Plutarch, De Pythiae oraculis, ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs, 5

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[5] ἐκ τούτου γενομένης σιωπῆς, πάλιν οἱ περιηγηταὶ προεχειρίζοντο¹ τὰς ῥήσεις. χρησμοῦ δέ τινος ἐμμέτρου λεχθέντος, οἶμαι, περὶ τῆς Αἴγωνος τοῦ 15 Ἀργείου βασιλείας, πολλάκις ἔφη θαυμάσαι τῶν ἐπῶν ὁ Διογενιανός, ἐν οἷς οἱ χρησμοὶ λέγονται, τὴν φαυλότητα καὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν. καίτοι μουσηγέτης ὁ θεός, καὶ τῆς λεγομένης λογιότητος οὐχ ἧττον αὐτῷ 396d καλὸν² ἢ τῆς περὶ μέλη καὶ ᾠδὰς εὐφωνίας³ μετεῖναι, 20 καὶ πολὺ τὸν Ἡσίοδον εὐεπείᾳ καὶ τὸν Ὅμηρον ὑπερφθέγγεσθαι· τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν χρησμῶν ὁρῶμεν⁴ καὶ τοῖς μέτροις καὶ τοῖς ὀνόμασι πλημμελείας καὶ φαυλότητος ἀναπεπλησμένους. παρὼν οὖν Ἀθήνηθεν ὁ ποιητὴς Σαραπίων⁵ εἶτʼ ἔφη ταῦτα τὰ ἔπη τοῦ θεοῦ πιστεύοντες εἶναι, τολμῶμεν⁶ αὖ πάλιν, ὡς λείπεται⁷ κάλλει τῶν Ὁμήρου καὶ Ἡσιόδου, λέγειν, καὶ οὐ⁸ χρησόμεθα τούτοις ὡς ἄριστα καὶ 5 κάλλιστα πεποιημένοις, ἐπανορθούμενοι τὴν αὑτῶν⁹ κρίσιν προκατειλημμένην ὑπὸ φαύλης συνηθείας ὑπολαβὼν οὖν Βόηθος ὁ γεωμέτρης ʽ οἶσθα γὰρ τὸν 396e ἄνδρα μεταταττόμενον ἢδη πρὸς τὸν Ἐπίκουρονʼ , ἆρʼ οὖν ἔφη τὸ τοῦ ζωγράφου Παύσωνος ἀκήκοας;ʼ 10 οὐκ ἔγωγʼ εἶπεν ὁ Σαραπίων. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἄξιον. ἐκλαβὼν γὰρ ὡς ἔοικεν ἵππον ἀλινδούμενον γράψαι τρέχοντʼ ἔγραψεν. ἀγανακτοῦντος δὲ τάνθρώπου, γελάσας ὁ Παύσων κατέστρεψε τὸν πίνακα· καὶ γενομένων ἄνω τῶν κάτω, πάλιν ὁ ἵππος 15 396f τρέχων ἀλλʼ ἀλινδούμενος ἐφαίνετο. τοῦτό φησιν ὁ Βίων ἐνίους τῶν λόγων πάσχειν, ὅταν ἀναστρέφωσι.¹⁰ διὸ καὶ τοὺς χρησμοὺς; ἔνιοι φήσουσιν εὖ καὶ καλῶς¹¹ ἔχειν, ὅτι τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσιν· ἄλλοι¹² τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ εἶναι, ὅτι φαύλως ἔχουσιν. ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ 20 ἐν ἀδήλῳ· τὸ δʼ οὐκ εὖ τὰ ἔπη¹³ πεποιῆσθαι¹⁴ τὰ περὶ τοὺς χρησμοὺς καὶ σοὶ κριτῇ δήπουθεν, ὦ φίλε Σαραπίων, εἶπεν, ἐναργές; ἐστι. ποιήματα γὰρ¹⁵ γράφεις τοῖς μὲν πράγμασι φιλοσόφως καὶ αὐστηρῶς, δυνάμει δὲ καὶ χάριτι καὶ κατασκευῇ τῇ¹⁶ περὶ λέξιν ἐοικότα τοῖς Ὁμήρου καὶ Ἡσιόδου μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς Πυθίας ἐκφερομένοις.

De Pythiae oraculis. Plutarch. ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs. Leipzig. 1891.

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Current edition Perseus

Περὶ τοῦ μὴ χρᾶν ἔμμετρα νῦν τὴν Πυθίαν (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol II. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.)

Translations (2)

The Oracle at Delphi no Longer Given in Verse Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. V. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 5 focus

[5] Following this a silence ensued, and again the guides began to deliver their harangues. A certain oracle in verse was recited (I think it concerned the kingdom of Aegon the Argive¹, whereupon Diogenianus said that he had often wondered at the barrenness and cheapness of the hexameter lines in which the oracles are pronounced. Yet the god is Leader of the Muses, and it is right and fair that he should take no less interest in what is called elegance of diction than in the sweetness of sound that is concerned with tunes and songs, and that his utterances should surpass Hesiod and Homer in the excellence of their versification. Yet we observe that most of the oracles are full of metrical and verbal errors and barren diction.

Sarapion, the poet who was present from Athens, said, Then do we believe these verses to be the god’s, and yet dare to say that in beauty they fall short of the verses of Homer and Hesiod? Shall we not treat them as if they were the best and fairest of poetic compositions, and correct our own judgement, prepossessed as it is as the result of unfortunate habituation?

At this point Boëthus² the mathematician entered into the conversation. (You know that the man is already changing his allegiance in the direction of Epicureanism.) Said he, Do you happen to have heard the story of Pauson the painter?³

No, said Sarapion, I have not.

Well, it is really worth hearing. It seems that he had received a commission to paint a horse rolling, and painted it galloping. His patron was indignant, whereupon Pauson laughed and turned the canvas upside down, and, when the lower part became the upper, the horse now appeared to be not galloping, but rolling. Bion says that this happens to some arguments when they are inverted. So some people will say of the oracles also, not that they are excellently made because they are the god’s, but that they are not the god’s because they are poorly made! The first of these is in the realm of the unknown; but that the verses conveying the oracles are carelessly wrought is, of course, perfectly clear to you, my dear Sarapion, for you are competent to judge. You write poems in a philosophic and restrained style, but in force and grace and diction they bear more resemblance to the poems of Homer and Hesiod than to the verses put forth by the prophetic priestess.

Wherefore the Pythian Priestess now Ceases to Deliver her Oracles in Verse Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. III. Goodwin, William W., editor; Philips, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 5 focus

[5] This said, after short silence, the guides began again to cite certain words of an ancient oracle in verse, which, as it seemed to me, pointed at the sovereignty of Aegon king of Argos. I have often wondered, said Diogenianus, at the meanness and ill-contrived hobbling of the verses which conveyed the ancient oracles into the world. And yet Apollo is called the chief of the Muses; whom it therefore behooved to take no less care of elegancy and beauty in style and language, than of the voice and manner of singing. Besides, he must needs be thought to surpass in a high degree either Homer or Hesiod in poetic skill. Nevertheless we find several of the oracles lame and erroneous, as well in reference to the measure as to the words. Upon which the poet Serapio, newly come from Athens, being then in company, said: If we believe that those verses were composed by Apollo, can we acknowledge what you allege, that they come short of the beauty and elegancy which adorn the writings of Homer and Hesiod; and shall we not make use of them as examples of neatness and curiosity, correcting our judgment anticipated and forestalled by evil custom? To whom Boethus the geometer (the person who you know has lately gone over to the camp of Epicurus) said: Have you not heard the story of Pauson the painter? Not I, replied Serapio. It is worth your attention, answered Boethus. He, having contracted to paint a horse wallowing upon his back, drew the horse galloping at full speed; at which when the person that had agreed with him seemed to be not a little displeased, Pauson fell a laughing, and turned the picture upside downward; by which means the posture was quite altered, and the horse that seemed to run before lay tumbling now upon the ground. This (as Bion says) frequently happens to propositions, when they are once inverted; for some will deny the oracles to be elegant, because they come from Apollo; others will deny Apollo to be the author, because of their rude and shapeless composure. For the one is dubious and uncertain; but this is manifest, that the verses wherein the oracles are generally delivered are no way laboriously studied. Nor can I appeal to a better judge than yourself, whose compositions and poems are not only written so gravely and philosophically, but, for invention and elegance, more like to those of Homer and Hesiod than the homely Pythian raptures.

Notes on the current edition

Περὶ τοῦ μὴ χρᾶν ἔμμετρα νῦν τὴν Πυθίαν

1. προυχειρίζοντο?

2. καλὸν R: τὸ καλὸν

3. εὐφωνίας idem: καὶ εὐφωνίας

4. ὁρῶμεν, εἶπεν?

5. Σαραπίων * hic et infra: σεραπίων

6. τολμῶμεν M: τὸ ἄμωμον

7. λείπεται R: λέγεται

8. καὶ οὐ Duebnerus: οὐ

9. αὑτῶν *: αὐτῶν

10. ἀναστραφῶσι Perizonius

11. εὖ καὶ καλῶς *: οὐ καλῶς

12. ἄλλοι Perizonius: ἀλλὰ

13. οὐκ εὖ τὰ ἔπη supplevi cum W. Lac. in codd. (18 litt. in E)

14. πεποιὴσθαι W: πεπονὴσθαι

15. γὰρ R: μὲν γὰρ

16. τῇ R

Plutarch De Pythiae oraculis 5

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

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