Arion · lines 24–32
Arion reaches Corinth, but Periander does not believe him until the sailors arrive and are confronted with the man they left for dead · Tales from Herodotus · GCSE Greek · OCR J292/02
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativePrepositionConjunctionAdverb
Greek
English
24ἀποβὰς δὲ ἐχώρει εἰς Κόρινθον σὺν τῇ σκευῇ, καὶ
25ἀφικόμενος ἀφηγεῖτο πᾶν τὸ γεγονός.
He landed and went on to Corinth, still in his costume, and when he arrived he told the whole story.
25Περίανδρος δὲ ὑπὸ
26ἀπιστίας Ἀρίονα μὲν ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχεν οὐδαμῇ μεθιείς,
27ἀνακῶς δὲ εἶχε τῶν πορθμέων.
Periander did not believe him: he kept Arion under guard, refusing to let him go anywhere, and kept a close watch for the sailors.
27ὡς δὲ ἄρα παρῆσαν,
28κληθέντας αὐτοὺς ἤρετο εἴ τι λέγοιεν περὶ Ἀρίονος.
When they did arrive, he summoned them and asked whether they had any news of Arion.
29φαμένων δὲ ἐκείνων ὡς εἴη τε σῶς περὶ Ἰταλίαν καὶ
30λίποιεν εὖ πράττοντα ἐν Τάραντι, ἐπεφάνη αὐτοῖς ὁ
31Ἀρίων, ὥσπερ ἔχων ἐξεπήδησε.
They were saying that he was safe and well in Italy, and that they had left him doing well at Tarentum, when Arion appeared before them, just as he had been when he jumped overboard.
31καὶ οἱ δὲ ἐκπλαγέντες
32οὐκ εἶχον ἔτι ἐλεγχόμενοι ἀρνεῖσθαι.
Dumbfounded, and with their story exposed, they could no longer deny it.
Style notes this section · 15Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 3Word choice · 6Imagery and tone · 2Grammar · 2
24–25
ἀποβὰς … ἀφικόμενοςFast pace
landing … arriving
Two participles cover a long journey across the Peloponnese in a few words, hurrying Arion back to Corinth.
24
σὺν τῇ σκευῇVivid detail
still in his costume
He walks to Corinth still in his performing robes. It is a striking picture, and the outfit will be the proof of his story.
25
πᾶν τὸ γεγονόςEmphasis
the whole story
"Everything that had happened": Arion tells the full story, so Periander has every detail to test.
25–26
ὑπὸ ἀπιστίαςEmphatic position
in disbelief
Periander's disbelief comes straight after his name, so his reaction is the first thing we learn about him here.
26–27
Ἀρίονα μὲν … ἀνακῶς δὲ … τῶν πορθμέωνContrast (μέν ... δέ)
Arion … the sailors
Arion is dealt with on one side and the sailors on the other. The balance shows Periander handling both halves of the case.
26
ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχενCharacterisation
he kept him under guard
Periander keeps Arion under guard: he is a careful ruler who wants proof before he acts.
26
οὐδαμῇ μεθιείςEmphatic negative
not letting him go anywhere
The strong negative shows how strictly Arion is held, which also keeps his return a secret.
28
ἤρετο εἴ τι λέγοιεν περὶ ἈρίονοςDramatic irony
he asked whether they had any news of Arion
The question sounds innocent, but Periander and the reader know the truth and the sailors do not. We wait for them to walk into the trap.
29–30
φαμένων … ἐπεφάνηTense
while they were saying … appeared
The present participle catches the sailors in mid-sentence, and the aorist ἐπεφάνη marks Arion's sudden appearance. The timing is perfectly dramatic.
29–30
εἴη τε σῶς … καὶ λίποιενPairing
that he was safe … and that they had left him
τε … καί links two confident claims, so the lie sounds detailed and convincing just before it collapses.
29–30
σῶς … εὖ πράττονταIrony
safe … doing well
The sailors claim that Arion is safe and doing well, which is true in a way they do not realise: he is safe, thanks to the dolphin.
30
ἐπεφάνηWord choice
appeared
This verb is often used of gods appearing to mortals, so Arion seems to come back from the dead.
31
ὥσπερ ἔχων ἐξεπήδησεRepetition
just as he was when he leapt
ἐξεπήδησε repeats the verb the sailors used when they ordered him to jump (ἐκπηδᾶν, line 11), and ὥσπερ ἔχων recalls ὡς εἶχε (line 21). Their own words come back against them.
31
ἐκπλαγέντεςWord choice
dumbfounded
A powerful verb, literally "knocked out of their senses": the sailors are stunned into silence.
32
ἀρνεῖσθαιEmphatic position
to deny it
The story ends on "to deny": the sailors' guilt is exposed and they are left with nothing to say.
Questions to think about · 4
- How well does Periander handle the situation? Would you have believed Arion?
- Why is it important that Arion appears ὥσπερ ἔχων ἐξεπήδησε (line 31)?
- The story ends without telling us how the sailors were punished. Why might Herodotus stop here?
- Looking back over the whole story, how far is it about money, and how far about music?
Vocabulary in this section · 55 wordsVocabulary tester
ἀποβαίνω disembark, get off
δέ and, but
χωρέω go
εἰς (+ acc.) into, to
Κόρινθος, -ου, ἡ Corinth
σύν (+ dat.) with
ὁ, ἡ, τό the
σκευή, -ῆς, ἡ finery, costume
καί and
ἀφικνέομαι arrive
ἀφηγέομαι relate, tell
πᾶς, πᾶσα, πᾶν all, every
γίγνομαι become, happen
Περίανδρος, -ου, ὁ Periander
ὑπό (+ gen.) because of, by
ἀπιστία, -ας, ἡ disbelief
Ἀρίων, -ονος, ὁ Arion
μέν on the one hand
ἐν (+ dat.) in, on, at
φυλακή, -ῆς, ἡ guard, custody
ἔχω have, keep
οὐδαμῇ in no way, nowhere
μεθίημι let go, release
ἀνακῶς carefully
πορθμεύς, -έως, ὁ sailor, ferryman
ὡς when, as
ἄρα actually, then
πάρειμι be here, be there
καλέω call, summon
αὐτός, -ή, -ό him, her, it; self
ἔρομαι ask
εἰ if, whether
τις, τι someone, something; any
λέγω say, speak
περί (+ gen.) about, concerning
φημί say
ἐκεῖνος, -η, -ο that; (pl.) those men
εἰμί be
τε … καί both … and
σῶς, σᾶ, σῶν safe
περί (+ acc.) around
Ἰταλία, -ας, ἡ Italy
λείπω leave
εὖ well
πράττω do, fare
Τάρας, -αντος, ὁ Tarentum
ἐπιφαίνομαι appear
ὥσπερ just as
ἐκπηδάω jump out, leap out
ἐκπλήττω strike with amazement; (passive) be astounded
οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ not
ἔχω (+ inf.) be able
ἔτι any longer, still
ἐλέγχω refute, cross-examine
ἀρνέομαι deny