Lucian, Gallus, ed. Austin Morris Harmon, 13

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Ἀλεκτρυών

οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;

Μίκυλλος

οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ αὐτός, ὁπότε Εὔφορβος ἦσθα, χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἐξημμένος τῶν βοστρύχων ᾔεις πολεμήσων τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, καὶ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, ἔνθα σιδηροφορεῖν ἄμεινον ἦν, σὺ δὲ καὶ τότε ἠξίους χρυσῷ ἀναδεδεμένος τοὺς πλοκάμους διακινδυνεύσειν. καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁ Ὅμηρος διὰ τοῦτο Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοίας εἰπεῖν σου τὰς κόμας, ὅτι χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἐσφήκωντο. μακρῷ γὰρ ἀμείνους δηλαδὴ καὶ ἐρασμιώτεραι ἐφαίνοντο συναναπεπλεγμέναι τῷ χρυσίῳ καὶ συναπολάμπουσαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ. καίτοι τὰ μὲν σά, ὦ χρυσοκόμη, μέτρια, εἰ Πάνθου υἱὸς ὢν ἐτίμας τὸ χρυσίον· ὁ δὲ πάντων θεῶν πατὴρ καὶ ἄνδρων, ὁ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, ὁπότε ἠράσθη τῆς Ἀργολικῆς ἐκείνης μείρακος, οὐκ ἔχων εἰς ὅ τι ἐρασμιώτερον αὑτὸν μεταβάλοι οὐδὲ ὅπως¹ ἂν διαφθείρειε τοῦ Ἀκρισίου τὴν φρουράν — ἀκούεις δήπου ὡς χρυσίον ἐγένετο καὶ ῥυεὶς διὰ τοῦ τέγους συνῆν τῇ ἀγαπωμένῃ. ὥστε τί ἄν σοι τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔτι λέγοιμι, ὅσας μὲν χρείας παρέχεται ὁ χρυσός, ὡς δὲ οἷς ἂν παρῇ, καλούς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ ἰσχυροὺς ἀπεργάζεται τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν προσάπτων, καὶ ἐξ ἀφανῶν καὶ ἀδόξων ἐνίοτε περιβλέπτους καὶ ἀοιδίμους ἐν βραχεῖ τίθησι;

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

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities; Harvard Library Arcadia Fund; Google Digital Humanities Awards Program.

Current edition Perseus

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

Translations (3)

The Dream, or the Cock Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 13 focus

COCK

Are you such a lover of gold and of riches, Micyllus, and is owning quantities of gold the only thing in the world that you admire and consider blissful?

MICYLLUS

I am not the only ‘one to do so, Pythagoras: you yourself, when you were Euphorbus, sallied forth to fight the Achaeans with your curls tricked out in gold and silver, and even in war, where it would have been better to wear iron, you thought fit to face danger with your hair caught up with gold.¹ No doubt Homer said that your hair was “like the Graces” because “it was snooded with gold and with silver”; for it looked far finer and lovelier, of course, when it was interwoven with gold and shone in unison with it. And yet as far as you are concerned, Goldenhair, it is of little moment that you, the son of a Panthous, honoured gold, but what of the father of gods and of men, the son of Cronus and Rhea? When he was in love with that slip ofa girl in Argos, not having anything more attractive to change himself into nor any other means of corrupting the sentries of Acrisius, he turned into gold, as you, of course, have heard, and came down through the roof to visit his beloved. Then what is the use of my telling you the rest of it—how many uses gold has, and how, when people have it, it renders them handsome and wise and strong, lending them honour and esteem, and not infrequently it makes inconspicuous and contemptible people admired and renowned in a short time?

The Cock Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 13 focus

Cock

Is the love of gold so absorbing a passion? Gold the only thing you can find to admire? The possession of gold the sole happiness?

Micyllus

I am not the only one, Pythagoras. Why, you yourself (when you were Euphorbus) used to go to battle with your hair adorned with gold and silver, though iron would have been more to the point than gold under the circumstances; however, you thought differently, and fought with a golden circlet about your brow; which I suppose is why Homer compares your hair to that of the Graces

in gold and silver clasped.

No doubt its charm would be greatly enhanced by the glitter of the interwoven gold. After all, though, you, my golden-haired friend, were but the son of Panthus; one can understand your respect for gold. But the father of Gods and men, the son of Cronus and Rhea himself, could find no surer way to the heart of his. Argive enchantress¹—or to those of her gaolers—than this same metal; you know the story, how he turned himself into gold, and came showering down through the roof into the presence of his beloved? Need I say more? Need I point out the useful purposes that gold serves? the beauty and wisdom and strength, the honour and glory it confers on its possessors, at a Moment’s notice turning obscurity and infamy into world-wide fame?

The Cock Perseus (Lucian. Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.) — 13 focus

Cock

What a lover you are of gold and wealth, Mikyllos. Do you admire this one thing of all others, and think it is happiness to have quantities of gold?

Mikyllos

I am not alone in my opinion, Pythagoras. You yourself, when you were Euphorbos, decked your locks with gold and silver when you went to fight the Achaians, actually in battle, where it was a better plan to carry iron than gold; but even there you thought you must wreathe your hair with gold before you fought. And in my judgment that is why Homer said your hair was like the Graces, because "it was tightly bound with gold and with silver." For it is plain that it looked much more goodly and delightful when it was braided with the gold and vied with it in splendor. Still it does not make much difference, Goldlocks, whether you, who were only Panthoos's son, honored gold or not. But the father of all men and gods, the son of Kronos and Rhea, when he fell in love with that Argolian girl, knew no lovelier form to assume, and no better way to break through the guard of Akrisios-you know, of course, that he turned into gold, and poured through the roof to be with his beloved. So why should I go on to tell you anything more about it, saying how many wants gold fills, and how it makes its owners handsome and clever and powerful, adds glory and reputation to them, and sometimes brings them in a twinkling from obscurity and contempt to prominence and fame.

Notes on the current edition

Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών

1. ὅπως ἂν ἄλλως?

Lucian Gallus 13

ed. Austin Morris Harmon

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Ἀλεκτρυών

οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;

Current edition Perseus

COCK

Are you such a lover of gold and of riches, Micyllus, and is owning quantities of gold the only thing in the world that you admire and consider blissful?

Cock

Is the love of gold so absorbing a passion? Gold the only thing you can find to admire? The possession of gold the sole happiness?

Cock

What a lover you are of gold and wealth, Mikyllos. Do you admire this one thing of all others, and think it is happiness to have quantities of gold?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ἀλεκτρυών οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;

Current edition Perseus

COCK Are you such a lover of gold and of riches, Micyllus, and is owning quantities of gold the only thing in the world that you admire and consider blissful?

Cock Is the love of gold so absorbing a passion? Gold the only thing you can find to admire? The possession of gold the sole happiness?

Cock What a lover you are of gold and wealth, Mikyllos. Do you admire this one thing of all others, and think it is happiness to have quantities of gold?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Ἀλεκτρυών

οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;

COCK

Are you such a lover of gold and of riches, Micyllus, and is owning quantities of gold the only thing in the world that you admire and consider blissful?

Cock

Is the love of gold so absorbing a passion? Gold the only thing you can find to admire? The possession of gold the sole happiness?

Cock

What a lover you are of gold and wealth, Mikyllos. Do you admire this one thing of all others, and think it is happiness to have quantities of gold?