Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.12.1 · 1.12.1

The Rhodians take them for gods

Κατήγετο δὴ ἡ ναῦς εἰς Ῥόδον καὶ ἐξέβαινον οἱ ναῦται, ἐξῄει δὲ ὁ Ἁβροκόμης ἔχων μετὰ χεῖρα τὴν Ἄνθειαν· συνῄεσαν δὲ πάντες οἱ Ῥόδιοι, τὸ κάλλος τῶν παίδων καταπεπληγότες, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις τῶν ἰδόντων παρῆλθε σιωπῶν· ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν ἔλεγον ἐπιδημίαν θεῶν, οἱ δὲ προσεκύνουν καὶ προσεποιοῦντο. Ταχὺ δὲ δι’ ὅλης τῆς πόλεως διεπεφοιτήκει τοὔνομα Ἁβροκόμου καὶ Ἀνθείας.

So the ship put in at Rhodes, and the sailors went ashore, and Habrocomes came out holding Anthia by the hand. All the Rhodians gathered, amazed at the beauty of the young couple, and of those who saw them there was no one who passed by in silence: some said it was a visitation of gods, and others bowed down and sought their favor. Soon the name of Habrocomes and Anthia had spread through the whole city.

Word by word

ΚατήγετοKatḗgetoput inδὴdḕsoἡhētheναῦςnaûsshipεἰςeisatῬόδονRhódonRhodesκαὶkaìandἐξέβαινονexébainonwent ashoreοἱhoitheναῦταιnaûtaisailors,ἐξῄειexḗieicame outδὲdèandὁho—ἉβροκόμηςHabrokómēsHabrocomesἔχωνéchōnholdingμετὰmetàbyχεῖραcheîrathe handτὴνtḕn—ἌνθειανÁntheianAnthia·συνῄεσανsynḗiesangatheredδὲdèandπάντεςpántesallοἱhoitheῬόδιοιRhódioiRhodians,τὸtòtheκάλλοςkállosbeautyτῶνtônof theπαίδωνpaídōnyoung coupleκαταπεπληγότεςkatapeplēgótesamazed at,καὶkaìandοὐκouknoἔστινéstinthere wasὅστιςhóstiswhoτῶνtônof thoseἰδόντωνidóntōnwho saw themπαρῆλθεparêlthepassed byσιωπῶνsiōpônin silence·ἀλλʼall’butοἱhoisomeμὲνmèn—ἔλεγονélegonsaidἐπιδημίανepidēmíana visitationθεῶνtheônof gods,οἱhoiothersδὲdèandπροσεκύνουνprosekýnounbowed downκαὶkaìandπροσεποιοῦντοprosepoioûntosought their favor.ΤαχὺTachỳsoonδὲdèandδι’di’throughὅληςhólēswholeτῆςtêstheπόλεωςpóleōscityδιεπεφοιτήκειdiepephoitḗkeihad spreadτοὔνομαtoúnomathe nameἉβροκόμουHabrokómouof HabrocomesκαὶkaìandἈνθείαςAntheíasAnthia.

The setting

Book 1, chapter 12. On the voyage to Egypt the ship puts in at Rhodes, where the sailors need water and rest.

A note on this passage

Rhodes treats them as Ephesus did, where crowds bowed down to Habrocomes and to Anthia as if to gods (1.1.3, 1.2.7). ἐπιδημία is a stay among a people (δῆμος), so the Rhodians who speak of an ἐπιδημία of gods mean that gods have come to stay with them for a while. Greek doctors used the same word for a disease that settles on a town (Hippocrates, Nature of Man 9), and that use gave English the word "epidemic."

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