Ἀναστρέψαντες δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς διώξεως δύο τρόπαια ἐστήσαμεν, τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀραχνίων τῆς πεζομαχίας, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀερομαχίας ἐπὶ τῶν νεφῶν. ἄρτι δὲ τούτων γινομένων ἠγγέλλοντο ὑπὸ τῶν σκοπῶν οἱ Νεφελοκένταυροι προσελαύνοντες, οὓς ἔδει πρὸ τῆς μάχης ἐλθεῖν τῷ Φαέθοντι. καὶ δὴ ἐφαίνοντο προσιόντες, θέαμα παραδοξότατον, ἐξ ἵππων πτερωτῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων συγκείμενοι· μέγεθος δὲ τῶν μὲν ἀνθρώπων ὅσον τοῦ  Ῥοδίων κολοσσοῦ ἐξ ἡμισείας ἐς τὸ ἄνω, τῶν δὲ ἵππων ὅσον νεὼς μεγάλης φορτίδος. τὸ μέντοι πλῆθος αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀνέγραψα, μή τῳ καὶ ἄπιστον δόξῃ - τοσοῦτον ἦν. ἡγεῖτο δὲ αὐτῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ τοξότης. ἐπεὶ δὲ ᾔσθοντο τοὺς φίλους νενικημένους, ἐπὶ μὲν τὸν Φαέθοντα ἔπεμπον ἀγγελίαν αὖθις ἐπιέναι, αὐτοὶ δὲ διαταξάμενοι τεταραγμένοις ἐπιπίπτουσι τοῖς Σεληνίταις, ἀτάκτως περὶ τὴν δίωξιν καὶ τὰ λάφυρα διεσκεδασμένοις· καὶ πάντας μὲν τρέπουσιν, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα καταδιώκουσι πρὸς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ὀρνέων αὐτοῦ κτείνουσιν· ἀνέσπασαν δὲ καὶ τὰ τρόπαια καὶ κατέδραμον ἅπαν τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀραχνῶν πεδίον ὑφασμένον, ἐμὲ δὲ καὶ δύο τινὰς τῶν ἑταίρων ἐζώγρησαν. ἤδη δὲ παρῆν καὶ ὁ Φαέθων καὶ αὖθις ἄλλα τρόπαια ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνων ἵστατο. ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἀπηγόμεθα ἐς τὸν ἥλιον αὐθημερὸν τὼ χεῖρε ὀπίσω δεθέντες ἀραχνίου ἀποκόμματι.

    ἐστήσαμεν: aor. act. of ἵστημι, “we set up.”

    δύο τρόπαια: “two trophies.” Trophies were piles of weapons that marked the turning point (τρόπος) of the battle.

    ἄρτι δὲ τούτων γινομένων: "just when these things were happening," (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    ἠγγέλλοντο...προσελαύνοντες: impf. pass. of ἀγγέλλω with a supplementary part., "they were reported...to be advancing" (S. 2089; G. 587).

    οὓς ἔδει...ἐλθεῖν: "for whom it was necessary to come."

    ἐφαίνοντο προσιόντες: "they were plainly approaching" (S. 2143; G. 588c).

    ὅσον τοῦ Ῥοδίων κολοσσοῦ: "as big as the Colossus of Rhodes," an enormous statue straddling the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes, one of the ancient wonders of the world.

    τῶν μὲν ἀνθρώπων: "of the human part."

    ἐξ ἡμισείας: "from the waist."

    ἀνέγραψα: aor. 1. sg. of ἀναγράφω.

    μή τῳ (=τινι) καὶ ἄπιστον δόξῃ: "lest it seem even unbelievable to anyone" (S. 2193 and 2197; cf. G. 611b).

    ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ζῳδιακοῦ τοξότης: i.e. the constellation Sagittarius.

    ᾔσθοντο τοὺς φίλους νενικημένους: "they perceived that their friends had been defeated" (S. 2110; G. 586b).

    ἔπεμπον ἀγγελίαν...ἐπιέναι: "sent a message to attack" (S. 2008 and 2009).

    διαταξάμενοι: aor. part. mid. of διατάσσω, "having arrayed themselves."

    τεταραγμένοις: perf. pass. part. dat. pl. of ταράττω, "disordered," modifying Σεληνίταις.

    ἐπιπίπτουσι: "they fell upon" (S. 1883). Likewise, the verbs in the following μέν...δέ clause are also historical presents (τρέπουσιν...καταδιώκουσι...κτείνουσιν).

    διεσκεδασμένοις: perf. pass. part. dat. pl. of διασκεδάννυμι, "scattered."

    αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα: "the king himself."

    ἀνέσπασαν: aor. 3 pl. of ἀνασπάω, "they plucked up."

    κατέδραμον: aor. 3 pl. of κατατρέχω, "they overran."

    ὑφασμένον: perf. pass. part. of ὑφαίνω, "woven."

    ἐζώγρησαν: aor. 3 pl. of ζωγρέω, "they captured alive."

    ἵστατο: impf. pass. of ἵστημι, "were being set up."

    τὼ χεῖρε ὀπίσω δεθέντες: "bound by both hands backwards," i.e. with both hands tied behind our backs, (S. 1600 and 1601a). τὼ χεῖρε is accusative dual (for τώ as the nom/acc. dual form for all three genders of the definite article, see S. 332). For the dual forms of third declension nouns whose stems end in a liquid or nasal, see S. 259. As is usual for the dual, the nominative and accusative forms are identical and need to be distinguished by context. 

    VERB LIST

    ἀναστρέφω: turn back, return

    δίωξις, -εως, ἡ: chase, pursuit

    τρόπαιον, τό: a trophy

    ἀράχνιον, τό: a spider's web

    πεζομαχία, ἡ: an infantry battle

    ἀερομαχία, ἡ: an air battle

    νέφος, -ους, τό: a cloud

    ἄρτι: just now, just

    σκοπός, ὁ: a lookout, watcher

    Νεφελοκένταυροι, οἱ: the Cloud-centaurs

    προσελαύνω: drive, advance

    πρόσειμι: approach, go towards

    θέαμα, -ατος, τό: a sight, spectacle

    παράδοξος, -ον: incredible, paradoxical

    πτερωτός, -ή, -όν: feathered

    σύγκειμαι: (as pass. of συντίθημι) be composed (out of), be compounded (out of)

    κολοσσός, ὁ: a colossus

    ἥμισυς, -εια, -υ: half

    φορτίς, -ίδος, ἡ: cargo ship, commercial vessel

    ἀναγράφω: write down, record

    ἄπιστος, -ον: unbelievable

    ζῳδιακός, ὁ: the Ζodiac

    τοξότης, -ου, ὁ: a bowman, archer

    Φαέθων, -οντος, ὁ: Phaethon

    ἀγγελία, ἡ: a message, tidings, news

    ἔπειμι: attack

    διατάσσω: draw up, arrange

    ταράσσω: stir up, trouble; pass. be in a state of disorder

    ἐπιπίπτω: fall upon (+ dat.)

    Σεληνῖται, οἱ: the men in the moon

    ἀτάκτως: in a disorderly manner

    δίωξις, -εως, ἡ: chase, pursuit

    λάφυρα, τά: spoils

    διασκεδάννυμι: scatter, disperse

    καταδιώκω: pursue closely

    ὄρνεον, τό: a bird

    κτείνω: kill, slay

    ἀνασπάω: pluck up, take up

    κατατρέχω: run down, overrun, lay waste to

    ἀράχνης, -ου, ὁ: a spider

    πεδίον, τό: a plain, flat

    ὑφαίνω: weave

    ἑταῖρος, ὁ: a comrade, companion, mate

    ζωγρέω: take alive, take captive

    ἀπάγω: lead away, carry off

    αὐθήμερος, -ον: on the very day

    ὀπίσω: backwards

    δέω: bind, tie

    ἀράχνιον, τό: a spider's web

    ἀπόκομμα, -ατος, τό: a splinter, shred

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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-1/1-18