Euenius · lines 65–72
Not knowing of the oracle, Euenius asks for the finest land and the finest house, and is held to his word · Tales from Herodotus · GCSE Greek · OCR J292/02
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativePrepositionConjunctionAdverbVocative
Greek
English
65ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἀκηκοὼς τὸ θεοπρόπιον εἵλετο, εἰπὼν ὅτι εἰ
66δοθεῖεν αὐτῷ ἀγροί τινες κάλλιστοι ὄντες τῶν ἐν τῇ
67Ἀπολλωνίᾳ, καὶ οἴκησις πρὸς τούτοις, ἣν ᾔδει καλλίστην
68οὖσαν τῶν ἐν πόλει,
Not having heard the oracle, he made his choice, saying that if he were given some farmland, the finest in Apollonia, and on top of that the house he knew was the best in the town,
68τὸ λοιπὸν ἀμήνιτος ἂν εἴη, καὶ αὕτη
69ἡ δίκη ἂν ἀποχρῴη.
he would bear no grudge from then on, and that compensation would be enough.
69καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, οἱ δὲ
70πάρεδροι εἶπον ὑπολαβόντες, "Εὐήνιε, ταύτην τὴν δίκην
71Ἀπολλωνιᾶται τῆς ἐκτυφλώσεως ἐκτίνουσι κατὰ
72θεοπρόπια τὰ γενόμενα."
As he said this, the men sitting with him took him up: "Euenius, this is the compensation the Apollonians are paying you for your blinding, in accordance with the oracles they received."
Style notes this section · 14Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 4Word choice · 4Imagery and tone · 2Grammar · 2
65
οὐκ ἀκηκοὼς τὸ θεοπρόπιονDramatic irony
not having heard the oracle
The reader knows the gods have promised him whatever he asks, but Euenius does not, so every word of his request is read with that in mind.
66–67
κάλλιστοι … καλλίστηνSuperlative
finest … finest
He asks for the very best land and the very best house, which shows he is aiming high.
66–68
κάλλιστοι ὄντες τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἀπολλωνίᾳ … καλλίστην οὖσαν τῶν ἐν πόλειParallelism
the finest in Apollonia … the finest in the town
The two phrases are built the same way, so the land and the house make a neat matching pair.
67
πρὸς τούτοιςEmphasis
on top of these
He adds a house to the land, so the reader sees his demand growing as he speaks.
67
ἣν ᾔδειCharacterisation
which he knew
Euenius knows exactly which house is the finest, which makes his request precise and personal.
68
ἀμήνιτοςCharacterisation
without resentment
The word comes from μῆνις, the wrath of gods and heroes, which suggests how deep his anger has been.
68–69
ἀμήνιτος ἂν εἴη … ἂν ἀποχρῴηParallelism
he would be without resentment … it would be enough
Two matching clauses with ἄν close his request, so he offers to end the matter for good.
69–70
δίκη … δίκηνRepetition
compensation … compensation
The citizens pick up Euenius' own word at once, which shows they are holding him to it.
69
ὁ μὲν … οἱ δὲContrast (μέν ... δέ)
he … but they
Euenius speaks and the citizens answer at once, so the reader feels the trap snap shut.
70
ὑπολαβόντεςFast pace
taking him up
They reply the moment he finishes, which gives him no time to change his mind.
70
"ΕὐήνιεDirect speech
Euenius
The reveal is given in the citizens' own words, so the reader hears exactly what Euenius hears.
70
ταύτην τὴν δίκηνEmphatic position
this compensation
The object comes first in their reply, so the stress falls on the payment he has just agreed to.
71
ἐκτίνουσιIrony
are paying in full
They claim to be paying in full, yet they are paying only what a tricked man asked for.
71–72
κατὰ θεοπρόπια τὰ γενόμεναEmphatic position
in accordance with the oracles
The oracles are mentioned last, so the twist comes at the very end of the sentence, just as it hits Euenius.
Questions to think about · 2
- Was Euenius' request modest or greedy? Think about what else he might have asked for.
- How does the word order of lines 70–72 make the citizens' reply so effective?
Vocabulary in this section · 38 wordsVocabulary tester
ὁ, ἡ, τό the; (ὁ δέ) and he
δέ and, but
οὐ, οὐκ, οὐχ not
ἀκούω hear
θεοπρόπιον, -ου, τό prophecy, oracle
αἱρέω take; (middle) choose
λέγω say, speak
ὅτι that
εἰ if
δίδωμι give
αὐτός, -ή, -ό him, her, it
ἀγρός, -οῦ, ὁ field; (pl.) farmland
τις, τι a certain, some
καλός, -ή, -όν fine, beautiful, good
εἰμί be
ἐν (+ dat.) in, on, at
Ἀπολλωνία, -ας, ἡ Apollonia
καί and
οἴκησις, -εως, ἡ place to live, house
πρός (+ dat.) in addition to
οὗτος, αὕτη, τοῦτο this
ὅς, ἥ, ὅ who, which
οἶδα know
πόλις, -εως, ἡ city, town
λοιπός, -ή, -όν remaining; τὸ λοιπόν = for the future
ἀμήνιτος, -ον without resentment
ἄν would
δίκη, -ης, ἡ justice; compensation
ἀποχράω be sufficient, be enough
μέν on the one hand
πάρεδρος, -ον sitting beside
ὑπολαμβάνω take up; reply
Εὐήνιος, -ου, ὁ Euenius
Ἀπολλωνιᾶται, -ῶν, οἱ the Apollonians
ἐκτύφλωσις, -εως, ἡ blinding
ἐκτίνω pay (acc.) for (gen.); pay in full
κατά (+ acc.) down; in accordance with
γίγνομαι become, be, happen