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.

    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."

    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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    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-1/1-7