ταχέως οὖν ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ναῦν - οὐ γὰρ ἐδυνάμην φέρειν τὴν ὄψιν - ἀσπασάμενος τὸν Ναύπλιον ἀπέπλευσα.
Καὶ μετ᾽ ὀλίγον ἐφαίνετο πλησίον ἡ τῶν ὀνείρων νῆσος, ἀμυδρὰ καὶ ἀσαφὴς ἰδεῖν· εἶχε δὲ καὶ αὐτή τι τοῖς ὀνείροις παραπλήσιον· ὑπεχώρει γὰρ προσιόντων ἡμῶν καὶ ὑπέφευγε καὶ πορρωτέρω ὑπέβαινε. καταλαβόντες δέ ποτε αὐτὴν καὶ εἰσπλεύσαντες εἰς τὸν Ὕπνον λιμένα προσαγορευόμενον πλησίον τῶν πυλῶν τῶν ἐλεφαντίνων, ᾗ τὸ τοῦ Ἀλεκτρυόνος ἱερόν ἐστιν, περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν ἀπεβαίνομεν· παρελθόντες δὲ ἐς τὴν πόλιν πολλοὺς ὀνείρους καὶ ποικίλους ἑωρῶμεν. πρῶτον δὲ βούλομαι περὶ τῆς πόλεως εἰπεῖν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἄλλῳ τινὶ γέγραπται περὶ αὐτῆς, ὃς δὲ καὶ μόνος ἐπεμνήσθη Ὅμηρος, οὐ πάνυ ἀκριβῶς συνέγραψεν.
notes
They make their way to the Island of Dreams.
ἀσπασάμενος: ao. part. of ἀσπάζω, “bidding farewell”
ἀπέπλευσα: ao. 1 s., “I sailed away”
ἀμυδρὰ καὶ ἀσαφὴς ἰδεῖν: epexegetic inf., “faint and unclear to see”
ὑπεχώρει: impf. of ὑπο-χορέω, “kept receding”
προσιόντων ἡμῶν: pr. part. of προσ-ἔρχομαι, gen. abs., “as we approached”
καταλαβόντες: ao. part. of καταλαμβάνω, “having overtaken”
πυλῶν τῶν ἐλεφαντίνων: There are gates of ivory in the underworld of Homer.
ᾗ: rel. pron. dat. s. f., “where”
Ἀλεκτρυόνος ἱερόν ἐστιν: “the sanctuary of the rooster,” perhaps referring to the practice of divination using a rooster.
περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν: “around late afternoon”
παρελθόντες: ao. part. of παρα-ἔρχομαι, “upon arriving”
ἑωρῶμεν: impf. of ὁράω, “we saw”
ἄλλῳ τινι: dat. of agent, “by anyone else”
γέγραπται: perf. pas. of γράφω, “(nothing) has been written”
ὃς δὲ καὶ μόνος: “and even he who alone,” i.e, Homer.
ἐπεμνήσθη: ao. of ἐπι-μιμνήσκομαι, “made mention”
συνέγραψεν: ao. of συν-γράφω, “he described”
vocabulary
ταχέως: quickly
ἀναστρέφω: turn upside down, upset
ὄψις -εως, ἡ: look, appearance, aspect
ἀσπάζομαι: bid farewell
ἀποπλέω: sail away, sail off
φαίνομαι: seem, appear
πλήσιος , -α, -ον: near, close to
ὄνειρος, -ου, ὁ: a dream
ἀμυδρός, -ά, -όν: indistinct, dim, obscure
ἀσαφής, -ές: indistinct
παραπλήσιος, -α, -ον: nearly resembling, such-like
ὑποχωρέω: go back, retire, recoil
ὑποφεύγω: flee from under, shun
πορρωτέρω: further
ὑποβαίνω: go or stand under
εἰσπλέω: sail into, enter
Ὕπνος, ὁ: Hypnos
λιμήν, -ένος, ὁ: a harbor, haven, creek
προσαγορεύω: address, call by name
πύλη: one wing of a pair of double gates
ἐλεφάντινος, -η, -ον: of ivory, ivory
δείλη, ἡ: afternoon
ὄψιος, -α, -ον: late
ἀποβαίνω: step off, disembark
παρέρχομαι: go by, pass by
ποικίλος, -η, -ον: many-colored, spotted
ἐπιμιμνήσκομαι: remember, think of
ἀκριβῶς: exactly
συγγράφω: write or note down