Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.12.3 · 1.12.3

The wind drops and the sailors drink

Ταῦτα ἀναθέντες, ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ νήσῳ μείναντες, ἐπειγόντων τῶν ναυτῶν ἀνήγοντο ἐπισιτισάμενοι· παρέπεμπε δὲ αὐτοὺς ἅπαν τὸ Ῥοδίων πλῆθος. Καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἐφέροντο οὐρίῳ πνεύματι, καὶ ἦν αὐτοῖς ὁ πλοῦς ἀσμένοις, κἀκείνην τε τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἐφέροντο ἀναμετροῦντες τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν καλουμένην θάλατταν· τῇ δὲ δευτέρᾳ ἐπέπαυτο μὲν ὁ ἄνεμος, γαλήνη δὲ ⟨ἦν⟩ καὶ πλοῦς βραδὺς καὶ ναυτῶν ῥᾳθυμία καὶ πότος καὶ μέθη καὶ ἀρχὴ τῶν μεμαντευμένων.

After dedicating this and staying a few days on the island, they took on food and put out to sea, because the sailors were pressing them, and the whole crowd of Rhodians saw them off. At first they were carried along by a fair wind, and the voyage was a pleasure to them; all that day and the following night they sailed on, crossing the sea called Egyptian. But on the second day the wind had dropped, and there was a calm, slow sailing, idleness among the sailors, drinking and drunkenness, and the beginning of what had been prophesied.

Word by word

ΤαῦταTaûtathisἀναθέντεςanathéntesafter dedicating,ὀλίγαςolígasa fewἡμέραςhēmérasdaysἐνenonτῇtêitheνήσῳnḗsōiislandμείναντεςmeínantesstaying,ἐπειγόντωνepeigóntōnpressingτῶνtôntheναυτῶνnautônsailorsἀνήγοντοanḗgontothey put out to seaἐπισιτισάμενοιepisitisámenoistocked with food·παρέπεμπεparépempesaw offδὲdèandαὐτοὺςautoùsthemἅπανhápanwholeτὸtòtheῬοδίωνRhodíōnof Rhodiansπλῆθοςplêthoscrowd.ΚαὶKaìandτὰtà—μὲνmèn—πρῶταprôtaat firstἐφέροντοephérontothey were carried alongοὐρίῳouríōifairπνεύματιpneúmatiwind,καὶkaìandἦνênwasαὐτοῖςautoîsto themὁhotheπλοῦςploûsvoyageἀσμένοιςasménoisa pleasure,κἀκείνηνkakeínēnand thatτεtebothτὴνtḕn—ἡμέρανhēmérandayκαὶkaìandτὴνtḕntheἐπιοῦσανepioûsanfollowingνύκταnýktanightἐφέροντοephérontothey were carried onἀναμετροῦντεςanametroûntescrossingτὴνtḕntheΑἰγυπτίανAigyptíanEgyptianκαλουμένηνkalouménēncalledθάλαττανthálattansea·τῇtêion theδὲdèbutδευτέρᾳdeutéraisecondἐπέπαυτοepépautohad droppedμὲνmèn—ὁhotheἄνεμοςánemoswind,γαλήνηgalḗnēa calmδὲdèand⟨ἦν⟩⟨ên⟩there wasκαὶkaìandπλοῦςploûssailingβραδὺςbradỳsslowκαὶkaìandναυτῶνnautônamong the sailorsῥᾳθυμίαrhaithymíaidlenessκαὶkaìandπότοςpótosdrinkingκαὶkaìandμέθηméthēdrunkennessκαὶkaìandἀρχὴarchḕthe beginningτῶνtônof whatμεμαντευμένωνmemanteuménōnhad been prophesied.

The setting

Book 1, chapter 12. From Rhodes the ship heads out across the open sea toward Egypt.

A note on this passage

The list of what the calm brought ends on ἀρχὴ τῶν μεμαντευμένων, "the beginning of what had been prophesied." Apollo's oracle at Colophon began with a question about "the end and the beginning" of the sickness, νούσου τέλος ἠδὲ καὶ ἀρχήν (1.6.2), and Anthia's parents took heart from its end, which promised a better fate after suffering (1.10.7). The drink and the idleness of the crew, μέθη and ῥᾳθυμία, are named again when the pirates find everyone on board lying about (1.13.4).

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Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.12.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/ephesiantale/1.12.3/