Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.11.5 · 1.11.5

Anthia swears by Artemis

Ἀκούουσα δὲ Ἄνθεια μέγα ἀνωλόλυξε καὶ τί τοῦτο ἔφησεν Ἁβροκόμη, πεπίστευκας ὅτι ἐὰν ἀπαλλαγῶ σοῦ, περὶ ἀνδρὸς ἔτι καὶ γάμου σκέψομαι, ἥτις οὐδὲ ζήσομαι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄνευ σοῦ; Ὡς ὀμνύω γέ σοι τὴν πάτριον ἡμῖν θεόν, τὴν μεγάλην Ἐφεσίων Ἄρτεμιν, καὶ ταύτην ἣν διανύομεν θάλατταν καὶ τὸν ἐπʼ ἀλλήλους ἡμᾶς καλῶς ἐκμήναντα θεόν, ὡς ἐγὼ καὶ βραχύ τι ἀποσπασθεῖσα σοῦ οὔτε ζήσομαι οὔτε τὸν ἥλιον ὄψομαι.

When Anthia heard this she cried out loudly and said: "What is this, Habrocomes? Do you believe that if I am parted from you I will still think about a husband and marriage, I who will not even live at all without you? For I swear to you by the goddess of our fathers, the great Artemis of the Ephesians, and by this sea we are crossing, and by the god who has driven us so beautifully mad for each other, that if I am torn from you even for a short while I will neither live nor look on the sun."

Word by word

ἈκούουσαAkoúousahearingδὲdèandἌνθειαÁntheiaAnthiaμέγαmégaloudlyἀνωλόλυξεanōlólyxecried outκαὶkaìandτίtíwhatτοῦτοtoûtothisἔφησενéphēsenshe saidἉβροκόμηHabrokómēHabrocomes,πεπίστευκαςpepísteukasdo you believeὅτιhótithatἐὰνeànifἀπαλλαγῶapallagôI am partedσοῦsoûfrom you,περὶperìaboutἀνδρὸςandròsa husbandἔτιétistillκαὶkaìandγάμουgámoumarriageσκέψομαιsképsomaiI will think,ἥτιςhḗtisI whoοὐδὲoudènot evenζήσομαιzḗsomaiwill liveτὴνtḕn—ἀρχὴνarchḕnat allἄνευáneuwithoutσοῦsoûyou;ὩςHōsforὀμνύωomnýōI swearγέgéindeedσοιsoito youτὴνtḕntheπάτριονpátrionof our fathersἡμῖνhēmînourθεόνtheóngoddess,τὴνtḕntheμεγάληνmegálēngreatἘφεσίωνEphesíōnof the EphesiansἌρτεμινÁrteminArtemis,καὶkaìandταύτηνtaútēnthisἣνhḕnwhichδιανύομενdianýomenwe are crossingθάλαττανthálattanseaκαὶkaìandτὸνtòntheἐπʼep’forἀλλήλουςallḗlouseach otherἡμᾶςhēmâsusκαλῶςkalôsbeautifullyἐκμήνανταekmḗnantawho maddenedθεόνtheóngod,ὡςhōsthatἐγὼegṑIκαὶkaìevenβραχύbrachýshort whileτιtiaἀποσπασθεῖσαapospastheîsatorn awayσοῦsoûfrom youοὔτεoúteneitherζήσομαιzḗsomaiwill liveοὔτεoútenorτὸνtòntheἥλιονhḗlionsunὄψομαιópsomaiwill look on.

The setting

Book 1, chapter 11. Anthia answers Habrocomes.

A note on this passage

Anthia swears by her city's goddess under the title the Ephesians themselves used: in Acts the crowd in the theater at Ephesus shouts "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" for about two hours (Acts 19:28, 19:34). Her last witness is the god who drove the two of them mad for each other, Eros, whom Habrocomes once refused to count as a god at all (1.1.5).

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