Lucian of Samosata, Juppiter Tragoedus, Emily James Smith (Translator), 12

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Hermes

Here is another nice point to decide between Dionysos here and Herakles. Both are bronze; their workmanship is the same, for both are by Lysippos; and, most vital point of all, they are equals by birth, being alike sons of Zeus. Which of them is to have precedence? They are wrangling about it, as you see.

Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes. We should have got to business long ago. Let them sit down now anyhow, each where he likes. By-and-by we will hold an assembly to debate these questions, and then I shall know how their ranks ought to be assigned.

Juppiter Tragoedus. Lucian of Samosata. Emily James Smith (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Zeus the Tragedian (English) (Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.)

Editions (1)

Ζεὺς Τραγῳδός Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 12 focus

Ἑρμῆς

ἰδοὺ πάλιν ἄλλο δύσλυτον καὶ τοῦτο· χαλκῶ μὲν γὰρ ἀμφοτέρω ἐστὸν καὶ τέχνης τῆς αὐτῆς, Λυσίππου ἑκάτερον τὸ ἔργον, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, ὁμοτίμω τὰ ἐς γένος, ἅτε δὴ Διὸς παῖδε, ὁ Διόνυσος οὑτοσὶ καὶ Ἡρακλῆς. πότερος οὖν αὐτῶν προκαθίζει; φιλονεικοῦσι γάρ, ὡς ὁρᾷς.

Ζεύς

διατρίβομεν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πάλαι δέον ἐκκλησιάζειν· ὥστε νῦν μὲν ἀναμὶξ καθιζόντων, ἔνθʼ ἂν ἕκαστος ἐθέλῃ, εἰσαῦθις δὲ ἀποδοθήσεται περὶ τούτων ἐκκλησία, κἀγὼ εἴσομαι τότε ἥντινα χρὴ ποιήσασθαι τὴν τάξιν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς.

Translations (2)

Zeus Rants Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 12 focus

HERMES

Here is still another question that is hard to solve. Both of them are of bronze and of the same artistic merit, each being by Lysippus, and what is more they are equals in point of family, for both are sons of Zeus—I mean Dionysus here and Heracles. Which of them has precedence? Vor they are quarrelling, as you gee.

ZEUS

We are wasting time, Hermes, when we should have been holding our meeting long ago, so for the present let them sit promiscuously wherever each wishes; some other day we shall call a meeting about this, and I shall then decide what order of precedence should be fixed in their case.

Zeus Tragoedus Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 12 focus

Hermagoras

Now here is another problem. Both bronze, equal aesthetically, being both from Lysippus’s studio, and, to crown all, nothing to choose between them for birth—two sons of yours, Zeus—Dionysus and Heracles. Which is to be first? You can see for yourself, they mean to stand upon their order.

Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes; the debate should have been in full swing by now. Tell them to sit anyhow, according to taste; we will have an ad boc meeting another day, and then I shall know how to settle the question of precedence.

Lucian of Samosata Juppiter Tragoedus 12

Emily James Smith (Translator)

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Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes. We should have got to business long ago. Let them sit down now anyhow, each where he likes. By-and-by we will hold an assembly to debate these questions, and then I shall know how their ranks ought to be assigned.

Current edition Perseus

ZEUS

We are wasting time, Hermes, when we should have been holding our meeting long ago, so for the present let them sit promiscuously wherever each wishes; some other day we shall call a meeting about this, and I shall then decide what order of precedence should be fixed in their case.

Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes; the debate should have been in full swing by now. Tell them to sit anyhow, according to taste; we will have an ad boc meeting another day, and then I shall know how to settle the question of precedence.

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Zeus We are wasting time, Hermes. We should have got to business long ago. Let them sit down now anyhow, each where he likes. By-and-by we will hold an assembly to debate these questions, and then I shall know how their ranks ought to be assigned.

Current edition Perseus

ZEUS We are wasting time, Hermes, when we should have been holding our meeting long ago, so for the present let them sit promiscuously wherever each wishes; some other day we shall call a meeting about this, and I shall then decide what order of precedence should be fixed in their case.

Zeus We are wasting time, Hermes; the debate should have been in full swing by now. Tell them to sit anyhow, according to taste; we will have an ad boc meeting another day, and then I shall know how to settle the question of precedence.

Stable identifiers

Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes. We should have got to business long ago. Let them sit down now anyhow, each where he likes. By-and-by we will hold an assembly to debate these questions, and then I shall know how their ranks ought to be assigned.

ZEUS

We are wasting time, Hermes, when we should have been holding our meeting long ago, so for the present let them sit promiscuously wherever each wishes; some other day we shall call a meeting about this, and I shall then decide what order of precedence should be fixed in their case.

Zeus

We are wasting time, Hermes; the debate should have been in full swing by now. Tell them to sit anyhow, according to taste; we will have an ad boc meeting another day, and then I shall know how to settle the question of precedence.