οὔπω δὲ πεντακοσίους σταδίους διελθόντες εἴδομεν ὕλην μεγίστην καὶ λάσιον πιτύων καὶ κυπαρίττων. καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν εἰκάσαμεν ἤπειρον εἶναι· τὸ δ᾽ ἦν πέλαγος ἄβυσσον ἀρρίζοις δένδροις καταπεφυτευμένον· εἱστήκει δὲ τὰ δένδρα ὅμως ἀκίνητα, ὀρθὰ καθάπερ ἐπιπλέοντα. πλησιάσαντες οὖν καὶ τὸ πᾶν κατανοήσαντες ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἰχόμεθα τί χρὴ δρᾶν· οὔτε γὰρ διὰ τῶν δένδρων πλεῖν δυνατὸν ἦν - πυκνὰ γὰρ καὶ προσεχῆ ὑπῆρχεν - οὔτε ἀναστρέφειν ἐδόκει ῥᾴδιον· ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ μέγιστον δένδρον ἀπεσκόπουν τὰ ἐπέκεινα ὅπως ἔχοι, καὶ ἑώρων ἐπὶ σταδίους μὲν πεντήκοντα ἢ ὀλίγῳ πλείους τὴν ὕλην οὖσαν, ἔπειτα δὲ αὖθις ἕτερον ὠκεανὸν ἐκδεχόμενον. καὶ δὴ ἐδόκει ἡμῖν ἀναθεμένους τὴν ναῦν ἐπὶ τὴν κόμην τῶν δένδρων - πυκνὴ δὲ ἦν - ὑπερβιβάσαι, εἰ δυναίμεθα, εἰς τὴν θάλατταν τὴν ἑτέραν· καὶ οὕτως ἐποιοῦμεν. ἐκδήσαντες γὰρ αὐτὴν κάλῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ ἀνελθόντες ἐπὶ τὰ δένδρα μόλις ἀνιμησάμεθα, καὶ θέντες ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων, πετάσαντες τὰ ἱστία καθάπερ ἐν θαλάττῃ ἐπλέομεν τοῦ ἀνέμου προωθοῦντος ἐπισυρόμενοι· ἔνθα δὴ καὶ τὸ Ἀντιμάχου τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἔπος ἐπεισῆλθέ με - φησὶν γάρ που κἀκεῖνος·
«Τοῖσιν δ᾽ ὑλήεντα διὰ πλόον ἐρχομένοισιν.»
notes
διελθόντες: ao. part. of δια-ἔρχομαι, “having gone on”
εἴδομεν: ao. of ὁράω, "we saw"
πιτύων καὶ κυπαρίττων: gen. pl., “of pine trees and cypresses”
εἰκάσαμεν ἤπειρον εἶναι: “we surmised that it was a continent”
τὸ δ᾽ ἦν: “but it was”
καταπεφυτευμένον: perf. part. pas. of κατα-φυτεύω, “completely overgrown”
εἱστήκει: plupf. of ἵστημι, “they stood up”
πλησιάσαντες: ao. part. of πλησιάζω, “having drawn near”
κατανοήσαντες: ao. part. of κατα-νοέω, “having realized”
ἐν ἀπόρῳ εἰχόμεθα: “we were at a loss”
τί χρὴ δρᾶν: ind. question, “what we should do”
οὔτε πλεῖν δυνατὸν ἦν, οὔτε: “neither was it possible to sail, nor...”
ἀνελθὼν: ao. part. of ἀνα-ἔρχομαι, “having climbed up”
ἀπεσκόπουν: impf. of ἀπο-σκοπέω, “I looked around”
ὅπως ἔχοι: pr. opt. in ind. quest. in sec. sequence, “how things were”
ἑώρων: impf 1 s. of ὁράω, “I saw”
τὴν ὕλην οὖσαν: ind. st. after ἑώρων, “that the forest was”
ἐκδεχόμενον: pr. part. of ἐκ-δέχομαι, “coming next”
ἀναθεμένους: ao. part. of ἀνα-τίθημι, modifying the acc. subject of ὑπερβιβάσαι, “having lifted”
ὑπερβιβάσαι: ao. inf. of ὑπερβιβάζω after ἐδόκει ἡμῖν, “to make our way”
εἰ δυναίμεθα: opt. in indef. past condition, “if we could”
ἐκδήσαντες: ao. part. of ἐκ-δέω, “have tied”
ἀνελθόντες: ao. part. of ἀνα-ἔρχομαι, “having climbed”
ἀνιμησάμεθα: ao. of ἀνιμάω, “we drew here up”
θέντες: ao. part. of τίθημι, "having placed”
πετάσαντες: ao. part. of πετάννυμι, “have spread out”
τοῦ ἀνέμου προωθοῦντος: pr. part. of προ-ωθέω, gen abs., “with the wind pushing us”
ἐπισυρόμενοι: pr. part., “dragging”
Ἀντιμάχου: Antimachus of Colophon, fl. 400 BC, author of an epic on Thebes.
ἐπεισῆλθέ: ao. of ἐπι-εις-ἔρχομαι, “came to me”
γάρ που: “for somewhere”
vocabulary
πεντακόσιοι, -αι: five hundred
διέρχομαι: to go through, pass through
ὕλη, ἡ: a forest
λάσιος, -ος, -ον: hairy, rough, shaggy, woolly
πίτυς, υος, ἡ: the pine, stone pine
κυπάριττος, ἡ: a cypress
εἰκάζω: to make like, represent, portray
ἤπειρος: terra-firma, the land
πέλαγος, -εος, τό: the sea
ἄβυσσος, -ον: bottomless, abyss
ἄρριζος, -ον: without roots
καταφυτεύω: to plant
ἀκίνητος, -η, -ον: unmoved, motionless
ἐπιπλέω: to sail upon or over
πλησιάζω: to bring near
κατανοέω: to observe well, to understand
ἄπορος, -ον: without passage, without resource
πυκνός: close, compact
προσεχής, -ές: next to (each other)
ἀναστρέφω: to turn upside down, upset
ἀνέρχομαι: to go up to
ἀποσκοπέω: to look away from
ἐπέκεινα: on yonder side, beyond
πεντήκοντα: fifty
πλείον: more
ὠκεανός, οῦ, ὁ: ocean
ἐκδέχομαι: to take or receive from
ἀνατίθημι: to put up
κόμη, ἡ: the hair, hair of the head
ὑπερβιβάζω: to carry over, transfer
ἐκδέω: to bind so as to hang from, to fasten to or on
κάλως, -ου, ὁ: a reefing rope
ἀνέρχομαι: to go up
μόλις: scarcely
ἀνιμάω: to draw up
κλάδος, ου: a young slip or shoot broken off
πετάννυμι: to spread out
ἱστίον, τό: any web, a sail
ἄνεμος, ὁ: wind
προωθέω: to push forward, push or urge on
ἐπισύρω: to drag or trail after
ἐπεισέρχομαι: to come in besides