Ἑσπέρας δὲ ἤδη προσήχθημεν νήσῳ οὐ μεγάλῃ· κατῳκεῖτο δὲ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν, ὡς ἐνομίζομεν, Ἑλλάδα φωνὴν προϊεμένων· προσῄεσαν γὰρ καὶ ἐδεξιοῦντο καὶ ἠσπάζοντο, πάνυ ἑταιρικῶς κεκοσμημέναι καὶ καλαὶ πᾶσαι καὶ νεάνιδες, ποδήρεις τοὺς χιτῶνας ἐπισυρόμεναι. ἡ μὲν οὖν νῆσος ἐκαλεῖτο Κοβαλοῦσα, ἡ δὲ πόλις αὐτὴ Ὑδαμαργία. λαβοῦσαι δ᾽ οὖν ἡμᾶς αἱ γυναῖκες ἑκάστη πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἀπῆγεν καὶ ξένον ἐποιεῖτο. ἐγὼ δὲ μικρὸν ἀποστὰς - οὐ γὰρ χρηστὰ ἐμαντευόμην - ἀκριβέστερόν τε περιβλέπων ὁρῶ πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀστᾶ καὶ κρανία κείμενα. καὶ τὸ μὲν βοὴν ἱστάναι καὶ τοὺς ἑταίρους συγκαλεῖν καὶ ἐς τὰ ὅπλα χωρεῖν οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζον. προχειρισάμενος δὲ τὴν μαλάχην πολλὰ ηὐχόμην αὐτῇ διαφυγεῖν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν: μετ' ὀλίγον δὲ τῆς ξένης διακονουμένης εἶδον τὰ σκέλη οὐ γυναικός, ἀλλ' ὄνου ὁπλάς: καὶ δὴ σπασάμενος τὸ ξίφος συλλαμβάνω τε αὐτὴν καὶ δήσας περὶ τῶν ὅλων ἀνέκρινον. ἡ δέ, ἄκουσα μέν, εἶπεν δὲ ὅμως, αὐτὰς μὲν εἶναι θαλαττίους γυναῖκας Ὀνοσκελέας προσαγορευομένας, τροφὴν δὲ ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας ξένους. «ἐπειδὰν γάρ,» ἔφη, «μεθύσωμεν αὐτούς, συνευνηθεῖσαι κοιμωμένοις ἐπιχειροῦμεν.» ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα ἐκείνην μὲν αὐτοῦ κατέλιπον δεδεμένην, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀνελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ τέγος ἐβόων τε καὶ τοὺς ἑταίρους συνεκάλουν. ἐπεὶ δὲ συνῆλθον, τὰ πάντα ἐμήνυον αὐτοῖς καὶ τά γε ὀστᾶ ἐδείκνυον καὶ ἦγον ἔσω πρὸς τὴν δεδεμένην· ἡ δὲ αὐτίκα ὕδωρ ἐγένετο καὶ ἀφανὴς ἦν. ὅμως δὲ τὸ ξίφος εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ καθῆκα πειρώμενος· τὸ δὲ αἷμα ἐγένετο.

    They encounter beautiful women who are more dangerous than they seem.

    προσήχθημεν: ao. pas. of προσ-ἄγω, “we made landing”

    κατῳκεῖτο: impf. pas. of κατοικέω, “it was inhabited”

    ὡς ἐνομίζομεν: “or so we thought”

    φωνὴν προϊεμένων: pr. part. of προ-ἵημι, modifying γυναικῶν, “speaking language”

    προσῄεσαν: impf. of προσ-ἔρχομαι, “they approached”

    κεκοσμημέναι: perf. part. pas. of κοσμέω, “dressed up”

    ποδήρεις: “reaching to the ground”

    ἐπισυρόμεναι: pr. part. of ἐπι-σύρω, “dragging”

    Κοβαλοῦσα: “Knavery”

    Ὑδαμαρδία: “ Water-town”

    λαβοῦσαι: ao. part. nom. pl. f. of λαμβάνω, “taking”

    ξένον ἐποιεῖτο: “made him her guest”

    ἀποστὰς: ao. part. intrans. of ἀπο-ἵστημι, “standing apart”

    ὀστᾶ καὶ κρανία κείμενα: “bones and skulls lying there”

    ἱστάναι: pr. inf. of ἵστημι "to make a shout"

    καὶ τὸ ἱστάναι καὶ (sc. τὸ) συγκαλεῖν καὶ (sc. τὸ) χωρεῖν: articular infinitives objects of ἐδοκίμαζον, “I didn᾽t think these actions a good idea”

    προχειρισάμενος: ao. part. of προ-χειρίζω, “taking in my hand (χεῖρ).”  The mallow plant he received from Rhadamanthys recalls the moly given Odysseus by Hermes when he faces Circe.

    τῆς ξένης διακονουμένης: gen. abs., “as my hostess was serving me”

    εἶδον: ao. of ὁράω, “I saw”

    ὄνου ὁπλάς: “hooves of an ass”

    σπασάμενος: ao. part. of σπάω, “drawing”

    δήσας: ao. part. of δέω, “having bound her”

    ἀνέκρινον: impf. of ἀνα-κρίνω, “I questioned”

    ἄκουσα (= α-ἑκοῦσα): “unwilling”

    αὐτὰς μὲν εἶναι, τροφὴν δὲ ποιεῖσθαι: ind. st. after εἶπεν, “that they were... that they made”

    ἐπειδὰν...μεθύσωμεν: ao. subj. in indef. temp. clause, “whenever we make them drunk”

    συνευνηθεῖσαι: ao. part. pas. nom. pl. of συν-ευνέω, “going to bed”

    κοιμωμένοις: “while they are in bed”

    ἐκείνην...δεδεμένην: perf. part. pas. of δέω, “her having been bound”

    κατέλιπον: ao. of κατα-λείπω, “I left behind”

    ἀνελθὼν: ao. part. of ἀνα-ἔρχομαι, “having gone up to”

    ἐγένετο: ao. of γίνομαι, “she became water”

    καθῆκα: ao. of κατα-ἵημι, “I thrust through”

    πειρώμενος: “testing it”

    ἑσπέρα, ἡ: evening

    προσάγω: to bring to or upon

    κατοικέω: to dwell in 

    Ἑλλάς: Greece

    προίημι: to send before, send on or forward

    δεξιόομαι: welcome, greet

    ἀσπάζομαι: to welcome kindly, bid welcome, greet

    ἑταιρικός, -ή, -όν: of or befitting a companion

    κοσμέω: to order, arrange

    νεᾶνις, -ιδος, ἡ: a young woman, girl, maiden

    ποδήρης, -ες: reaching to the feet

    χιτών, -ῶνος: the garment worn next the skin, a frock

    ἐπισύρω: to drag or trail after

    ἀπάγω: to lead away, carry off

    ἀφίστημι: to put away, stand apart

    χρηστός, -ή, -όν: useful, good of its kind, serviceable

    μαντεύομαι: to divine, presage

    ἀκριβής, -ές: exact, accurate, precise, made or done to a nicety

    περιβλέπω: to look round about, gaze around

    ὀστέον, τό: bone

    κρανίον, τό: a skull, crown

    βοή, ἡ: a loud cry, shout

    ἑταῖρος, ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate

    συγκαλέω: to call to council, convoke, convene

    χωρέω: give way, draw back, retire, withdraw

    δοκιμάζω: to assay or approve

    προχειρίζω: to put into the hand, have ready at hand

    μαλάχη, ἡ: mallow

    εὔχομαι: to pray, offer prayers

    διαφεύγω: to flee through, get away from, escape

    ξένη, ἡ: a female guest, foreign woman

    διακονέω: to minister, serve, do service

    σκέλος, -εος, τό: the leg

    ὄνος, ὁ: an ass

    ὁπλή, ἡ: a hoof, the solid hoof

    σπάω: to draw

    ξίφος, -εος, τό: a sword

    συλλαμβάνω: to collect, gather together

    ἀνακρίνω: to examine closely, to question, interrogate

    ἀέκων, -ουσα, -ον: against one's will, unwilling

    θαλάττιος, -α, -ον: of, in, on or from the sea

    προσαγορεύω: to address, greet, name

    ἐπιδημέω: to be at home, live at home

    μεθύσκω: to make drunk, intoxicate

    συνευνάομαι: go to bed

    κοιμάω: to lull to sleep, put to sleep

    ἐπιχειρέω: to put one's hand on

    καταλείπω: to leave behind

    ἀνέρχομαι: to go up

    τέγος, -εος, τό: a roof

    βοάω: to yell, shout

    ἑταῖρος, ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate

    συγκαλέω: to call to council, convoke, convene

    συνέρχομαι: to come together

    μηνύω: to disclose what is secret, reveal, betray

    ὀστέον, τό: a bone

    ἔσω: to the interior

    ἀφανής, -ές: unseen, invisible, viewless

    καθίημι: to send down, let fall

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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-2/2-46