Lucian, Nigrinus, ed. Austin Morris Harmon, 8

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[8] παῦε, ὦ θαυμάσιε, μακρὸν¹ ἀνακρουόμενος καὶ λέγε ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀναλαβὼν ἤδη τὰ εἰρημένα· ὡς οὐ μετρίως με ἀποκναίεις περιάγων.

εὖ λέγεις, καὶ οὕτω χρὴ ποιεῖν. ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνο, ὦ ἑταῖρε — ἤδη τραγικοὺς ἢ καὶ νὴ Δία κωμικοὺς φαύλους ἑώρακας ὑποκριτάς, τῶν συριττομένων λέγω τούτων καὶ διαφθειρόντων τὰ ποιήματα καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον ἐκβαλλομένων, καίτοι τῶν δραμάτων πολλάκις εὖ ἐχόντων τε καὶ νενικηκότων;

πολλοὺς οἶδα τοιούτους. ἀλλὰ τί τοῦτο;

δέδοικα μή σοι μεταξὺ δόξω γελοίως αὐτὰ μιμεῖσθαι, τὰ μὲν ἀτάκτως συνείρων, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ὑπʼ ἀσθενείας τὸν νοῦν διαφθείρων, κᾆτα προαχθῇς ἠρέμα καὶ αὐτοῦ καταγνῶναι τοῦ δράματος. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐμόν, οὐ πάνυ ἄχθομαι, ἡ δὲ ὑπόθεσις οὐ μετρίως με λυπήσειν ἔοικε συνεκπίπτουσα καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν μέρος ἀσχημονοῦσα.

Nigrinus. Lucian. ed. Austin Morris Harmon. Medford, MA. Perseus 4.0.

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Current edition Perseus

Νιγρίνου Φιλοσοφία (Greek) (Lucian, Vol. 1. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1913.)

Translations (2)

Nigrinus Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 1. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1913.) — 8 focus

[8]

A

Have done with your long prelude, “you strange fellow; begin at the beginning and tell me what he said. You irritate me more than a little with your beating about the bush.

B

You are right! I must do so. But look here, _ my friend: you’ve seen bad actors in tragedy before now—yes, and in comedy too, I'll swear? I mean the sort that are hissed and ruin pieces and finally get driven off the stage, though their plays are often good and have won a prize.

A

I know plenty of the sort. But what of it?

B

I am afraid that, as you follow me, you may think that I present my lines ridiculously, hurrying through some of them regardless of metre, and sometimes even spoiling the very sense by my incapacity; and that you may gradually be led to condemn the play itself. As far as I am concerned, I don’t care at all; but if the play shares my failure and comes to grief on my account, it will naturally hurt me more than a little.

Nigrinus Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 8 focus

[8] You beat about the bush in a manner truly exasperating.

Lucian

True, I must make a start, as you say. And yet... Tell me, did you never see a tragedy (nay, the comedies fare no better) murdered by bad acting, and the culprits finally hissed off the stage for their pains? As often as not the play is a perfectly good one, and has scored a success,

Friend

I know the sort of thing; and what about it?

Lucian

I am afraid that before I have done you will find that I make as sad work of it as they do,—jumbling things together pell-mell, spoiling the whole point sometimes by inadequate expression; and you will end by damning the play instead of the actor. I could put up with my own share of the disgrace; but it would vex me indeed, that my subject should be involved in my downfall; I cannot have it discredited for my shortcomings.

Notes on the current edition

Nigrinus

1. μακρὸν S, and two late codices: μικρὸν the other MSS., usually rendered “Back water a bit,”

Lucian Nigrinus 8

ed. Austin Morris Harmon

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