Orpheus

A First Greek Reader for Use at Eton, by Edmund Fowle. Internet Archive link. This is reading 11. There are notes for each story that provide some context along with detailed comments on the Greek. The reading materials come from Jacobs.

Ὀπφεύς, Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου υἱός, ᾄδων ἐκίνει λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα. Ἀποθανούσης δὲ Εὐρυδίκης, τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ, δηχθείσης ὑπὸ ὄφεως, κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου καὶ Πλούτωνα ἔπεισεν ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν. Ὁ δὲ ὑπέσχετο τοῦτο ποιήσειν, ἂν μὴ πορευόμενος Ὀρφεὺς ἐπιστραφῇ, πρὶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ παραγενέσθαι. Ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν ἐπιστραφεὶς ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα· ἡ δὲ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Ὀπφεύς,
υἱός
Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου,
ᾄδων
ἐκίνει
λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα.

Εὐρυδίκης δὲ ἀποθανούσης
τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ,
δηχθείσης
ὑπὸ ὄφεως,
κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου
καὶ  ἔπεισεν Πλούτωνα
ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν.

Ὁ δὲ
ὑπέσχετο
ποιήσειν τοῦτο,
ἂν μὴ
Ὀρφεὺς,
πορευόμενος,
ἐπιστραφῇ,
πρὶν
παραγενέσθαι
εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ.

Ὁ δὲ,
ἀπιστῶν,
ἐπιστραφεὶς
ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα·
ἡ δὲ
πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Orpheus, the son
of the Muse Calliope
and of Oeagrus

Ὀπφεύς,
Καλλιόπης Μούσης καὶ Οἰάγρου
υἱός,

by his singing
moved stones and trees

ᾄδων
ἐκίνει
λίθους τε καὶ δένδρα.

When his wife Eurydice
died

Ἀποθανούσης δὲ Εὐρυδίκης,
τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ,

bitten by a snake

δηχθείσης ὑπὸ ὄφεως,

he went down
to Hades

κατῆλθεν εἰς ᾅδου

and persuaded Pluto

καὶ Πλούτωνα ἔπεισεν 

to send her back up

ἀναπέμψαι αὐτήν. 

Pluto promised
to do this

Ὁ δὲ ὑπέσχετο
τοῦτο ποιήσειν, 

provided that,
as he went,
Orpheus not turn around

ἂν μὴ
πορευόμενος
Ὀρφεὺς ἐπιστραφῇ, 

before
reaching his own home

πρὶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὑτοῦ
παραγενέσθαι. 

But Orpheus,
being in doubt

Ὁ δὲ ἀπιστῶν 

turned around
and saw his wife

ἐπιστραφεὶς
ἐθεάσατο τὴν γυναῖκα· 

and she
went back down

ἡ δὲ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψεν.

Orpheus and Eurydice