Lesson XVIII
ῥυτοῖσιν λάεσσι κατωρυχέεσσ’ ἀραρυῖα.
ἔνθα δὲ νηῶν ὅπλα μελαινάων ἀλέγουσι,
πείσματα καὶ σπείρας, καὶ ἀποξύνουσιν ἐρετμά.
οὐ γὰρ Φαιήκεσσι μέλει βιὸς οὐδὲ φαρέτρη, 270
ἀλλ’ ἱστοὶ καὶ ἐρετμὰ νεῶν καὶ νῆες ἐῖσαι,
ᾗσιν ἀγαλλόμενοι πολιὴν περόωσι θάλασσαν.
τῶν ἀλεείνω φῆμιν ἀδευκέα, μή τις ὀπίσσω
μωμεύῃ· μάλα δ’ εἰσὶν ὑπερφίαλοι κατὰ δῆμον·ἀγάλλομαι I exult in [+ dat.]
ἀδευκής, -ές harsh, unkind
ἀλέγω I care for
ἀπινύσσω I lack understanding
ἀπο-ξῡ ́νω I sharpen, I taper
βιός, -οῦ [m.] a bow
εἰσίθμη, -ης [f.] an entrance
ἑκάτερθε(ν) [adv.] on either side; [prep. + gen.] on
either side of
ἐπίστιον, -ου [n.] boat slip; boat house
κατωρυχής, -ές embedded in the groundκρατερῶνυξ, -υχος solid-hoofed [epithet of horses
and mules]
μωμεύω I blame, I reproach
πεῖσμα, -ατος [n.] rope, cable
πολῑ ́της, -ᾱο [m.] citizen
Ποσιδήϊον, -ου [n.] a temple of Poseidon
ῥῡτός, -οῦ [m. adj.] quarried, dug out of the earth
σπείρα, -ης [f.] cable
φαρέτρη, -ης [f.] a quiver for arrows
φῆμις, -ιος [f.] speech, talk- NOTES
253 ἂν = ἀνά; take with ἔβη.
255 ὄρσεο : imperative of a rare “mixed” aorist, with first aorist stem and second aorist
endings.
257 εἰδησέμεν is a fut. inf. of οἶδα, with the subject σέ in 256 and the object the noun clause
πάντων Φαιήκων ... ὅσσοι (εἰσίν) ἄριστοι.
258 ἔρδειν : infinitive as imperative (§148 in Book 1).
259 ἴομεν is subjunctive of εἶμι (§8) with thematic vowel unlengthened for metrical reasons.
The subjunctive is used here in an indefinite temporal clause introduced by the relative
adverb ὄφρα— a conditional relative construction of the Future More Vivid pattern (§247a
in Book 1). The demonstrative adverb τόφρα is the antecedent to the relative ὄφρα. ἀγροὺς
... καὶ ἔργ’ : are the objects of an understood preposition such as διά (“though”). ἔργα here
means “the worked (fields)”, i.e., the cultivated lands.
260 μεθ’ : “behind.”
261 ἔρχεσθαι : infinitive as imperative (§148 in Book 1).
262 ἐπὴν (= ἐπεὶ ἄν) marks a protasis of a Future More Vivid construction (§247a in Book 1),
but Nausicaa forgets to give us the apodosis. ἐπιβήομεν is second aorist subjunctive (with
shortened thematic vowel) of ἐπιβαίνω, which takes the genitive. πέρι is postpositive.
πύργος ὑψηλός is the city wall with projecting towers; understand with it ἐστί (as with
λιμὴν and εἰσίθμη in the following lines).
265 νῆες δ’ ὁδὸν ἀμφιέλισσαι εἰρύαται : “And maneuverable ships are drawn up along (or to,
acc. of extent) the road.” εἰρύαται is 3 pl. pf. ind. pass. of ἐρύω, “I draw.” πᾶσιν γὰρ ἐπίστιόν
ἐστιν ἑκάστῳ : “For all there is a boat slip, (one for) each.”
266 σφ’ = σφι.