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.
notes
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”
vocabulary
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