oÙ m•n d¾ toà tÒ ge ™rî, æj Øme‹j kataiscÚnete aÙtoÚj ... - Classics

Sight Exam from the Greek (Prose)This section is taken from a speech which Xenophon delivers in Anabasis 3.2. At thispoint, the contingent of Greek mercenaries is stuck in the middle of Persia, the pretenderto the Persian throne, Cyrus, whom they were hired to support, has fallen in battle, andmost of their Greek generals have been treacherously slain. Xenophon endeavours to fanthe soldiers’ courage by presenting the situation in an (at times ridiculously) favourablelight.oÙ mn d¾ toàtÒ ge rî, æj Øme‹j kataiscÚnete aÙtoÚj: ¢ll' oÙ pollaˆ¹mšrai ¢f' oá ¢ntitax£menoi toÚtoij to‹j ke…nwn kgÒnoij pollaplas…ouj ØmînaÙtîn nik©te sÝn to‹j qeo‹j. (15.) kaˆ tÒte mn d¾ perˆ tÁj KÚrou basile…aj¥ndrej Ãte ¢gaqo…: nàn d' ÐpÒte perˆ tÁj Ømetšraj swthr…aj Ð ¢gèn sti, polÝd»pou Øm©j pros»kei kaˆ ¢me…nonaj kaˆ proqumotšrouj enai. (16.) ¢ll¦ m¾n kaˆqarralewtšrouj nàn pršpei enai prÕj toÝj polem…ouj. tÒte mn g¦r ¥peiroiÔntej aÙtîn tÕ d plÁqoj ¥metron Ðrîntej, Ómwj tolm»sate sÝn tù patróJfron»mati „šnai e„j aÙtoÚj: nàn d ÐpÒte kaˆ pe‹ran ½dh œcete aÙtîn Óti oÙqšlousi, kaˆ pollapl£sioi Ôntej, dšcesqai Øm©j, t… œti Øm‹n pros»kei toÚtoujfobe‹sqai;(17.) mhd mšntoi toàto me‹on dÒxhte œcein Óti oƒ KÚreioi prÒsqen sÝn ¹m‹ntattÒmenoi nàn ¢fest»kasin. œti g¦r oátoi kak…onšj e„si tîn Øf' ¹mîn¹tthmšnwn: œfugon goàn prÕj ke…nouj katalipÒntej ¹m©j. toÝj d' qšlontajfugÁj ¥rcein polÝ kre‹tton sÝn to‹j polem…oij tattomšnouj À n tÍ ¹metšrvt£xei Ðr©n.(18.) e„ dš tij Ømîn ¢qume‹ Óti ¹m‹n mn oÙk e„sˆn ƒppe‹j, to‹j d polem…oijpolloˆ p£reisin, nqum»qhte Óti oƒ mÚrioi ƒppe‹j oÙdn ¥llo À mÚrio… e„sin¥nqrwpoi: ØpÕ mn g¦r †ppou n m£cV oÙdeˆj pèpote oÜte dhcqeˆj oÜtelaktisqeˆj ¢pšqanen, oƒ d ¥ndrej e„sˆn oƒ poioàntej Ó ti ¨n n ta‹j m£caijg…gnhtai. (19.) oÙkoàn tîn ƒppšwn polÝ ¹me‹j p' ¢sfalestšrou Ñc»matÒj smen:oƒ mn g¦r f' †ppwn kršmantai foboÚmenoi oÙc ¹m©j mÒnon ¢ll¦ kaˆ tÕkatapese‹n: ¹me‹j d' pˆ gÁj bebhkÒtej polÝ mn „scurÒteron pa…somen, ½n tijpros…V, polÝ d m©llon Ótou ¨n boulèmeqa teuxÒmeqa. ˜nˆ d mÒnJ prošcousinoƒ ƒppe‹j: feÚgein aÙto‹j ¢sfalšsterÒn stin À ¹m‹n.

aÙtoÚjfrom the preceding paragraph we know that thisrefers to toÝj progÒnoujÐ œkgonoj, ouopposite of Ð prÒgonoj, -ou (< k + g…gnomai)polla-pl£sioj, -plas…a, -pl£sion “many times as many as” (takes a genitive ofcomparison)¹ swthr…a, swthr…aj infer from sózwpros-¼kei“it becomes, it befits”prÒqumoj, prÒqumon“eager, ready” (< prÒ + qumÒj)qarralšoj, qarralša, qarralšon infer from qarršwpršpei“it is seemly”¥-peiroj, ¥-peironinfer from peir£w¥-metroj, ¥-metron“without measure, immense”patrùoj, patróa, patrùoninfer from Ð pat»r, patrÒjtÕ frÒnhma, fron»matojhere: “high spirit, courage” (cf. fronšw)me‹on œcw“I am worse off, I am in an inferior position”oƒ KÚreioi= the Persian supporters of Cyrus¹ t£xij, t£xewj infer from t£ttw¢-qumšwopposite of prÒqumÒj e„mi (cf. above)Ð ƒppeÚj, ƒppšwjmilitary term for a soldier on a †ppojnqumšomai“I bear in mind” (< n + qumÒj)nqumšomai, nqum»somai, nequm»qhn, nteqÚmhmailakt…zw“I kick”tÕ Ôchma, Ñc»matoj“means of transport”pa…w“I strike”pro-šcw“I am ahead, I have an advantage”