ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔνδον ἦμεν, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον σκότος ἦν καὶ οὐδὲν ἑωρῶμεν, ὕστερον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀναχανόντος εἴδομεν κύτος μέγα καὶ πάντῃ πλατὺ καὶ ὑψηλόν, ἱκανὸν μυριάνδρῳ πόλει ἐνοικεῖν. ἔκειντο δὲ ἐν μέσῳ καὶ μεγάλοι καὶ μικροὶ ἰχθύες καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ θηρία συγκεκομμένα, καὶ πλοίων ἱστία καὶ ἄγκυραι, καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὀστέα καὶ φορτία, κατὰ μέσον δὲ καὶ γῆ καὶ λόφοι ἦσαν, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος ἣν κατέπινε συνιζάνουσα. ὕλη γοῦν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς καὶ δένδρα παντοῖα ἐπεφύκει καὶ λάχανα ἐβεβλαστήκει, καὶ ἐῴκει πάντα ἐξειργασμένοις· περίμετρον δὲ τῆς γῆς στάδιοι διακόσιοι καὶ τεσσαράκοντα. ἦν δὲ ἰδεῖν καὶ ὄρνεα θαλάττια, λάρους καὶ ἀλκυόνας, ἐπὶ τῶν δένδρων νεοττεύοντα.

    They explore the interior of the whale, coming upon a man and his son who farm a portion of land inside.

    ἦμεν: impf. 1 pl. of εἰμί.

    ἑωρῶμεν...εἴδομεν: impf. and aor. 1 pl. of ὁράω.

    ἀναχανόντος: aor. part. gen. sg. of ἀναχάσκω with αὐτοῦ, "when it opened (its mouth)” (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    ἱκανὸν μυριάνδρῳ πόλει ἐνοικεῖν: "sufficient for a city of ten thousand to inhabit" (S. 2001 and 2002; G. 565a).

    συγκεκομμένα: perf. part. nom. pl. neut. of συγκόπτω, "mangled."

    ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν: "as it seems to me" (S. 2012d).

    συνιζάνουσα:  "which settled down," modifying γῆ and so describing the process by which mud and dirt accumulated in the whale and eventually formed land and hills there.

    ἣν κατέπινε: impf. of καταπίνω, "which he had swallowed," impf. rendered as plup. to represent action earlier than the main clause (S. 1907).

    ὕλη γοῦν...ἐπεφύκει: plupf. 3 sg. of φύω, "at any rate a forest...had grown" (on γοῦν, see S. 2830).

    ἐβεβλαστήκει: plupf. of βλαστάνω, "had sprouted."

    ἐῴκει πάντα ἐξειργασμένοις: plupf. 3 sg. of ἐοικα + dat., "everything looked like cultivated lands" (for plup. rendered as impf., see S. 1952a).

    ἐξειργασμένοις: perf. part. pass. of ἐξεργάζομαι, "cultivated lands."

    ἦν δὲ ἰδεῖν: “it was possible to see” (S. 1984 and 1985).

    νεοττεύοντα: pres. part. nom. pl. neut., "nesting."

    VERB LIST

    ἔνδον: inside, within

    σκότος, ὁ: darkness, gloom

    ἀναχάσκω: open the mouth, gape wide

    κύτος, -ους, τό: a hollow, cavity

    πάντῃ: on every side

    πλατύς, -εῖα, -ύ: wide, broad

    ὑψηλός, -ή, -όν: high, lofty, high-raised

    μυρίανδρος, -ον: containing ten thousand men

    ἐνοικέω: live in, inhabit

    ἰχθύς, -ύος, ὁ: a fish

    θηρίον, τό: a wild animal, beast

    συγκόπτω: cut up, mangle

    πλοῖον, τό: a floating vessel, a ship, vessel

    ἱστία, τά: the sails

    ἄγκυρα, ἡ: anchor

    ὀστέον, τό: a bone

    φορτίον, τό: freight, burden, cargo

    λόφος, ὁ: a hill, ridge

    ἰλύς, -ύος, ἡ: mud, slime, dirt

    καταπίνω: gulp down, swallow

    συνιζάνω: sink in, settle down

    ὕλη, ἡ: a forest

    γοῦν: at any rate, at all events, certainly

    δένδρον, τό: a tree

    παντοῖος, -α, -ον: of all sorts or kinds

    λάχανα, τά: vegetables, greens

    βλαστάνω: bud, sprout

    ἐῴκει: it seemed good

    ἐξεργάζομαι: work out, manage, cultivate

    περίμετρον, τό: the perimeter

    διακόσιοι, -αι, -α: two hundred

    τεσσαράκοντα: forty

    ὄρνεον, τό: a bird

    θαλάττιος, -α, -ον: of the sea

    λάρος, ὁ: a cormorant, seagull

    ἀλκυών, -όνος, ἡ: the kingfisher

    νεοττεύω: nest

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    Suggested Citation

    Eric Casey, Evan Hayes, and Stephen Nimis, Lucian True History. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2023. ISBN: .
    https://dcc.dickinson.edu/lucian-true/book-1/1-31