Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.3.2 · 1.3.2

Anthia takes in his beauty

Διέκειτο δὲ καὶ Ἄνθεια πονήρως, ὅλοις μὲν καὶ ἀναπεπταμένοις τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς τὸ Ἁβροκόμου κάλλος εἰσρέον δεχομένη, ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῶν παρθένοις πρεπόντων καταφρονοῦσα· καὶ γὰρ ἐλάλησεν ἄν τι, ἵνα Ἁβροκόμης ἀκούσῃ, καὶ μέρη τοῦ σώματος ἐγύμνωσεν ἂν τὰ δυνατά, ἵνα Ἁβροκόμης ἴδῃ· ὁ δὲ αὑτὸν ἐδεδώκει πρὸς τὴν θέαν καὶ ἦν αἰχμάλωτος τοῦ θεοῦ.

Anthia too was in a bad way. With her eyes fully and wide open she took in the beauty of Habrocomes as it flowed into them, and she was already scorning what is proper for girls. She would say something so that Habrocomes might hear, and she would uncover such parts of her body as she could, so that Habrocomes might see. And he had given himself up to the sight, and was the god's prisoner.

Word by word

ΔιέκειτοDiékeitowasδὲdèandκαὶkaìtooἌνθειαÁntheiaAnthiaπονήρωςponḗrōsin a bad way,ὅλοιςhóloisfullyμὲνmèn—καὶkaìandἀναπεπταμένοιςanapeptaménoiswide openτοῖςtoîswith theὀφθαλμοῖςophthalmoîseyesτὸtòtheἉβροκόμουHabrokómouof Habrocomesκάλλοςkállosbeautyεἰσρέονeisréonflowing inδεχομένηdechoménētaking in,ἤδηḗdēalreadyδὲdèandκαὶkaìevenτῶνtônwhatπαρθένοιςparthénoisfor girlsπρεπόντωνprepóntōnis properκαταφρονοῦσαkataphronoûsascorning·καὶkaì—γὰρgàrforἐλάλησενelálēsensayἄνánwouldτιtisomething,ἵναhínaso thatἉβροκόμηςHabrokómēsHabrocomesἀκούσῃakoúsēimight hear,καὶkaìandμέρηmérēpartsτοῦtoûof theσώματοςsṓmatosbodyἐγύμνωσενegýmnōsenuncoverἂνànwouldτὰtàtheδυνατάdynatápossible,ἵναhínaso thatἉβροκόμηςHabrokómēsHabrocomesἴδῃídēimight see·ὁhoheδὲdèandαὑτὸνhautònhimselfἐδεδώκειededṓkeihad givenπρὸςpròstoτὴνtḕntheθέανthéansightκαὶkaìandἦνênwasαἰχμάλωτοςaichmálōtosa prisonerτοῦtoûof theθεοῦtheoûgod.

The setting

Book 1, chapter 3. The same moment, seen from Anthia's side.

A note on this passage

The beauty of Habrocomes is εἰσρέον, "flowing in," and Anthia takes it in through her eyes, held wide open. Plato gives the same picture in the Phaedrus, where the lover, "receiving the outflow of beauty through the eyes," grows warm (δεξάμενος γὰρ τοῦ κάλλους τὴν ἀπορροὴν διὰ τῶν ὀμμάτων, Phaedrus 251b), and Xenophon uses the same verb, δέχομαι, "receive." In 1.5.1 they still have each other's looks before their eyes all night, and shape each other's image in their souls.

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