1.7 | Dickinson College Commentaries

προελθόντες δὲ ὅσον σταδίους τρεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης δι᾽ ὕλης ὁρῶμέν τινα στήλην χαλκοῦ πεποιημένην, Ἑλληνικοῖς γράμμασιν καταγεγραμμένην, ἀμυδροῖς δὲ καὶ ἐκτετριμμένοις, λέγουσαν «Ἄχρι τούτων Ἡρακλῆς καὶ Διόνυσος ἀφίκοντο». ἦν δὲ καὶ ἴχνη δύο πλησίον ἐπὶ πέτρας, τὸ μὲν πλεθριαῖον, τὸ δὲ ἔλαττον - ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, τὸ μὲν τοῦ Διονύσου, τὸ μικρότερον, θάτερον δὲ Ἡρακλέους. προσκυνήσαντες δ᾽ οὖν προῇμεν· οὔπω δὲ πολὺ παρῇμεν καὶ ἐφιστάμεθα ποταμῷ οἶνον ῥέοντι ὁμοιότατον μάλιστα οἷόσπερ ὁ Χῖός ἐστιν. ἄφθονον δὲ ἦν τὸ ῥεῦμα καὶ πολύ, ὥστε ἐνιαχοῦ καὶ ναυσίπορον εἶναι δύνασθαι. ἐπῄει οὖν ἡμῖν πολὺ μᾶλλον πιστεύειν τῷ ἐπὶ τῆς στήλης ἐπιγράμματι, ὁρῶσι τὰ σημεῖα τῆς Διονύσου ἐπιδημίας. δόξαν δέ μοι καὶ ὅθεν ἄρχεται ὁ ποταμὸς καταμαθεῖν, ἀνῄειν παρὰ τὸ ῥεῦμα, καὶ πηγὴν μὲν οὐδεμίαν εὗρον αὐτοῦ, πολλὰς δὲ καὶ μεγάλας ἀμπέλους, πλήρεις βοτρύων, παρὰ δὲ τὴν ῥίζαν ἑκάστην ἀπέρρει σταγὼν οἴνου διαυγοῦς, ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἐγίνετο ὁ ποταμός. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἰχθῦς ἐν αὐτῷ πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν, οἴνῳ μάλιστα καὶ τὴν χρόαν καὶ τὴν γεῦσιν προσεοικότας· ἡμεῖς γοῦν ἀγρεύσαντες αὐτῶν τινας καὶ ἐμφαγόντες ἐμεθύσθημεν· ἀμέλει καὶ ἀνατεμόντες αὐτοὺς εὑρίσκομεν τρυγὸς μεστούς. ὕστερον μέντοι ἐπινοήσαντες τοὺς ἄλλους ἰχθῦς, τοὺς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος παραμιγνύντες ἐκεράννυμεν τὸ σφοδρὸν τῆς οἰνοφαγίας.

notes

Their first stop turns out to be an island with rivers of wine, wine-fish, and vine maidens.

ὅσον: approximately, about, nearly (adv. use of the adj. ὅσος, -η, -ον to indicate size or distance; see LSJ IV.3).

χαλκοῦ πεποιημένην: "having been made out of bronze" (S. 1323).

καταγεγραμμένην: perf. part. acc. sg., "inscribed."

ἐκτετριμμένοις: perf. part. dat. pl., "worn out."

Ἡρακλῆς καὶ Διόνυσος: Heracles and Dionysus were both legendary travelers, who traversed the limits of the known world.

ἀφίκοντο: aor. of ἀφικνέομαι, "they arrived."

ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν: parenthetical, "so it seemed to me," (absolute use of the infinitive: S. 2012d).

θάτερον = τὸ ἕτερον (S. 62; cf. S. 69 and 337).

προσκυνήσαντες: aor. part., "having made a gesture of reverence."

προῇμεν: impf. of προέρχομαι, "we went forward."

οὔπω δὲ πολὺ παρῇμεν: "we did not yet pass by much," πάρειμι (εἶμι) commonly provides the imperfect for παρέρχομαι (see S. 774).

ἐφιστάμεθα: impf. mid. of ἐφίστημι "we stopped beside" (+ dat.).

ὁμοιότατον μάλιστα οἷόσπερ ὁ Χῖός: "very similar to Chian" (wine), a famous vintage.

ὥστε...δύνασθαι: "so that it was possible" (S. 2250-2254; G. 566b).

ἐπῄει: impf. of ἐπέρχομαι, "it occurred to us."

ὁρῶσι: pres. part. dat. pl., "to us seeing."

δόξαν: aor. part. acc. sg. neut. of δοκέω, used absolutely and impersonally, "since it seemed a good idea" (acc. absol. S. 2059 and 2076a).

ἀνῄειν: impf. 1 sg. of ἀνέρχομαι, "I went up."

εὗρον: aor. 1 sg. of εὑρίσκω, "I found."

πλήρεις: acc. pl. modifying ἀμπέλους, "vines full of (+ gen.)" (S. 1422; cf. S. 1369).

ἀπέρρει: impf. of ἀπορρέω, "was flowing."

οἴνου διαυγοῦς: "of clear wine" (S. 1323).

ἦν...πολλοὺς ἰδεῖν: "it was possible to see many" (infin. as subject of quasi-impersonal verb: S. 1984 and 1985; cf. S. 933a).

τὴν χρόαν καὶ τὴν γεῦσιν: "in color and taste," (S. 1600 and 1601b).

ἐμφαγόντες: aor. part. of ἐνἐσθίω, "eat one's fill," coined on the analogy of ἐμπίνω, "drink one's fill."

ἐμεθύσθημεν: aor. pass., "we were made drunk."

ἀμέλει: adverbial, "of course," properly the imperative of ἀμελέω, "don᾽t worry."

εὑρίσκομεν: "we found" (historical present: S. 1883; G. 454b).

τρυγὸς μεστούς: "full of the lees" (gen. of fullness, as above).

ἐπινοήσαντες: aor. part. of ἐπινοέω, "having discovered."

παραμιγνύντες: pres. part. "by mingling...we tempered."

vocabulary

VERB LIST

προέρχομαι: go forward, advance

ὕλη, ἡ: forest

στήλη, ἡ: a block of stone, marker

χαλκός, ὁ: bronze

Ἑλληνικός, -ή, -όν: Hellenic, Greek

καταγράφω: inscribe

ἀμυδρός, -ά, -όν: indistinct, dim, obscure

ἐκτρίβω: rub out

ἄχρι: up to (+ gen.)

Ἡρακλῆς (Ἡρακλέης), Ἡρακλέους, ὁ: Heracles

Διόνυσος, ὁ: Dionysus

ἴχνος, -ους, τό: a track, footstep, footprint

πλησίον: nearby

πέτρα, ἡ: a rock

πλεθριαῖος, -α, -ον: broad, long

προσκυνέω: make a gesture of reverence or respect towards

οὔπω: not yet

ἐφίσταμαι: stop beside (+ dat.)

οἶνος, ὁ: wine

Χῖος, -α, -ον: Chian, of or from Chios

ἄφθονος, -ον: unstinting

ῥέω: flow

ῥεῦμα, -ατος, τό: a flow, stream, current

ἐνιαχοῦ: in some places, here and there

ναυσίπορος, -ον: navigable

ἐπίγραμμα, -ατος, τό: an inscription

ἐπιδημία, ἡ: a stay in a place

καταμανθάνω: observe well, learn

ἄνειμι: go up

πηγή, ἡ: spring, source

ἄμπελος, ἡ: a vine, tendril

πλήρης, -ες: full, filled with (+ gen.)

βότρυον, τό: a cluster or bunch of grapes

ῥίζα, ἡ: a root

ἀπορρέω: flow away, stream forth

σταγών, -όνος, ἡ: a drop

διαυγής, -ές: transparent, clear

ἰχθῦς, -ύος, ὁ: a fish

χρόα (χροιά), ἡ: color

γεῦσις, -εως, ἡ: taste

προσέοικα: resemble (+ dat.)

γοῦν: at any rate

ἀγρεύω: catch

ἐνεσθίω: eat one’s fill

μεθύσκω: make drunk, intoxicate

ἀμέλει: doubtless, by all means, of course

ἀνατέμνω: cut open

τρύξ, τρυγός, ἡ: lees, dregs

μεστός, -ή, -όν: full of (+ gen.)

ἐπινοέω: take note of, discover

παραμίγνυμι: intermix with

κεράννυμι: mix; temper

σφοδρός, -ή, -όν: excessive, violent

οἰνοφαγία, ἡ: wine-feast

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