ἐπειδὰν δὲ γηράσῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἀποθνῄσκει, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ καπνὸς διαλυόμενος ἀὴρ γίνεται. τροφὴ δὲ πᾶσιν ἡ αὐτή· ἐπειδὰν γὰρ πῦρ ἀνακαύσωσιν, βατράχους ὀπτῶσιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθράκων· πολλοὶ δὲ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς εἰσιν ἐν τῷ ἀέρι πετόμενοι· ὀπτωμένων δὲ περικαθεσθέντες ὥσπερ δὴ περὶ τράπεζαν κάπτουσι τὸν ἀναθυμιώμενον καπνὸν καὶ εὐωχοῦνται. σίτῳ μὲν δὴ τρέφονται τοιούτῳ· ποτὸν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἀὴρ ἀποθλιβόμενος εἰς κύλικα καὶ ὑγρὸν ἀνιεὶς ὥσπερ δρόσον. οὐ μὴν ἀπουροῦσίν γε καὶ ἀφοδεύουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τέτρηνται ᾗπερ ἡμεῖς, οὐδὲ τὴν συνουσίαν οἱ παῖδες ἐν ταῖς ἕδραις παρέχουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑπὲρ τὴν γαστροκνημίαν· ἐκεῖ γάρ εἰσι τετρημένοι.

      Καλὸς δὲ νομίζεται παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἤν πού τις φαλακρὸς καὶ ἄκομος ᾖ, τοὺς δὲ κομήτας καὶ μυσάττονται. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν κομητῶν ἀστέρων τοὐναντίον τοὺς κομήτας καλοὺς νομίζουσιν· ἐπεδήμουν γάρ τινες, οἳ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων διηγοῦντο. καὶ μὴν καὶ γένεια φύουσιν μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τὰ γόνατα. καὶ ὄνυχας ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ πάντες εἰσὶν μονοδάκτυλοι. ὑπὲρ δὲ τὰς πυγὰς ἑκάστῳ αὐτῶν κράμβη ἐκπέφυκε μακρὰ ὥσπερ οὐρά, θάλλουσα ἐς ἀεὶ καὶ ὑπτίου ἀναπίπτοντος οὐ κατακλωμένη.

    ἐπειδὰν γηράσῃ: "whenever a man grows old," (S. 2410 and 2399a).

    ὁ ἄνθρωπος: the definite article is generic rather than particular, i.e. "a man" as a class, not "the man," (S. 1118 and 1122).

    διαλυόμενος ἀὴρ γίνεται: "by dissolving (he) becomes air."

    ἐπειδὰν γὰρ πῦρ ἀνακαύσωσιν: aor. subj. of ἀνακαίω, "for whenever they kindle a fire," (S. 2410 and 2399a).

    εἰσιν πετόμενοι: "are flying," (S. 1857 and 1961).

    ὀπτωμένων (sc. αὐτῶν): "while they are cooking," (S. 2058 and 2070; G. 589 and 590).

    περικαθεσθέντες: aor. part. pass. of περικαθέζομαι, "sitting down around."

    τὸν ἀναθυμιώμενον καπνόν: pres. part. acc. sg. of ἀναθυμιάω, "the rising smoke" (S. 2049).

    ἀὴρ ἀποθλιβόμενος: "air which is squeezed" (S. 2050a).

    ἀνιείς: pres. part. nom. sg. of ἀνίημι, modifying ἀήρ, "producing."

    τέτρηνται: perf. 3 pl. pass. of τετραίνω, "they are perforated," (S. 1946).

    ᾗπερ ἡμεῖς: "in the same way we are" (S. 2495; cf. S. 1501a and 338c).

    ἐν ταῖς ἕδραις: "in their rears."

    εἰσι τετρημένοι:  "they are perforated" (S. 1946). For the periphrastic perf., see S. 408 and G. 456d.

    ἤν πού τις...ᾖ: "if anyone is..." (S. 2295).

    ἐπὶ τῶν κομητῶν ἀστέρων: "on the long-haired stars," i.e., "comets." Note that κομήτης is here adjectival but appears as a substantive later in the same sentence and also in the previous sentence (S. 1021).

    τοὐναντίον (= τὸ ἐναντίον): (adverbial) "conversely," "on the other hand."

    ἐπεδήμουν γάρ τινες: impf. of ἐπιδημέω, "for some people were visiting."

    διηγοῦντο: impf. of διηγέομαι, "(who) told me."

    μικρόν: "a little bit" (S. 1608).

    ὄνυχας...μονοδάκτυλοι: "toenails...hoofed." μονοδάκτυλος appears in Greek only here and in one passage in the works of the Alexandrian geographer Claudius Ptolemaeus (second century and so contemporary with Lucian).

    ὑπὲρ δὲ τὰς πυγάς: "over the buttocks."

    ἐκπέφυκε: perf. 3 sg. of ἐκφύω, "has grown out."

    ἐς ἀεί: "forever."

    καὶ ὑπτίου ἀναπίπτοντος:  "even if one falls down on his back" (S. 2058 and 2070d; G. 589 and 590).

    κατακλωμένη: pres. part. of κατακλάω, "breaking."

    VERB LIST

    γηράσκω: grow old, become old

    καπνός, ὁ: smoke

    διαλύω: disperse

    ἀήρ, ἀέρος, ὁ: the air

    ἀνακαίω: light up

    βάτραχος, ὁ: a frog

    ὀπτάω: roast, broil

    ἄνθραξ, -ακος, ὁ: charcoal, coal

    πέτομαι: fly

    περικαθίστημι: sit down around

    τράπεζα, -ης, ἡ: a table

    κάπτω: gulp down

    ἀναθυμιάω: rise

    εὐωχέω: eat abundantly; mid-pass. feast, fare sumptuously

    σίτος, ὁ: food

    ποτόv, τό: drink, that which one drinks

    ἀποθλίβω: press, squeeze out

    κύλιξ, -ικος, ἡ: a drinking cup

    ὑγρόν, τό: moisture, liquid

    ἀνίημι: send forth, yield

    δρόσος, ἡ: dew

    ἀπουρέω: pass urine

    ἀφοδεύω: defecate

    τετραίνω: perforate

    συνουσία, ἡ: intercourse

    ἕδρα, ἡ: the rear, bottom

    ἰγνύα, ἡ: the back of the knee

    γαστροκνημίη, ἡ: calf 

    φαλακρός, -ά, -όν: bald

    ἄκομος, -ον: hairless

    μυσάττομαι: feel disgust at

    ἀστήρ, -έρος, ὁ: a star

    ἐναντίος, -α, -ον: opposite, facing

    κομήτης, -ου, ὁ: long-haired (man) (used as adj. or noun)

    ἐπιδημέω: travel, come to stay in a place, visit

    γένειον, τό: a chin, beard

    γόνυ, γόνατος, τό: the knee

    ὄνυξ, -υχος, ὁ: a nail, claw

    μονοδάκτυλος, -ον: one-toed

    πυγή, ἡ: the rump, buttocks

    κράμβη, ἡ: cabbage

    ἐκφύω: generate; (intrans. in perf.) grow, take rise

    οὐρά, ἡ: tail (of a lion, dog, etc.)

    θάλλω: grow, sprout

    ὕπτιος, -α, -ον: backward

    ἀναπίπτω: fall back

    κατακλάω: break, snap off

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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-1/1-23