Lucian of Samosata, Gallus, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 7

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MICYLLUS

I saw a lot of gold, Pythagoras, a lot; you can’t think how beautiful it was, and with what brilliancy it shone. What is it that Pindar says in praising it? Remind me, if you know. It is where he says water is best and then extols gold (and well he may), right in the beginning of the most beautiful of all his odes.

COCK

Is this what you are after?

Water is best, but gold

Like blazing fire at night

Stands out amid proud riches.

Olymp. 1, 1.

MICYLLUS

That is it, by Heaven! Pindar praises gold as though he had seen my dream. But listen, so that you may know what it was like, wisest of cocks. I did not eat at home, yesterday, as you know; for Eucrates, the rich man met me in the public square and told me to take a bath¹ and then come to dinner at the proper hour.

Gallus. Lucian of Samosata. Austin Morris Harmon (Translator). United States. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Dream, or the Cock (English) (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.)

Editions (1)

Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 7 focus

Μίκυλλος

πολύ, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, χρυσίον εἶδον, πολύ, πῶς οἴει καλὸν ἢ οἵαν τὴν αὐγὴν ἀπαστράπτον; τί ποτε ὁ Πίνδαρός φησι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπαινῶν — ἀνάμνησον γάρ με, εἴπερ οἶσθα — ὁπότε ὕδωρ ἄριστον εἰπὼν εἶτα τὸ χρυσίον θαυμάζει, εὖ ποιῶν, ἐν ἀρχῇ εὐθὺς τοῦ καλλίστου τῶν ᾀσμάτων ἁπάντων;

Ἀλεκτρυών

μῶν ἐκεῖνο ζητεῖς,

ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ

ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου;

Μίκυλλος

νὴ Δία αὐτὸ τοῦτο· ὥσπερ γὰρ τοὐμὸν ἐνύπνιον ἰδὼν ὁ Πίνδαρος οὕτως ἐπαινεῖ τὸ χρυσίον. ὡς δὲ ἤδη μάθῃς οἷόν τι ἦν, ἄκουσον, ὦ σοφώτατε ἀλεκτρυών. ὅτι μὲν οὐκ οἰκόσιτος ἦν χθές, οἶσθα· Εὐκράτης γάρ με ὁ πλούσιος ἐντυχὼν ἐν ἀγορᾷ λουσάμενον ἥκειν ἐκέλευε τὴν ὥραν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον.

Translations (2)

The Cock Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 7 focus

Micyllus

Gold upon gold was there; picture if you can that glorious lightning-flash! What is it that Pindar says about gold? Can you help me to it? He says water is best, and then very properly ‘proceeds to sing the praises of gold; it comes at the beginning of the book, and a beautiful ode it is.

Cock

What about this?

Chiefest of all good we hold

Water: even so doth gold,

Like a fire that flameth through the night,

Shine mid lordly wealth most lordly bright.

Micyllus

The very words; I could fancy that Pindar had seen my vision. And now, my philosophic cock, I will proceed to details. That I did not dine at home last night, you are already aware; the wealthy Eucrates had met me in the morning, and told me to come to dinner after my bath at his usual hour.

The Cock Perseus (Lucian. Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.) — 7 focus

Mikyllos

I saw heaps of gold, Pythagorasheaps. You can't think how beautiful it was or how radiantly it shone! What is it Pindar says in praise of it? Remind me, if you know. He says water is best, and then goes on to speak of gold, placing a eulogy of it very properly at the very beginning of the book, in the most beautiful of all his odes.

Cock

This is probably what you want: "Best of all things is water, but gold-like a flaming fire by night it blazes out from all the haughty store of wealth."

Mikyllos

The very thing, by Zeus! Pindar writes this praise of gold just as if he had seen my dream. If you wish to hear what it was like, listen, most sagacious Cock. You know I did not dine at home yesterday. Eukrates the millionaire fell in with me in the market-place and bade me come to his house after my bath in time for dinner.

Notes on the current edition

The Dream, or the Cock

1. No reflection on the personal habits of Micyllus is intended. As the bath was the recognized preliminary to dining-out, to mention it amounts to little more than telling him to dress for dinner.

Lucian of Samosata Gallus 7

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

COCK

Is this what you are after?

Water is best, but gold

Like blazing fire at night

Stands out amid proud riches.

Olymp. 1, 1.

Current edition Perseus

Ἀλεκτρυών

μῶν ἐκεῖνο ζητεῖς,

ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ

ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου;

Cock

What about this?

Chiefest of all good we hold

Water: even so doth gold,

Like a fire that flameth through the night,

Shine mid lordly wealth most lordly bright.

Cock

This is probably what you want: "Best of all things is water, but gold-like a flaming fire by night it blazes out from all the haughty store of wealth."

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

COCK Is this what you are after? Water is best, but gold Like blazing fire at night Stands out amid proud riches. Olymp. 1, 1.

Current edition Perseus

Ἀλεκτρυών μῶν ἐκεῖνο ζητεῖς, ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου;

Cock What about this? Chiefest of all good we hold Water: even so doth gold, Like a fire that flameth through the night, Shine mid lordly wealth most lordly bright.

Cock This is probably what you want: "Best of all things is water, but gold-like a flaming fire by night it blazes out from all the haughty store of wealth."

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

COCK

Is this what you are after?

Water is best, but gold

Like blazing fire at night

Stands out amid proud riches.

Olymp. 1, 1.

Ἀλεκτρυών

μῶν ἐκεῖνο ζητεῖς,

ἄριστον μὲν ὕδωρ, ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον πῦρ

ἅτε διαπρέπει νυκτὶ μεγάνορος ἔξοχα πλούτου;

Cock

What about this?

Chiefest of all good we hold

Water: even so doth gold,

Like a fire that flameth through the night,

Shine mid lordly wealth most lordly bright.

Cock

This is probably what you want: "Best of all things is water, but gold-like a flaming fire by night it blazes out from all the haughty store of wealth."