A worn brown coin purse spills old coins onto brown ground.

Original artwork, not a still

The Iliad

Homer

And you, old sir, we are told you prospered once.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker addresses an elderly man and says they have heard he once flourished. The phrasing carries a note of respect mixed with pointed curiosity, implying that whatever wealth or success he had belongs to the past and now stands in contrast to his present state.

Context reviewed

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