# Epigraph explained — The Purple Cloud

> Chapter companion for The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel.

## What happens

The chapter opens with a Sibylline prophecy in Greek, foretelling that Samos will become sand and Delos will vanish, setting a tone of doom and inevitable destruction.

## Themes in this chapter

### Prophecy and Warning

The epigraph directly invokes a Sibylline prophecy, establishing a theme of foreboding and inevitable doom.

## Key lines

> Ἔσται καὶ Σάμος ἄμμος, ἐσεῖται Δῆλος ἄδηλος.

Samos will become sand, and Delos will be hidden from sight.

_This ancient prophecy foreshadows the destruction and disappearance that will unfold in the narrative._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_purple_cloud_se/chapters/epigraph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_purple_cloud_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_purple_cloud_se/chapters