Ὁ δὲ ὑπερθαυμάσας καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν μέρει τὰ καθ᾽ αὑτὸν διεξῄει λέγων, «Τὸ μὲν γένος εἰμί, ὦ ξένοι, Κύπριος, ὁρμηθεὶς δὲ κατ᾽ ἐμπορίαν ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος μετὰ παιδός, ὃν ὁρᾶτε, καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν οἰκετῶν ἔπλεον εἰς Ἰταλίαν ποικίλον φόρτον κομίζων ἐπὶ νεὼς μεγάλης, ἣν ἐπὶ στόματι τοῦ κήτους διαλελυμένην ἴσως ἑωράκατε. μέχρι μὲν οὖν Σικελίας εὐτυχῶς διεπλεύσαμεν· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἁρπασθέντες ἀνέμῳ σφοδρῷ τριταῖοι ἐς τὸν ὠκεανὸν ἀπηνέχθημεν, ἔνθα τῷ κήτει περιτυχόντες καὶ αὔτανδροι καταποθέντες δύο ἡμεῖς μόνοι τῶν ἄλλων ἀποθανόντων, ἐσώθημεν. θάψαντες δὲ τοὺς ἑταίρους καὶ ναὸν τῷ Ποσειδῶνι δειμάμενοι τουτονὶ τὸν βίον ζῶμεν, λάχανα μὲν κηπεύοντες, ἰχθῦς δὲ σιτούμενοι καὶ ἀκρόδρυα. πολλὴ δέ, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, ἡ ὕλη, καὶ μὴν καὶ ἀμπέλους ἔχει πολλάς, ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἡδύτατος οἶνος γεννᾶται· καὶ τὴν πηγὴν δὲ ἴσως εἴδετε καλλίστου καὶ ψυχροτάτου ὕδατος. εὐνὴν δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν φύλλων ποιούμεθα, καὶ πῦρ ἄφθονον καίομεν, καὶ ὄρνεα δὲ θηρεύομεν τὰ εἰσπετόμενα, καὶ ζῶντας ἰχθῦς ἀγρεύομεν ἐξιόντες ἐπὶ τὰ βραγχία τοῦ θηρίου, ἔνθα καὶ λουόμεθα, ὁπόταν ἐπιθυμήσωμεν. καὶ μὴν καὶ λίμνη οὐ πόρρω ἐστὶν σταδίων εἴκοσι τὴν περίμετρον, ἰχθῦς ἔχουσα παντοδαπούς, ἐν ᾗ καὶ νηχόμεθα καὶ πλέομεν ἐπὶ σκάφους μικροῦ, ὃ ἐγὼ ἐναυπηγησάμην. ἔτη δέ ἐστιν ἡμῖν τῆς καταπόσεως ταῦτα ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι. 

    The man tells his story and gives information about the many other inhabitants of the whale.

    ὑπερθαυμάσας: aor. part. of ὑπερθαυμάζω, "being amazed."

    ἐν μέρει: "in turn."

    τὰ καθ᾽ αὑτὸν: “about his own adventures,” (for the article, see S. 1153c).

    διεξῄει: impf. of διεξέρχομαι, “he began relating” (inchoative imperfect: S. 1900).

    τὸ γένος: “by race” (S. 1600 and 1601b).

    ὁρμηθείς: aor. part. nom. sg. of ὁρμάω, “having set out.”

    κατ᾿ ἐμπορίαν: "in search of trade."

    διαλελυμένην: perf. part. acc. sg. of διαλύω, “wrecked."

    ἑωράκατε: perf. 2 pl. of ὁράω, "you have seen."

    διεπλεύσαμεν: aor. 1 pl. of διαπλέω, "we sailed."

    ἁρπασθέντες: aor. part. pass. of ἁρπάζω, “having been taken."

    τριταῖοι...ἀπηνέχθημεν: aor. pass. 1 pl. of ἀποφέρω, "on the third day we were carried from our course."

    περιτυχόντες: aor. part. of περιτυγχάνω, "after falling in with (+ dat.)."

    καταποθέντες: aor. pass. of καταπίνω, "after being gulped down."

    τῶν ἄλλων ἀποθανόντων: "after the others died," (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    ἀποθανόντων: aor. part. of ἀποθνῄσκω.

    ἐσώθημεν: aor. pass. of σῴζω, "we were saved."

    δειμάμενοι: aor. part. mid. of δέμω, "having built."

    τουτονὶ τὸν βίον ζῶμεν: "we live this life here" (for the deictic iota used for emphasis, see S. 333g; for the internal acc., see S. 1554a).

    καὶ μὴν καί: "and in truth also (it has)..." (S. 2921).

    ἴσως εἴδετε: aor. 2 pl. of ὁράω, "you probably saw."

    ὄρνεα...εἰσπετόμενα:  "the birds that fly in" (lit. "birds...the ones that fly in") (G. 552b).

    ἐξιόντες: pres. part. of ἐξέρχομαι, "by going into."

    ἔνθα καὶ λουόμεθα: pres. mid., "where we also wash ourselves."

    ὁπόταν ἐπιθυμήσωμεν: "whenever we wish" (G. 627; S. 2399).

    ἐπιθυμήσωμεν: aor. subj. of ἐπιθυμέω.

    σταδίων εἴκοσι τὴν περίμετρον: "twenty stades in circumference" (for the gen. of measure, see S. 1325; for the acc. see S. 1600 and 1601b).

    ἐναυπηγησάμην: aor. 1 sg. dep. of ναυπηγέομαι, "I built (the ship) myself."

    τῆς καταπόσεως: "since we were gulped down" (lit. "since the gulping down"), gen. to express the original starting event in a period of time (see Jerram ad loc. and cf. S. 1446). It is more common to see this use of the gen. with ἐκ or ἀπό.

    VERB LIST

    ὑπερθαυμάζω: wonder exceedingly

    διεξέρχομαι: go through, recount

    Κύπριος, -α, -ον: of Cyprus, Cyprian

    ἐμπορία, ἡ: commerce, trade

    πατρίς, -ίδος, ἡ: fatherland

    οἰκέτης, -ου, ὁ: a house-slave, servant

    Ἰταλία, ἡ: Italy

    ποικίλος, -η, -ον: many-colored; diversified, manifold

    φόρτος, ὁ: a load, a ship's freight or cargo

    κῆτος, -ους, τό: a sea-monster, huge fish 

    διαλύω: break apart, wreck

    Σικελία, ἡ: Sicily

    εὐτυχῶς: successfully, with good fortune

    διαπλέω: sail across

    ἐκεῖθεν: from that place, thence

    ἁρπάζω: take up, carry off

    ἄνεμος, ὁ: wind

    σφοδρός, -ά, -όν: excessive, violent

    τριταῖος, -α, -ον: on the third day, three days after

    ὠκεανός, ὁ: the ocean

    ἀποφέρω: carry off or away; pass. be carried off course

    ἔνθα: there; rel. adv. where

    περιτυγχάνω: fall in with, meet with, encounter (+ dat.)

    αὔτανδρος, -ον: together with the men, men and all

    καταπίνω: gulp down, swallow

    θάπτω: bury, honor with funeral rites

    ἑταῖρος, ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate

    Ποσειδῶν, -ῶνος, ὁ: Poseidon

    δέμω: build

    λάχανα, τά: vegetables, greens

    κηπεύω: grow, raise in a garden

    ἰχθύς, -ύος, ὁ: a fish

    σιτέομαι: eat

    ἀκρόδρυα, τά: fruit, produce

    ὕλη, ἡ: a forest

    ἄμπελος, ἡ: a grape vine, tendril

    οἶνος, ὁ: wine

    γεννάω: produce, yield

    πηγή, ἡ: spring

    κάλλιστος, -η, -ον: most beautiful

    ψυχρός, -ά, -όν: cold, chill

    εὐνή, ἡ: a bed

    φύλλον, τό: a leaf

    ἄφθονος, -ον: plentiful

    καίω: kindle, light (a fire)

    ὄρνεον, τό: a bird

    θηρεύω: hunt, go hunting

    εἰσπέτομαι: fly in

    ἀγρεύω: catch

    ἐξέρχομαι: go out

    βραγχία, τά: the gills

    θηρίον, τό: a wild animal, beast

    λούω: wash, bathe

    ὁπόταν: whenever (+ subj.)

    ἐπιθυμέω: desire, wish

    λίμνη, ἡ: a pool, lake

    πόρρω: far off

    εἴκοσι: twenty

    περίμετρος (sc. γραμμή), ἡ: the circumference

    παντοδαπός, -ή, -όν: of every kind, of all sorts

    νήχομαι: swim

    σκάφος, -ους, τό: the hull of a ship; a boat

    ναυπηγέω: build ships

    κατάποσις, -εως, ἡ: a gulping down, swallowing

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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-1/1-34