Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.10.3 · 2.10.3

Habrocomes thinks only of Anthia

Ταῦτα ἔλεγεν ὁ Ἄψυρτος· ὁ δὲ Ἁβροκόμης ἀλλὰ χάρις ἔφη σοι, δέσποτα, ὅτι καὶ τἀληθὲς ἔμαθες καὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀμείβῃ με. Ἔχαιρον δὲ πάντες οἱ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ὑπὲρ Ἁβροκόμου καὶ χάριν ᾔδεσαν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τῷ δεσπότῃ· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐν μεγάλῃ συμφορᾷ κατʼ Ἄνθειαν ἦν· ἐνενόει δὲ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν πολλάκις τί δεῖ ἐλευθερίας ἐμοί; τί δὲ πλούτων καὶ ἐπιμελείας τῶν Ἀψύρτου χρημάτων; οὐ τοιοῦτον εἶναί με δεῖ· ἐκείνην ἢ ζῶσαν ἢ τεθνεῶσαν εὕροιμι.

So Apsyrtus spoke, and Habrocomes said: "Thank you, master, for learning the truth and repaying me for my chastity." Everyone in the household was glad for Habrocomes and grateful to their master for his sake. But Habrocomes himself was in great distress over Anthia, and he often thought to himself: "What need have I of freedom? What need of riches, and of the care of Apsyrtus' property? I must not be such a man. May I find her, alive or dead!"

Word by word

ΤαῦταTaûtathisἔλεγενélegensaidὁho—ἌψυρτοςÁpsyrtosApsyrtus·ὁho—δὲdèandἉβροκόμηςHabrokómēsHabrocomesἀλλὰallàwellχάριςcháristhanksἔφηéphēsaidσοιsoito you,δέσποταdéspotamaster,ὅτιhótibecauseκαὶkaìbothτἀληθὲςtalēthèsthe truthἔμαθεςémathesyou learnedκαὶkaìandτῆςtêsmyσωφροσύνηςsōphrosýnēschastityἀμείβῃameíbēiyou repayμεmeme.ἜχαιρονÉchaironrejoicedδὲdèandπάντεςpántesallοἱhoithoseκατὰkatàinτὴνtḕntheοἰκίανoikíanhouseholdὑπὲρhypèrforἉβροκόμουHabrokómouHabrocomesκαὶkaìandχάρινchárinthanksᾔδεσανḗidesanthey feltὑπὲρhypèrforαὐτοῦautoûhimτῷtôito theδεσπότῃdespótēimaster·αὐτὸςautòshe himselfδὲdèbutἐνeninμεγάλῃmegálēigreatσυμφορᾷsymphorâidistressκατʼkat’overἌνθειανÁntheianAnthiaἦνênwas·ἐνενόειenenóeihe thoughtδὲdèandπρὸςpròstoἑαυτὸνheautònhimselfπολλάκιςpollákisoftenτίtíwhatδεῖdeîneedἐλευθερίαςeleutheríasof freedomἐμοίemoíI;τίtíwhatδὲdèandπλούτωνploútōnof richesκαὶkaìandἐπιμελείαςepimeleíasof the careτῶνtôn—ἈψύρτουApsýrtouApsyrtus'χρημάτωνchrēmátōnproperty;οὐounotτοιοῦτονtoioûtonsuch a manεἶναίeînaíto beμεmeIδεῖdeîmust·ἐκείνηνekeínēnherἢḕeitherζῶσανzôsanaliveἢḕorτεθνεῶσανtethneôsandeadεὕροιμιheúroimimay I find.

The setting

Book 2, chapter 10. Habrocomes answers Apsyrtus, who has just promised him his freedom and put him in charge of his house.

A note on this passage

σωφροσύνη is self-control, here chastity, and its adjective σώφρων has been turned against Habrocomes before. Manto mocked "the chaste Habrocomes" (ὁ σώφρων Ἁβροκόμης, 2.5.7) when she accused him to her father, and Apsyrtus tortured him to show Moeris, the bridegroom, that he was marrying a chaste girl (σώφρονα παρθένον, 2.6.4). The wish to find Anthia "alive or dead" returns in Book 3, when Habrocomes, believing her dead, resolves to die but first to hold out until he finds (εὕρω) her body (3.10.3).

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Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.10.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/ephesiantale/2.10.3/