#donnatartt

Inspired by this post by strausswinter. (I'm using/including phrases and explanations from that post too, so that there is one comprehensive list, as well as to correct capitalization, however it's worth checking out the original post for comments & reblogs.

I've focused on foreign phrases or words (usually indicated as such by italics), their explanations/translations, and any sources it's been quoted from or interesting additional information if any was available. I did not include words in italics that were titles of literary works or otherwise a clear reference to something (and can be inferred as such from the context), since I think that would be less about explaining the meaning of the word, and more about giving information on it/them, and that feels like a separate list altogether.

Additionally, there are a few occasions when the book itself provides a translation within the text, but I've included those phrases/words here regardless for the sake of a complete list; and it can be interesting to view additional translations (which the author opted out of using), or additional information.

PAGE NUMBERS: The page numbers are from the black-cover edition (Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780140167771), but I'll include in brackets pages for the statue-cover edition (Vintage Books, The First Vintage Contemporaries edition, April 2004; ISBN: 9781400031702), since some people seem to have it as well.

Assigning language in brackets; I'll also link the appropriate wiktionary page for fact-checking or quick access for more detailed information, though it may sometimes be the English section (though borrowed from another language). However, crafting the translations/explanations, I may have used a search engine, and any associated web-dictionaries (merriam-webster, cambridge), or actual physical dictionaries. I've also made heavy use of archive.org for resources and have linked several accordingly (though not all may be available for full viewing unless you have an account and/or print-disabled access).

However, since there is a max amount of links one can put in a post, I'm using them sparingly and cannot link all my sources, especially towards the end of the list.

I'm likely to use the meaning as it pertains the context of the book, unless I feel it's useful to include various meanings and/or it's a complex term that may have more interpretations beyond the immediate context.

FYI, I speak neither of the languages translated from here, nor am I a native speaker of English.

If I've missed any phrases/words, or someone has corrections, or any questions regarding the sources, feel free to comment, and I'll try to respond/add any new information to the post! Also feel free to add your thoughts on potential context clues/interpretations; we love a discussion!

LIST STARTS HERE:

p.5 (p.7) "A moi. L'histoire d'une de mes folies." (French): "It is my turn. The story of one of my follies." (translator Fowlie Wallace, p.193.)

It is a quote from Arthur Rimbaud's Une saison en enfer (A Season in Hell) - Délires II. Alchimie du verbe (Delirium II. Alchemy of the Word).

There are other translation variants as well: "Now for me. The story of one of my lunacies." (tr. Dennis J. Carlile) "About me. Story of one of my follies." (tr. Dr. James Sibley Watson.) "And now for myself: the story of one of my follies." (tr. Norman Cameron)

*I believe the poem itself is an important piece regarding how the narrator is a mirror of Richard's own narration style. From an analysis of the poem by Margaret Davies (p.73-74), here is a very rough translation via Google Translate regarding the poem (skip this section if uninterested): "[…] Now he draws attention to himself: "To me." It is then clear that presenting his former "I" through the eyes of another character has helped him to take a more detached perspective in his narrative. This will be "the story of one of my follies," that is, his own experience formally arranged as a story, a fiction created from something that is definitively in the past. […] The detached and ironic tone, as well as the word "story," leaves the reader in suspense. How sincere will Rimbaud be in his narrative? Will he faithfully recount his aims and attempts? This is a crucial question, obviously of great importance to the rest of his work, and one that has already been meticulously studied. But what matters in the context of A Season in Hell is precisely how he arranges this raw material. It is this way of telling his story that constitutes the most important element of his narrative, not only from the point of view of the psychological evolution it represents, but also because it serves within the narrative itself to situate this moment of enunciation, and to finally reveal a "today" that contrasts sharply with this story of a hell that "happened."

**I've seen corrections regarding the "A moi" making it "À moi" both online and in a few translated version of The Secret History. I've looked at four different English editions of The Secret History and all retain the lack of diacritic above, so it seems to be an intentional choice. Looking at a scanned edition of Rimbaud's 1873 publication of Une saison en enfer, there is no diacritic above the À, where later versions do place it. (I compared it to a Project Gutenberg version that seems to use the original publication as well, while also adding the diacritics above where I suppose it is grammatically needed, but I'm speculating that at the time of printing was not possible or done.)

p.7 (p.9) "quod erat demonstrandum" (Latin): that which had to be proven. The expression abbreviated as Q.E.D. is traditionally placed at the end to indicate that a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument is complete. (Source: Wikipedia) In the book's context Richard's argument is "money, you see, was the only way to improve my fortunes" and the proof following is "doctors make a lot of money", hence the Q.E.D. afterwards "proving" the argument.

p.9 (p.10) "miasma" (Ancient Greek): defilement, pollution. *Translation provided by the book itself as "defilement".

p.18 (p.19) "de rigueur" (French): required by etiquette or current fashion, proper.

p.28 (p.27) "tesserae" (plural of "tessera") (Latin): small square pieces of stone, wood, ivory or glass used for making a mosaic. *An example for those wondering what a potential Byzantine tesserae art would look like, as that is the kind to which the passage is alluding/comparing to.

p.32 (p.31) "sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat" (Latin): such eyes, such hands, such looks. *Translation provided by the book itself. **It is a quote from Virgil's Aeneid. Line 490 in Book III. It is translated differently across various translations: "He had the same eyes, the same hands, the same lips…" (tr. A.S. Kline, p.55) "Such was he, in eyes and hands and features…" (tr. John W. Macknail, p.47) ***I have not read the book, so I do not know how the context of Aenid may connect to the The Secret History, but I thought I'd add this information for those wishing to do further research.

p.34 (p.33) "neanias" (Latin): the new young man. *Translation provided by the book itself.

p.34 (p.33) "Cubitum eamus?" (Latin): Shall we sleep together? *I've seen a variety of ways people have translated this, where it could also be "Shall we go to bed?", "Will you sleep with me?". **Contextually (I believe) it is to be understood as a sexual advance/offer. ***I want to add that I believe Richard understood what Francis was saying despite what he says to Francis after, because Richard as the narrator includes only information that he had access to & phrases/recollections of conversations that he understood (for example, there is just the opposite, where he does not add part of a dialogue, since he didn't understand it: ""[…]and he laughed and said something I didn't quite catch, some Horatian sounding tag about meat being good for sorrow." (p.484-484(p.429)).

p.35 (p.33) "sovoir faire" (French): tact, poise, polished sureness in social behavior.

p.41 (p.39) "terza rima" (Italian): in poetry, an arrangements of triplets with the rhyme scheme: aba bcb cdc. (More: Wikipedia) *Also on p.246 (p.235).

p.42 (p.40) "en masse" (French): all together; in a group.

p.46 (p.43) "meke (s.p.)" "meke" is a misspelled "make". *I am not sure what "(s.p.)" refers to, and whether it would have been originally in Bunny's note, or an insertion provided by Richard recalling the note. Closest match I found was the Latin phrase "sine prole"; the abbreviated "s.p." being used in contexts to mean that someone died "without offspring/children", which clearly does not make sense here. **There is a similar repetition in another of Bunny's letters on p.129 (p.117), where "(sp.)" is included after a misspelled word, so it makes me believe it is similar to how "[sic]" is used, but I haven't been able to find what the "s.p." or "sp." could be short for.

p.52 (p.49) "bustier" (French): A tight-fitting women's top, often strapless, which covers the bust and sometimes extends over the belly, worn either as an undergarment or as outerwear.

p.52 (p.49) "laissez-faire" (French): Minimal interference in the way of things. *In the context of the book it has a more negative connotation (or so I believe), so close synonyms would be: unrestrained, passive, lax.

p.65 (p.60) "Undele, undele" (Spanish): Let's go! Let's go! *Actual spelling would be "¡Ándale, ándale!". "¡Ándale!" is a common word and could have other meanings depending on the context.

p.77 (p.71) "kouroi" (plural; singular: kouros) (Greek): ancient Greek statues of young men, standing and often naked.

p.88 (p.81) "tholos" (Greek): a round structure with a circular wall and a roof, usually built upon a couple of steps (a podium), and often with a ring of columns supporting a conical or domed roof. For reference an image of how a reconstructed Tholos of Delphi would look like.

p.94 (p.86) "Sa pensée, sans but d'abord, vagabondait au hasard, comme sa levrette, qui faisait des cercles dans la campagne…" (French): "Her thoughts, at first unfocused, would stray aimlessly about, like her greyhound, who was running in circles over the fields…" *It is an excerpt from Gustave Flaubert's book "Madame Bovary", and the translation is directly taken from the English translation by Margaret Mauldon (end of page 40; link to the page in the book for anyone wishing to read the full book or surrounding passages).

p.103 (p.94) "tabac" (French): tobacconist's; tobacco store.

p.103 (p.94) "Marie a apporté des légumes à son frère." (French): Marie brought/gave vegetables to her brother.

p.103 (p.94) "à la" (French): in the style of. (I'd say also: as; much like; in the same way as.)

p.109 (p.99) "Consummatum est" (Latin): It is completed. *Also on p.310 (p.276) **Those are last words of Jesus on the cross in the Bible. (Source: Wikipedia.)

p.115 (p.105) "per se" (Latin): itself. *Also later in p.257, 397, 482 (p.229, 354, 427)

p. 115 (p.105) "Parliamo Italiano" (Italian): Let's speak Italian. (Parliamo can translate also as "we speak/talk", but within context of an Italian language teaching course the "Let's speak" feels more appropriate.)

p.119 (p.108) "Parfait." (French): Perfect.

p.129 (p.117) "Penscione" (Bunny misspelling 'pensione') (Italian): a small hotel or boarding house in Italy. *However, I do not know what the (sp.) following right after "Penscione" means. I looked at translations for clues to see if translators altered it, but some either kept it as is (French, Dutch, Polish) or removed it completely (Italian, Spanish, German, Turkish, Greek), however Portuguese version expands into "(se é assim que se escreve)", which approx. translates as "if that's how it's spelled", supporting the theory that it functions similarly to "[sic]", since "s.p." was used in another of Bunny's letters on p.46 (p.43).

p.129 (p.117) "Conche" (I think it's Bunny misspelling 'conch') (English): a kind of sea snails that according to Wikipedia "are very popular in Italy; called sconcigli, it is eaten in a variety of ways, but most often in salads or cooked in a sauce for pasta." That would explain why Bunny mistakenly ordered it in a restaurant, and also why he found it "awful". I believe this is to be the likeliest explanation if one also considers the etymology (English "conch" - from Latin "concha" - from Greek "konchē"), which could potentially explain Bunny's Greek-leaning misspelling. *The Italian translation (by Idolina Landolfi) converts "Conche" to "Conze", so do with that information what you will. **Modern Greek translation (by Σάντυ Παρίση) goes as follows: "Χτες παρήγγειλα κατά λάθος όστρακα σ’ ένα εστιατόριο", where "όστρακα" refers to "scallops" rather than keeping the "Conche" or similar spelling, but also suggests a sea food explanation.

p.129 (p.117) "Arrivaderci" (Bunny misspelling "Arrivederci") (Italian): Farewell, goodbye, see you later.

p.143 (p.129) "Buenos días." (Spanish): Good morning.

p.158 (p.142) "Pas de réponse." (French): No response.

p.164 (p.147) "Hoi polloi. Barbaroi." (Ancient Greek): The common people. Non-Greek/barbarous. *Barbaroi/βάρβαροι can mean both "non-Greeks/non-Greek-speaking" and "barbaric/rude". My interpretation would be that Richard means both, since he views Jud's way of speaking to him as menacing (hence "barbaric/rude"), and the other meaning becomes clear due to Richard leaving for his room right after, where he slumps into thoughts about Henry and others leaving for Argentina, who are the only ones with him that are part of the Greek-speaking group - the small, exclusive one, hence why he views the rest of the student body as "hoi polloi" (the common people/the masses). Additionally, Jud/Frank (not sure which one said it) don't even know Richard's name, merely greeting him with "Hi, guy", which furthers the point that Richard and them are very much "foreign" to each other.

p.176 (p.159) "bei Nacht und Nebel" (German): in the black of the night; secretly; unobserved, unnoticed *Literally translates as "at/in/during night and fog".

p.182 (p.163) "Bakcheia" (Ancient Greek): Bacchic celebrations, Dionysiac festivals.

p.184 (p.165) "pneuma enthusiastikon" (Greek): "inspirational exhalation". Refers to the fact that some have attributed Pythia's prophetic ecstasy to the supposed toxic or hallucinogenic vapors that surrounded her during a prophetic session. (Source) *The book itself (if that's how it's intended) translate this as "poisonous vapors". **The Modern Greek translation uses "το πνεύμα ενθουσιαστικόν", which supposedly translates to "the enthusiastic spirit". ***There is also a similar word "enthousiasmos" meaning "the state and act of being filled with god". (Source, p.200.)

p.184 (p.165) "euphemia" (Greek): 'words of good omen'; literal translation: "good speech", "well-spoken". *The book itself seems to translate this as "cultic purity". **The Modern Greek translation of the Secret History has an Editor's Note explaining euphemia: "Θρησκευτική σιγή πριν από την προσευχή / ύμνος και αίνος." Approx. translation: "Religious silence before prayer / hymn and praise."

"Inner Purity & Pollution: In Greek Religion" writes: "[…] the active pursuit of purity by the worshipper’s soul might well have included the performance of prayers interspersed with periods of contemplative silence, both of which constitute euphemia."

"Hellenism to Islam: Cultural and Linguistic Change in the Roman Near East" writes: "I suspect that the euphemia (‘use of good words’) which is expected by the worshippers during certain rituals comprised acclamations in honour of the gods. The term euphemia – sometimes misinterpreted as ‘ritual silence’ – prescribes the use of pious language during the performance of rituals."

Both upper sources cite Susanne Gödde, and suggest her as further reading about the term euphemia.

"The World of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts" explains that certain Olympian gods were personifications of the cosmos or natural order, where Euphemia is "Praise".

p.185 (p.166) "oreibasia" (Greek): "mountain dancing"; a midwinter Dionysian rite practised by women, and said to be originally an "unrestrained, ecstatic dance where the 'human' personality was temporarily replaced by another", though it eventually became structured into a definite ritual. (Source: Wikipedia)

p.193 (p.173) "Deprendi miserum est" (Latin): It's tough to be caught/It’s bad news to be caught. *It's a line from Horace's Satires book I, satire II, which concerns adulterers. Here's a link to one available translation for full context.

p.196 (p.175) "la fenêtre, la chaise…" (French): "the window, the chair…"

p. 196 (p.175) "Je me sens comme Hélène Keller, mon vieux." (French): I feel like Helen Keller, my old man. *Wiktionary translates 'mon vieux' as old sport, old boy, old chap, but the literal translations are 'mon'-'my' and 'vieux'-'old man'.)

p.204 (p.183) "omophagia" (Ancient Greek): The eating of raw food, especially raw flesh.

p.204 (p.183) "Khairei" (χαῖρε) (Ancient Greek): Hello. *Also appears on p.225(p.201).

p.205 (p.183) "bakchoi" (βάκχοι) (Ancient Greek): followers of Dionysos, Dionysiac cult initiates. (Source, p.281.)

p.212 (p.189) "acqua semplice" (Italian): Plain water.

p.213 (p.190) "Cuniculus molestus" (Latin): annoying rabbit. *Other translations of "cuniculus" are: troublesome, irksome, grievous, dangerous, injurious.

p.214 (p.191) "signor" (Italian): gentleman, Mr.

p.214 (p.191) "Bicarbonato di soda?" (Italian): Baking soda.

p.214 (p.191) "dunque-dunqued" (Italian): "Dunque" is a conjunction and translates as "so; then; well; well then". Due to the repetition, I believe, it's similar to how in English someone delays with "Uhh… so… umm… well… basically…". The additional "d" makes "dunque-dunqued" into an anglicized verb. Whether Henry merely kept repeating "dunque" or was making vague remarks to address the situation is unclear, but from context we know it didn't last long, since he never had to give a satisfactory explanation.

p.216 (p.193) "arrectis auribus" (Latin): attentively. *Literally: "with ears erect".

p.221 (p.197) "dormir plutôt que vivre"; "Dans un sommeil aussi doux que la mort…" (French): "to sleep rather than live."; "In a sleep as sweet/soft as death…" *It's a quote from Charles Baudelaire's "Fleurs du mal" ("Flowers of Evil") poem "Le Léthé". The third verse begins with "Je veux dormir!", which is what Francis says in English ("I want to sleep") before continuing to quote it in French. **The full poem in French and various translations in English can be read here.

p.224 (p.200) "incendium" (Latin): fire, inferno. p.224 (p.200) "feu" (French): fire, lighter. p.224 (p.200) "pur" (Ancient Greek): a funerary fire, a sacrificial fire.

p.237 (p.211) "frisson" (French):a shiver or thrill from cold or fright. *Interestingly one of the definitions also mention how it can be strangely pleasurable.

p.247 (p.220) "requiescat in pace" (Latin): RIP; rest in peace.

p.248 (p.221) "n'est-ce pas?" (French): isn't it?

p.250 (p.222) "bibelots" (plural; singular: bibelot) (French): Knickknacks, trinkets, ornaments.

p.251 (p.223) "amor vincit omnia" (Latin): love conquers all.

p.251 (p.224) "raison d'être" (French): reason for existence.

p.258 (p.230) "Amanita caesaria" (Translingual): An edible mushroom with a distinctive orange cap. Also called: Caesar's mushroom. (More: Wikipedia)

p.259 (p.230) "Amanita phalloides" (Translingual): Known as death cap, a deadly poisonous mushroom. (More: Wikipedia)

p.268 (p.239) "fêtes" (plural; singular: fête) (French): parties.

p.268 (p.239) "sole véronique" (French): A recipe for Dover or lemon sole (a type of fish), in which the fillets are rolled up, and cooked in a sauce of vermouth, thick cream, egg yolks, white grapes. 'Veronique' in the recipe title was used due to a play that was popular at the time, when the recipe was created. (Source, p.81.)

p.268 (p.239) "à deux" (French): privately; for two.

p.312 (p.278) "rataplan" (French): A continuous, even drumming or rapping.

p.333 (p.296) "Nihil sub sole novum" (Latin): there is nothing new under the sun; there is nothing truly novel in existence. *Also on p.339 (p.302). **It is a phrase from the Bible (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10). (Latin; English)

p.355 (p.316) "Πελλαίου βοῦς μέγας ἐν ’Αΐδη." (Ancient Greek): The phrase is taken from Callimachus' epigram, and there are a variety of translations available: 1. "a great ox costs but a Pellaean copper in Hades." (Source) 2. "for a Pellaean there is a large ox in Hades." (Source) 3. "Pellseus' fat ox will be happy as you." (Source, p.216.) 4. "The cost of living here is low." (Source, p.49.) 5. "a great ox costs but a copper in Hades." (Source, p.149.) The phrase and its implication is explained by Richard in the book: "things were very cheap in Hell". I do want to add to this that this source explores the various possible interpretations, and one contradicting explanation includes: "this epigram lacks clues that would allow the reader to understand that the unit of exchange was a coin. […] Witczak argues […] Callimachus’ audience would have realized that Pellaean coins […] did not exist and therefore an expectation that “things were cheap in Hades” was also a fiction."

p.363 (p.323) "Bonjour, Monsieur Laforgue, [...] Quel plaisir de vous revoir." (French): Good Morning, Mr. Laforgue, [...] What a pleasure to see you again.

p. 365 (p.325) "genis gratus, corpore glabellus, arte multiscius, et fortuna opulentus" (Latin): smooth-cheeked, soft-skinned, well-educated, and rich. *Translation is provided by the book itself, but can also be found in the origin source. **This is a quote from Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, specifically from a subsection "Causes of Jealousy". If anyone wants to see the context, the book can be read in either of these links: 1 ; 2 ; 3 .

p.378 (p.305) "dénouement" (French): the conclusion or resolution of a plot.

p.391 (p.316) "dado" (Italian): the lower portion of the wall when treated differently or separated from the rest of the wall by a molding strip (can be paneled or ornamented).

This would be a basic example of a dado line (image from this source, p.72), but considering the context, it would likely not be as simplistic, and with additional ornaments. For reference a more complex dado design here (p.93-95). I'm also adding a link for 'House Beautiful' magazines (all monthly editions from 1986) in case someone wants to see what such a magazine looked like at the time (though depending on when the book is set in & the time period that is being referenced, could be meant to be an earlier time), plus they don't actually seem to have such an article as suggested in The Secret History (or none that I can find via the Internet).

p.403 (p.359) "πολυειδής" (Greek): of many kinds or forms. *In the Secret History statue-cover version it's spelled as "πογυειδής" instead, which seems to be an error, as it is not repeated in other versions or translations, and doesn't seem to be an actual word. There is also a variation regarding the capitalization of the first letter of the word (Π vs π), while the Dutch translation altogether romanizes it to "polueidès". **Another detail is that in English versions 'πολυειδής' is not capitalized despite being a full sentence on its own, while some translations choose to capitalize it.

p.410 (p.324) "steak au poivre" (French): A steak that is coated with crushed peppercorns, fried, and finished with a cream and brandy sauce.

p.414 (p.369) "antelion" (Greek): small, brown snakes. *The Secret History's passage refers to Heinrich Schliemann's "Ilios, the City and Country of the Trojans" (1880), which mentions the snake in this context: "On the steep northern slope of Hissarlik, [...] I dug out a platform 233 ft. wide, and found there an immense number of poisonous snakes; among them remarkably numerous specimens of the small brown adder called antelion (ὰντήλιον), which is hardly thicker than an earthworm, and gets its name from the vulgar belief, that the person bitten by it only survives till sunset." He had written about antelion earlier in another book "Troy and Its Remains" (originally in German, 1875); a historical account including the Hissarlik excavation, and mentions: "During the first three days of the excavations, in digging down the slope of the hill, we came upon an immense number of poisonous snakes, and among them a remarkable quantity of the small brown vipers called antelion (Ἀντήλιον), which are scarcely thicker than rain worms, and which have their name from the circumstance that the person bitten by them only survives till sunset. It seems to me that were it not for the many thousands of storks which destroy the snakes in spring and summertime, the Plain of Troy would be uninhabitable, owing to the excessive numbers of these vermin."

p.431 (p.383.) "ατιμία" (atimía) (Ancient Greek): dishonor, disgrace, infamy, ignominy. "Οιμοι" (oímoi) (Ancient Greek): woe is me; alas, dear me, (of pain, rage, fear, surprise etc.) "Οινον" (oînon) (accusative singular form; nominative: οἶνος) (Ancient Greek): wine, fermented drink. "Φάρμακον" (phắrmăkon) (Ancient Greek): medicinal herb or substance (whether healing or noxious). *In context Francis is fumbling for the right word to tell Richard that Mrs Corcoran is requesting Bunny's autopsy due the possibility of him having done drugs (as some gossip has begun to claim, bringing dishonor onto her). **(Sources of translation: Wiktionary, The Brill Dictionary Of Ancient Greek.)

p.443 (p.394) "Drampaw" (English): nickname for a grandfather. *(Grampa > Grampaw > Drampaw).

p.484 (p.429) "Salve, amice" (Latin): Hello, friend. "Valesne? Quid est rei?" (Latin): How are you?/Are you well? What's up? "Benigne dicis" (Latin): You speak kindly/How nice of you to say so. (Translations mainly from this source, p.18-19.)

p.490 (p.434) "et tu, Brute?" (Latin): "You, too, Brutus?" *From Shakespeare's play, where Julius Caesar says it at the moment of his assassination, to his friend Marcus Junius Brutus, upon recognizing him as one of the assassins. The phrase is often used apart from the plays to signify an unexpected betrayal by a friend. (More: Wikipedia.)

p.492 (p.436) "Quigong" (romanization of Mandarin): A Chinese system of breathing control, physical exercise and meditation for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial arts training. *'Quigong' seems to be an alternate spelling, albeit not a very popular one.

p.492 (p.436) "bureau de tabac" (French): tobacconist's; tobacco store.

p.492 (p.436) "ménage à trois" (French): a threesome.

p. 506 (p.448) "palazzo" (Italian): A large, palatial urban building in Italy. *It seems to have been italicized for emphasis, but I still included it as I wasn't familiar with the word.

p.573 (p.508) "Excelsior. Via Veneto." (Italian): Excelsior. Vianetto Street. *It is "the hotel where Bunny and Henry had stayed in Rome." (THS p.563(p.499)) **It is an actual hotel in Italy, but was renamed to "Westin Excelsior" in 2000.

p.587 (p.520) "Agathon" (Ancient Greek): Agathon - male name.

p.612 (p.544) "Χαλεπά τά καλά" (Ancient Greek): Beauty is harsh. *Translation provided by the book itself. **It is an aphorism/proverb also found in Plato's works "The Republic", and "Hippias Major". There are additional variations to the translation of the phrases.

My pov of the second part of the secret history

"She was a living reverie for me: the mere sight of her sparked an almost infinite range of fantasy, from Greek to Gothic, from vulgar to divine."