1.30 | Dickinson College Commentaries

ὡς δὲ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐψαύσαμεν, θαυμασίως ὑπερηδόμεθα καὶ ὑπερεχαίρομεν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων εὐφροσύνην ἐποιούμεθα καὶ ἀπορρίψαντες ἐνηχόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ ἔτυχε γαλήνη οὖσα καὶ εὐσταθοῦν τὸ πέλαγος.

Ἔοικε δὲ ἀρχὴ κακῶν μειζόνων γίνεσθαι πολλάκις ἡ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον μεταβολή· καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς δύο μόνας ἡμέρας ἐν εὐδίᾳ πλεύσαντες, τῆς τρίτης ὑποφαινούσης πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἄφνω ὁρῶμεν θηρία καὶ κήτη πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα, ἓν δὲ μέγιστον ἁπάντων ὅσον σταδίων χιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων τὸ μέγεθος· ἐπῄει δὲ κεχηνὸς καὶ πρὸ πολλοῦ ταράττον τὴν θάλατταν ἀφρῷ τε περικλυζόμενον καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐκφαῖνον πολὺ τῶν παρ᾽ ἡμῖν φαλλῶν ὑψηλοτέρους, ὀξεῖς δὲ πάντας ὥσπερ σκόλοπας καὶ λευκοὺς ὥσπερ ἐλεφαντίνους. ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν τὸ ὕστατον ἀλλήλους προσειπόντες καὶ περιβαλόντες ἐμένομεν· τὸ δὲ ἤδη παρῆν καὶ ἀναρροφῆσαν ἡμᾶς αὐτῇ νηῒ κατέπιεν. οὐ μέντοι ἔφθη συναράξαι τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν ἀραιωμάτων ἡ ναῦς ἐς τὸ ἔσω διεξέπεσεν.

notes

ὡς...ἐψαύσαμεν: aor. 1 pl. of ψαύω, “when we touched (+ gen.)” (S. 1345).

πᾶσαν...εὐφροσύνην ἐποιούμεθα: "we made ourselves merry."

ἔτυχε γαλήνη οὖσα: "it was calm." On τυγχάνω + suppl. part. without the usual idea of chance, see S. 2096c. Similarly, take ἔτυχε with καὶ εὐσταθοῦν τὸ πέλαγος: "and the sea was tranquil."

ἔοικε δὲ ἀρχὴ...γίνεσθαι ἡ πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον μεταβολή: “a change for the better seems to be the beginning...” In a predicate nominative construction, the predicate noun has no definite article while the subject usually does (S. 1150; G. 551g).

δύο μόνας ἡμέρας: "for only two days," (G. 538; S. 1580 and 1582).

τῆς τρίτης (sc. ἡμέρας) ὑποφαινούσης: "when the third day was just breaking," (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον: "near sunrise" (lit. "towards the rising sun").

κήτη πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα: "many other sea-monsters," (S. 2879).

ὅσον σταδίων χιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων τὸ μέγεθος: "about fifteen hundred stades in length," (μέγεθος, S. 1600 and 1601b).

ἐπῄει: "he attacked," ἔπειμι (εἶμι) is used here as the impf. of ἐπέρχομαι.

κεχηνός: perf. part. nom. sg. neut. of χάσκω, "with mouth wide open."

πρὸ πολλοῦ: "far before" (of space here but it can also be used of time).

ταράττον, ἐκφαῖνον: pres. neut. nom. participles agreeing with the approaching sea-monster (κῆτος).

πολὺ...ὑψηλοτέρους: "much larger" (S. 1609).

τὸ ὕστατον ἀλλήλους προσειπόντες: "having said our goodbyes" (lit. "having addressed each other for the last time").

περιβαλόντες: aor. part. of περιβάλλω, “having embraced.”

τὸ δὲ ἤδη παρῆν: impf. 3. sg. of πάρειμι, "and it was immediately present" (on the use of the article, see S. 1112 and 1120).

ἀναρροφῆσαν: aor. part. sg. neut. of ἀναρροφέω, "with a gulp."

αὐτῇ νηΐ: "ship and all" (S. 1525).

ἡμᾶς...κατέπιεν: aor. 3 sg. of καταπίνω, "swallowed us down."

οὐ ἔφθη: aor. 3 sg. of φθάνω, with συναράξαι, "it just missed crushing (us)," literally, "it did not manage to crush (us)." See Jerram ad loc. where he explains οὐ ἔφθη as "was not quick enough to (+ infin.)." The verb does not appear often with an infinitive.

συναράξαι: aor. infin. of συναράσσω.

τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν: "with its teeth" (S. 1507).

διεξέπεσεν: aor. 3 sg. of διεκπίπτω, "fell through."

vocabulary

VERB LIST

ψαύω: touch (+ gen.)

θαυμασίως: wonderfully

ὑπερήδομαι: be overjoyed

ὑπερχαίρω: rejoice exceedingly

παρόντα, τά: the present circumstances

εὐφροσύνη, ἡ: merriment, good cheer

ἀπορρίπτω: throw oneself down, leap off

νήχομαι: swim

γαλήνη, ἡ: still, calm

εὐσταθέω: be steady, favorable

πέλαγος, -ους, τό: the sea

μεταβολή, ἡ: a change

εὐδία, ἡ: fair weather

ὑποφαίνω: (of the day) gradually break, just begin to break

ἀνίσχω: lift up, rise

ἄφνω: suddenly, unawares

θηρίον, τό: a wild creature

κῆτος, -ους, τό: a sea-monster

χίλιοι, -αι, -α: a thousand

πεντακόσιοι, -αι, -α: five hundred

χάσκω: have one's mouth open, gape

ταράττω: stir, stir up

ἀφρός, ὁ: foam

περικλύζομαι: be washed all around

ὀδούς, όντος, ὁ: a tooth

ἐκφαίνω: to show, reveal

φαλλός, ὁ: phallus

ὑψηλός, -ή, -όν: high, lofty, tall

σκόλοψ, -οπος, ὁ: a pointed object, stake

λευκός, -ή, -όν: bright, shining, white

ἐλεφάντινος, -η, -ον: ivory

ὕστατος, -η, -ον: last, final

προσεῖπον: address, speak to (used as aorist of προσφωνέω)

περιβάλλω: throw around, embrace

καταπίνω: swallow down

ἀναρροφέω: gulp down

φθάνω: manage to (+ infin.)

συναράσσω: dash in pieces, crush

ὀδών, όντος, ὁ: a tooth

ἀραίωμα: interstice, crevice, crack

ἔσω: to the interior

διεκπίπτω: slip through, into

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