω.

ἐνθέμενος: aor. part. mid. of ἐντίθημι, "having put it in."

ἀπολέσαντες: aor. part. of ἀπόλλυμι, "after having lost."

χρησάμενοι: aor. part. of χράομαι, "having borrowed."

εἰσὶ δ᾽ οἳ...ἔχουσιν, οἱ πλούσιοι: “some have...namely the wealthy" (lit. "there are those who"). For the specific idiom εἰσὶν οἵ and the general idea that the antecedent of the rel. pron. may be omitted, see S. 2513 and G. 614a.

πλήν γε τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν βαλάνων: “except the men born from acorns” (S. 1153c).

vocabulary

VERB LIST

ἐσθής, -ῆτος, ἡ: dress, clothing

πλούσιος, -α, -ον: rich, wealthy, opulent

ὑάλινος, -η, -ον: of crystal or glass

μαλθακός, -ή, -όν: soft

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

χαλκοῦς (χάλκεος), -ῆ, -οῦν: of bronze or copper, brazen

ὑφαντός, -ή, -όν: woven, spun

πολύχαλκος, -ον: abounding in bronze or copper

χαλκός, ὁ: bronze, copper

ἀποβρέχω: steep well, soak

ἔρια, τά: wool

ὀκνέω: shrink from, hesitate

ψεύδω: lie

ἄπιστος, -ον: unbelievable

περιαιρετός, -ή, -όν: removable

ἐξαιρέω: take out

ἔστε: up to the time that, until

οὕτω (= οὕτως): so, then

ἐντίθημι: put in

σφέτερος, -α, -ον: their own

ἀπόθετος, -ον: stored up; special, reserved for special occasions

πλούσιος, -α, -ον: rich, wealthy

οὖς, ὠτός, τό: an ear

πλάτανος, ἡ: a plane-tree

φύλλον, τό: a leaf

βάλανος, ἡ: an acorn

ξύλινος, -η, -ον: wooden

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