Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 2.8.1 · 2.8.1

Habrocomes alone in the prison

Τέλος δὲ ἡ μὲν ἐξῄει τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου, ὁ δὲ ὡς εἶχεν ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ γῆς ῥίψας ἔστενεν, ἔκλαεν ὦ πάτερ λέγων φίλτατε, ὦ μῆτερ Θεμιστώ· ποῦ μὲν ἡ ἐν Ἐφέσῳ δοκοῦσά ποτʼ εὐδαιμονία; ποῦ δʼ οἱ λαμπροὶ καὶ οἱ περίβλεπτοι Ἄνθεια καὶ Ἁβροκόμης, οἱ καλοί; ἡ μὲν οἴχεται πόρρω ποι τῆς γῆς αἰχμάλωτος, ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τὸ μόνον ἀφῄρημαι παραμύθιον, καὶ τεθνήξομαι ⟨ὁ⟩ δυστυχὴς ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ μόνος.

At last Anthia went out of the prison, and Habrocomes threw himself on the ground just as he was, and he groaned and wept. "O dearest father," he said, "O mother Themisto! Where is the happiness that once seemed ours in Ephesus? Where are the splendid, admired Anthia and Habrocomes, the beautiful ones? She is gone, a captive, somewhere far away in the world, and I have been robbed even of my only comfort, and I shall die, wretch that I am, alone in prison."

Word by word

ΤέλοςTélosat lastδὲdè—ἡhēsheμὲνmèn—ἐξῄειexḗieiwent outτοῦtoûtheδεσμωτηρίουdesmōtēríouprison,ὁhoheδὲdèandὡςhōsjust asεἶχενeîchenhe wasἑαυτὸνheautònhimselfἐπὶepìonγῆςgêsthe groundῥίψαςrhípsasthrowingἔστενενéstenengroaned,ἔκλαενéklaenweptὦôOπάτερpáterfatherλέγωνlégōnsayingφίλτατεphíltatedearest,ὦôOμῆτερmêtermotherΘεμιστώThemistṓThemisto·ποῦpoûwhereμὲνmèn—ἡhētheἐνeninἘφέσῳEphésōiEphesusδοκοῦσάdokoûsáseemedποτʼpot’onceεὐδαιμονίαeudaimoníahappiness;ποῦpoûwhereδʼd’andοἱhoitheλαμπροὶlamproìsplendidκαὶkaìandοἱhoi—περίβλεπτοιperíbleptoiadmiredἌνθειαÁntheiaAnthiaκαὶkaìandἉβροκόμηςHabrokómēsHabrocomes,οἱhoitheκαλοίkaloíbeautiful ones;ἡhēsheμὲνmèn—οἴχεταιoíchetaiis goneπόρρωpórrōfar awayποιpoisomewhereτῆςtêstheγῆςgêsworldαἰχμάλωτοςaichmálōtosa captive,ἐγὼegṑIδὲdèandκαὶkaìevenτὸtòmyμόνονmónononlyἀφῄρημαιaphḗirēmaihave been robbed ofπαραμύθιονparamýthioncomfort,καὶkaìandτεθνήξομαιtethnḗxomaiI shall die⟨ὁ⟩⟨ho⟩—δυστυχὴςdystychḕswretchἐνeninδεσμωτηρίῳdesmōtēríōiprisonμόνοςmónosalone.

The setting

Book 2, chapter 8. Anthia, now Manto's slave and bound for Syria, has said goodbye to Habrocomes in his prison at Tyre.

A note on this passage

Alone, Habrocomes cries out to his father and mother and asks where the happiness of Ephesus has gone. He speaks of himself and Anthia in the third person, as people everyone once looked at: περίβλεπτοι means "looked at from every side," the word used for their procession into Tyre, when all marveled at their beauty (2.2.4). The romance answers his question at its end, when the people of Rhodes shout that they see "Habrocomes and Anthia, the beautiful ones" again (5.13.3).

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