Τῶν δὲ πολεμίων τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον εἶχον οἱ Ἱππομύρμηκες καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὁ Φαέθων· θηρία δέ ἐστι μέγιστα, ὑπόπτερα, τοῖς παρ᾽ ἡμῖν μύρμηξι προσεοικότα πλὴν τοῦ μεγέθους· ὁ γὰρ μέγιστος αὐτῶν καὶ δίπλεθρος ἦν. ἐμάχοντο δὲ οὐ μόνον οἱ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ μάλιστα τοῖς κέρασιν· ἐλέγοντο δὲ οὗτοι εἶναι ἀμφὶ τὰς πέντε μυριάδας. ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ αὐτῶν ἐτάχθησαν οἱ Ἀεροκώνωπες, ὄντες καὶ οὗτοι ἀμφὶ τὰς πέντε μυριάδας, πάντες τοξόται κώνωψι μεγάλοις ἐποχούμενοι· μετὰ δὲ τούτους οἱ Ἀεροκόρδακες, ψιλοί τε ὄντες καὶ πεζοί, πλὴν μάχιμοί γε καὶ οὗτοι· πόρρωθεν γὰρ ἐσφενδόνων ῥαφανῖδας ὑπερμεγέθεις, καὶ ὁ βληθεὶς οὐδ’ ἐπ’ ὀλίγον ἀντέχειν ἐδύνατο, ἀπέθνῃσκε δὲ δυσωδίας τινὸς τῷ τραύματι ἐγγινομένης· ἐλέγοντο δὲ χρίειν τὰ βέλη μαλάχης ἰῷ. ἐχόμενοι δὲ αὐτῶν ἐτάχθησαν οἱ Καυλομύκητες, ὁπλῖται ὄντες καὶ ἀγχέμαχοι, τὸ πλῆθος μύριοι· ἐκλήθησαν δὲ Καυλομύκητες, ὅτι ἀσπίσι μὲν μυκητίναις ἐχρῶντο, δόρασι δὲ καυλίνοις τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀσπαράγων. πλησίον δὲ αὐτῶν οἱ Κυνοβάλανοι ἔστησαν, οὓς ἔπεμψαν αὐτῷ οἱ τὸν Σείριον κατοικοῦντες, πεντακισχίλιοι, ἄνδρες κυνοπρόσωποι ἐπὶ βαλάνων πτερωτῶν μαχόμενοι. ἐλέγοντο δὲ κἀκείνῳ ὑστερίζειν τῶν συμμάχων οὕς τε ἀπὸ τοῦ Γαλαξίου μετεπέμπετο σφενδονήτας καὶ οἱ Νεφελοκένταυροι. ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τῆς μάχης ἤδη κεκριμένης ἀφίκοντο, ὡς μήποτε ὤφελον· οἱ σφενδονῆται δὲ οὐδὲ ὅλως παρεγένοντο, διόπερ φασὶν ὕστερον αὐτοῖς ὀργισθέντα τὸν Φαέθοντα πυρπολῆσαι τὴν χώραν.

    τὸ εὐώνυμον (sc. κέρας): "the left wing." See note on this word in the previous section.

    τοῖς παρ᾽ ἡμῖν μύρμηξι προσεοικότα: "very similar to our ants."

    οὐ μόνον...ἀλλὰ καί: "not only...but also."

    οἱ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν: "the ones riding them," for the substantival power of the article, see S. 1153c.

    ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ (sc. κέρως): "on the right (wing)." τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας "the right wing" is a military term that appears with and without κέρας. 

    ἀμφί: about, around, approximately (+ acc.) (as above in 1.15).

    ἐποχούμενοι: "riding on (+ dat.)."

    ψιλοί τε ὄντες καὶ πεζοί: "light-armed and on foot."

    πλὴν μάχιμοί γε: "but fierce indeed."

    ἐσφενδόνων: impf. of σφενδονάω, "they were slinging."

    ῥαφανῖδας ὑπερμεγέθεις: "huge radishes."

    βληθεὶς: aor. pass. of βάλλω, "anyone struck."

    οὐδ’ ἐπ’ ὀλίγον: "not even for a short (time)" (sc. χρόνον).

    ἀπέθνῃσκε: impf. of customary action, "he would die" (S. 1893).

    δυσωδίας τινὸς...ἐγγινομένης: "while some foul odor sprang up," (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    μαλάχης ἰῷ: "with the poison of mallow." Lucian humorously chooses mallow which was thought to have a healing power.

    ἐχόμενοι αὐτῶν: "staying beside them," (S. 1345).

    ἐτάχθησαν: aor. pass. of τάσσω, "they were stationed."

    τὸ πλῆθος: "in number," (S. 1600 and 1601b).

    ἐκλήθησαν: aor. pass. 3 pl. of καλέω, "they were called."

    ἀσπίσι μὲν μυκητίναις ἐχρῶντο, δόρασι δὲ καυλίνοις: dat. after ἐχρῶντο, "they used mushrooms for shields and stalks for spears."

    ἔστησαν: aor. intr. of ἵστημι, "they stood."

    κἀκείνῳ (= καὶ ἐκείνῳ): "also to that one."

    τῶν συμμάχων: "(some) of his allies" (G. 507e; S. 1341).

    τῆς μάχης ἤδη κεκριμένης: "when the battle had already been decided" (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590). For the rendering of the perfect tense, see S. 1872.

    ἀφίκοντο: aor. of ἀφικνέομαι, "they arrived."

    ὡς μήποτε (sc. ἀφίκεσθαι) ὤφελον: "Would that they had not (arrived)!" (S. 1781; G. 470b).

    οὐδὲ ὅλως: "not at all."

    ὀργισθέντα: aor. part. pass. acc. sg. of ὀργίζομαι, modifying Φαέθοντα, "being made angry."

    Φαέθοντα πυρπολῆσαι: indir. statement after φασὶν, "that Phaethon burned..."

    VERB LIST

    εὐώνυμος: on the left

    Ἱππομύρμηκες, οἱ: the Horse-ants

    Φαέθων, -οντος, ὁ: Phaethon

    θηρίον, τό: a wild animal

    ὑπόπτερος, -ον: winged

    μύρμηξ, -ηκος, ὁ: an ant

    προσέοικα: to be like, resemble (+ dat.)

    δίπλεθρος, -ον: two hundred feet long or broad

    κέρας, κέρως, τό: a horn (of an animal)

    δεξιός, -ά, -όν: on the right hand or side

    Ἀεροκώνωπες, οἱ: the Air-gnats

    μυριάς, -αδος, ἡ: a unit of ten thousand; a myriad

    τοξότης, -ου, ὁ: a bowman, archer

    κώνωψ, -ωπος, ὁ: a gnat, mosquito

    ἐποχέομαι: be carried upon, ride upon

    Ἀεροκόρδακες, οἱ: the Sky-dancers

    ψιλός, -ή, -όν: bare, light-armed

    πεζός, -ή, -όν: on foot, walking

    μάχιμος, -η, -ον: fit for battle, warlike, fierce

    πόρρωθεν: from afar

    σφενδονάω: sling, use the sling

    ῥαφανίς, -ῖδος, ἡ: a radish

    ὑπερμεγέθης, -ες: very large, huge

    ἀντέχω: hold out, stand one's ground

    δυσωδία, ἡ: foul smell

    τραῦμα, -ατος, τό: a wound, injury

    ἐγγίνομαι: spring up, appear in (+ dat.)

    χρίω: anoint, smear

    βέλος, -ους, τό: a missile, shot

    μαλάχη, ἡ: the mallow plant

    ἰός, ὁ: poison

    Καυλομύκητες, οἱ: the Stalk-mushrooms

    ὁπλίτης, -ου, ὁ: heavy-armed foot soldier, hoplite

    ἀγχέμαχος, -ον: fighting hand to hand

    μύριοι, -αι, -α: ten thousand

    ἀσπίς, -ίδος, ἡ: a round shield

    μυκητίνη, ἡ: a mushroom

    δόρυ, δόρατος, τό: a spear

    καύλινος, -η, -ον: made of a stalk

    ἀσπάραγος (ἀσφάραγος), ὁ: asparagus

    πλησίον: near (+ gen.)

    Κυνοβάλανοι, οἱ: the Dog-acorns

    Σείριος, ὁ: the Dog Star

    κατοικέω: inhabit

    πεντακισχίλιοι, -αι, -α: five thousand

    κυνοπρόσωπος, -ον: dog-faced

    βάλανος, ἡ: an acorn

    πτερωτός, -ή, -όν: feathered

    ὑστερίζω: come after, come later

    μεταπέμπω: send after; mid. send for

    σφενδονήτης, -ου, ὁ: a slinger

    Νεφελοκένταυροι, οἱ: the Cloud-centaurs

    ὀφείλω: owe; be obliged to, ought to (+ infin.)

    παραγίγνομαι: be present, attend

    διόπερ: wherefore, for this reason

    ὀργίζω: make angry, irritate

    πυρπολέω: devastate with fire

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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-1/1-16