Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.10.10 · 1.10.10
Megamedes pours a libation and prays
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Ὁ δὲ Μεγαμήδης φιάλην λαβὼν καὶ ἐπισπένδων εὔχετο ὡς ἐξάκουστον εἶναι τοῖς ἐν τῇ νηὶ ὦ παῖδες λέγων μάλιστα μὲν εὐτυχοῖτε καὶ φύγοιτε τὰ σκληρὰ τῶν μαντευμάτων, καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀνασωθέντας ὑποδέξαιντο Ἐφέσιοι, καὶ τὴν φιλτάτην ἀπολάβοιτε πατρίδα· εἰ δὲ ἄλλο ⟨τι⟩ συμβαίη, τοῦτο μὲν ἴστε οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς ἔτι ζησομένους· προΐεμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ὁδὸν μὲν δυστυχῆ ἀλλʼ ἀναγκαίαν.
Megamedes took a bowl and, pouring a libation, prayed loud enough for those on the ship to hear. “Children,” he said, “above all, may you be fortunate and escape the harsh parts of the prophecies; may the Ephesians welcome you home safe, and may you get back your dearest homeland. But if anything else should happen, know this: we will not go on living either. We send you off on an unhappy road, but a necessary one.”
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The setting
Book 1, chapter 10. Anthia's father speaks the last words from the shore.
A note on this passage
Megamedes answers the oracle with its own verb: it had said that both would "flee" over the sea (φεύξονται, 1.6.2), and he prays that they may "flee," φύγοιτε, the harsh parts of the prophecies. His wishes are in the optative, the Greek mood of wishing and prayer, which English can only give with "may." Habrocomes prays in the same shape once they are at sea, μάλιστα μὲν εὐτυχεῖν εἴη, "best of all may we be fortunate," and then, "but if something is fated to happen" (1.11.3–4).
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