1.5 | Dickinson College Commentaries

Ὁρμηθεὶς γάρ ποτε ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν καὶ ἀφεὶς εἰς τὸν ἑσπέριον ὠκεανὸν οὐρίῳ ἀνέμῳ τὸν πλοῦν ἐποιούμην. αἰτία δέ μοι τῆς ἀποδημίας καὶ ὑπόθεσις ἡ τῆς διανοίας περιεργία καὶ πραγμάτων καινῶν ἐπιθυμία καὶ τὸ βούλεσθαι μαθεῖν τί τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ καὶ τίνες οἱ πέραν κατοικοῦντες ἄνθρωποι. τούτου γέ τοι ἕνεκα πάμπολλα μὲν σιτία ἐνεβαλόμην, ἱκανὸν δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐνεθέμην, πεντήκοντα δὲ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν προσεποιησάμην τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην ἔχοντας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὅπλων πολύ τι πλῆθος παρεσκευασάμην καὶ κυβερνήτην τὸν ἄριστον μισθῷ μεγάλῳ πείσας παρέλαβον καὶ τὴν ναῦν - ἄκατος δὲ ἦν - ὡς πρὸς μέγαν καὶ βίαιον πλοῦν ἐκρατυνάμην.

notes

The narrator recounts his intention to sail out beyond the Pillars of Heracles because of a thirst for knowledge.

ὁρμηθείς: aor. pass. part. nom. sg., "having set out from."

ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν: "from the pillars of Heracles," bestriding the straits of Gibraltar.

ἀφεὶς: aor. part. nom. masc. sg. of ἀφίημι.

οὐρίῳ ἀνέμῳ: “with a tailwind.”

πραγμάτων καινῶν: gen. object of verbal noun ἐπιθυμία (S. 1328; cf. S. 1331), as normally occurs with objects of verbs of caring for or desiring (G. 511c).

τὸ βούλεσθαι: articular infin. “the desire (to)” (+ infin.), parallel with αἰτία, ὑπόθεσις, and ἐπιθυμία.

μαθεῖν τί τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν... τίνες ἄνθρωποι: indirect questions (G. 661; S. 2663), “to learn what the end of the Ocean was and who the men were…"

ἐνεβαλόμην: aor. of ἐμβάλλω, “I put onboard.”

ἐνεθέμην: aor. of ἐντίθημι, “I put in.”

τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν: partitive gen. as is normal after numerals (S. 1317).

τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην: “the same intention as me.”

πείσας: aor. part. nom. sg. of πείθω, "having persuaded."

ὡς πρὸς μέγαν καὶ βίαιον πλοῦν: "as (one would do) for a long and violent voyage," ὡς functioning as a conjunction introducing an elliptical clause with an implied verb (S. 3001).

vocabulary

VERB LIST

Ἡράκλειος, -α, -ον: of Hercules

στήλη, ἡ: a block of stone, pillar

ἀφίημι: sail, make for

ἑσπέριος, -α, -ον: western

ὠκεανός, ὁ: the ocean

οὔριος, -α, -ον: prosperous, favoring

πλοῦς (πλόος), πλοῦ (πλόου), ὁ: a sailing, voyage

ἀποδημία, ἡ: a being from home, a going abroad

ὑπόθεσις, -εως, ἡ: a supposition, purpose

διάνοια, ἡ: a thought, intention

περιεργία, ἡ: over-exactness, officiousness, curiosity

πρᾶγμα, -ατος, τό: a deed, act

καινός, -ή, -όν: new, fresh

ἐπιθυμία, ἡ: desire, yearning, longing

πέραν: on the other side, across

κατοικέω: dwell in

πάμπολυς, -πόλλη, -πολυ: very much; pl. very many

σιτίον, τό: food; pl. provisions

ἐμβάλλω: throw in, put in

ἐντίθημι: put in or into

πεντήκοντα: fifty

ἡλικιώτης, -ου, ὁ: fellow, comrade

προσποιέω: win over, enlist

κυβερνήτης, -ου, ὁ: a helmsman, pilot

μισθός, ὁ: wages, pay, hire

παραλαμβάνω: secure, obtain, engage

ἄκατος, ὁ: a light vessel

βίαιος, -α, -ον: violent, constrained

κρατύνω: strengthen

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