Flora, wall painting from the Villa Arianna at Stabiae (1st century AD)
ΕΦΕΣΙΑΚΑ

Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.3.4 · 2.3.4

An oath at the family shrines

Read the full text in our reader

Καὶ δὴ σχολῆς λαβομένη ἄγει τὴν κόρην πρὸς τὰ πατρῷα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἱερά, καὶ δεῖται μὴ κατειπεῖν αὐτῆς καὶ ὅρκους λαμβάνει καὶ λέγει τὸν ἔρωτα τοῦ Ἁβροκόμου καὶ ἱκετεύει συλλαβέσθαι καὶ πολλὰ ὑπέσχετο συλλαβομένῃ.

So when she found a free moment, she took the girl to the family shrines in the house. She begged her not to betray her and made her swear an oath; then she told her of her love for Habrocomes, implored her to help, and promised her a great deal if she did.

Word by word

ΚαὶKaìandδὴdḕsoσχολῆςscholêsa free momentλαβομένηlaboménēfindingἄγειágeishe takesτὴνtḕntheκόρηνkórēngirlπρὸςpròstoτὰtàtheπατρῷαpatrôiafamilyἐπὶepìinτῆςtêstheοἰκίαςoikíashouseἱεράhieráshrines,καὶkaìandδεῖταιdeîtaishe begsμὴmḕnotκατειπεῖνkateipeînto betrayαὐτῆςautêsherκαὶkaìandὅρκουςhórkousoathsλαμβάνειlambáneishe takesκαὶkaìandλέγειlégeishe tellsτὸνtònherἔρωταérōtaloveτοῦtoû—ἉβροκόμουHabrokómoufor Habrocomesκαὶkaìandἱκετεύειhiketeúeishe imploresσυλλαβέσθαιsyllabésthaito helpκαὶkaìandπολλὰpollàmuchὑπέσχετοhypéschetoshe promisedσυλλαβομένῃsyllaboménēiif she helped.

The setting

Book 2, chapter 3. Manto has chosen Rhode, a slave who grew up with Anthia, as the one to help her.

A note on this passage

Manto makes Rhode swear at τὰ πατρῷα ἱερά, the ancestral shrines of the house; ὅρκους λαμβάνει, "she takes oaths," is the Greek idiom for receiving someone's oath. The verb κατειπεῖν has changed direction since the last section. There Manto decided to κατειπεῖν her love, to speak it out; here, with a genitive, it means to speak out against someone, to inform on her, which Manto begs Rhode not to do.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.3.4 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.3.4 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/ephesiantale/2.3.4/