Lucian, Gallus, ed. Austin Morris Harmon, 24

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Μίκυλλος

εἰπέ μοι, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, σὺ δὲ ὁπότε βασιλεὺς ἦσθα — φὴς γὰρ καὶ βασιλεῦσαί ποτε — ποίου τινὸς ἐπειράθης ἐκείνου τοῦ βίου; ἦ που πανευδαίμων ἦσθα, τὸ κεφάλαιον ὅ τι πέρ ἐστι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων ἔχων;

Ἀλεκτρυών

μηδὲ ἀναμνήσῃς με, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὕτω τρισάθλιος ἦν τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἔξω πᾶσιν ὅπερ ἔφησθα πανευδαίμων εἶναι δοκῶν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ μυρίαις ἀνίαις συνών.

Μίκυλλος

τίσι ταύταις; παράδοξα γὰρ καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι¹ πιστὰ φής.

Ἀλεκτρυών

ἦρχον μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγης χώρας, ὦ Μίκυλλε, παμφόρου τινὸς καὶ πλήθει ἀνθρώπων καὶ κάλλει πόλεων ἐν ταῖς μάλιστα θαυμάζεσθαι ἀξίας ποταμοῖς τε ναυσιπόροις καταρρεομένης καὶ θαλάττῃ εὐόρμῳ χρωμένης, καὶ στρατιὰ ἦν πολλὴ καὶ ἵππος συγκεκροτημένη καὶ δορυφορικὸν οὐκ ὀλίγον καὶ τριήρεις καὶ χρημάτων πλῆθος ἀνάριθμον καὶ χρυσὸς πάμπολυς καὶ ἡ ἄλλη τῆς ἀρχῆς τραγῳδία πᾶσα ἐς ὑπερβολὴν ἐξωγκωμένη, ὥστε ὁπότε προΐοιμι, οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ προσεκύνουν καὶ θεόν τινα ὁρᾶν ᾤοντο καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπʼ ἄλλοις συνέθεον ὀψόμενοί με, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέγη ἀνιόντες ἐν μεγάλῳ ἐτίθεντο ἀκριβῶς ἑωρακέναι τὸ ζεῦγος, τὴν ἐφεστρίδα, τὸ διάδημα, τοὺς προπομπεύοντας, τοὺς ἑπομένους. ἐγὼ δὲ εἰδὼς ὁπόσα με ἠνία καὶ ἔστρεφεν, ἐκείνοις μὲν τῆς ἀνοίας συνεγίνωσκον, ἐμαυτὸν δὲ ἠλέουν ὅμοιον ὄντα τοῖς μεγάλοις ἐκείνοις κολοσσοῖς, οἵους ἢ Φειδίας ἢ Μύρων ἢ Πραξιτέλης ἐποίησεν· κἀκείνων γὰρ ἕκαστος ἔκτοσθεν μὲν Ποσειδῶν τις ἢ Ζεύς ἐστι πάγκαλος ἐκ χρυσίου καὶ ἐλέφαντος συνειργασμένος, κεραυνὸν ἢ ἀστραπὴν ἢ τρίαιναν ἔχων ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ, ἢν δὲ ὑποκύψας ἴδῃς τά γʼ ἔνδον, ὄψει μοχλούς τινας καὶ γόμφους καὶ ἥλους διαμπὰξ πεπερονημένους καὶ κορμοὺς καὶ σφῆνας καὶ πίτταν καὶ πηλὸν καὶ τοιαύτην τινὰ πολλὴν ἀμορφίαν ὑποικουροῦσαν· ἐῶ λέγειν μυῶν πλῆθος ἢ μυγαλῶν ἐμπολιτευόμενον αὐτοῖς ἐνίοτε. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ βασιλεία ἐστίν.

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

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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.) — 24 focus

MICYLLUS

Tell me, cock, when you were king—for you say you were once on a time—how did you find that life? You were completely happy, I suppose, as you had what is surely the acme of all blessings.

COCK

Don’t even remind me of it, Micyllus, so utterly wretched was I then; for although in all things external I seemed to be completely happy, as you say, I had a thousand vexations within.

MICYLLUS

What were they? What you say is strange and not quite credible.

COCK

I ruled over a great country, Micyllus, one that roduced everything and was among the most noteworthy for the number of its people and the beauty of its cities, one that was traversed by navigable rivers and had a sea-coast with good harbours; and I had a great army, trained cavalry, a large bodyguard, triremes, untold riches, a great quantity of gold plate and all the rest of the paraphernalia of rule enormously exaggerated, so that when I went out the people made obeisance and thought they beheld a god inthe flesh, and they ran up one after another to look at me, while some even went up to the house-tops, thinking it a great thing to have had a good look at my horses, my mantle, my diadem, and my attendants before and behind me. But I myself, knowing how many vexations and torments I had, pardoned them, to be sure, for their folly, but pitied myself for being no better than the great colossi that Phidias or Myron or Praxiteles made, each of which outwardly is a beautiful Poseidon or a Zeus, made of ivory and gold, with a thunderbolt ora flash of lightning or a trident in his right hand; but if you stoop down and look inside, you will see bars and props and nails driven clear through, and beams and wedges and pitch and clay and a quantity of such ugly stuff housing within, not to mention numbers of mice and rats that keep their court in them sometimes. That is what monarchy is like.

The Cock Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 24 focus

Micyllus

You tell me, cock, that you have been a king yourself: now how did you find the life? I expect you had a pleasant time of it, living on the very fat of the land?

Cock

Do not remind me of that miserable existence. A pleasant time! So people thought, no doubt: I knew better; it was vexation upon vexation.

Micyllus

You surprise me. How should that be? It sounds unlikely.

Cock

The country over which I ruled was both extensive and fertile. Its population and the beauty of its cities alike entitled it to the highest consideration. It possessed navigable rivers and excellent harbours. My army was large, my pikemen numerous, my cavalry in a high state of efficiency; it was the same with my fleet; and my wealth was beyond calculation. No’ circumstance of kingly pomp was wanting; gold plate in abundance, everything on the most magnificent scale. I could not leave my palace without receiving the reverential greetings of the public, who looked on me as a God, and crowded together to see me pass; some enthusiasts would even betake themselves to the roofs of the houses, lest any detail of my equipage, clothes, crown or attendants should escape them. I could make allowance for the ignorance of my subjects, but this did not prevent me from pitying myself, when I reflected on the vexations and worries of my position. I was like those colossal statues, the work of Phidias, Myron or Praxiteles: they too look extremely well from outside: ’tis Posidon with his trident, Zeus with his thunderbolt, all ivory and gold: but take a peep inside, and what have we? One tangle of bars, bolts, nails, planks, wedges, with pitch and mortar and everything that is unsightly; not to mention a possible colony of rats or mice. There you have royalty.

The Cock Perseus (Lucian. Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.) — 24 focus

Mikyllos

Tell me, Cock, when you were a king -for you say you were once even on the throne —what was your experience of that life? I suppose you were perfectly happy, for you had whatever is best of all good things.

Cock

Do not remind me of that thrice unhappy time. As far as those external goods go that you speak of, I seemed indeed perfectly happy, but I had a thousand troubles within.

Mikyllos

What were they? This is astonishing, and I don't altogether believe it.

Cock

I ruled over a large and fertile country, Mikyllos, fit to rank with the best for its population and the beauty of its cities. It was traversed by navigable rivers, and had a seaboard with good harbors. I had a large army, with welltrained cavalry, a considerable body-guard, a navy, untold treasure, quantities of gold plate, and all the rest of the royal mise en scène in profusion and excess. Whenever I went abroad the crowd saluted me, believing they beheld a god, and thronged on each others' heels to get sight of me; some would even mount the roofs and count it a great thing to have a clear view of my chariot, my robes, my outriders, and my escort. But I, conscious of my sorrows and agonies, made allowance for their ignorance and pitied my own case, which I compared with the colossal statues that Pheidias or Myron or Praxiteles wrought. Each of these, too, if you look at it from the outside, is a Poseidon or a Zeus of perfect beauty, made in gold or ivory, grasping the thunderbolt or the lightning or the trident in his right hand; but if you stoop and look inside you will see bars and bolts and nails piercing from side to side, and timbers and wedges and pitch and clay and a great many other things just as unsightly which are hidden there, to say nothing of the crowds of rats and mice that sometimes colonize them. Well, royalty is much like this.

Notes on the current edition

Ὄνειρος ἢ Ἀλεκτρυών

1. πάνυ τι Cobet: πάντη (πάνυ) MSS.

Lucian Gallus 24

ed. Austin Morris Harmon

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Ἀλεκτρυών

μηδὲ ἀναμνήσῃς με, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὕτω τρισάθλιος ἦν τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἔξω πᾶσιν ὅπερ ἔφησθα πανευδαίμων εἶναι δοκῶν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ μυρίαις ἀνίαις συνών.

Μίκυλλος

τίσι ταύταις; παράδοξα γὰρ καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι¹ πιστὰ φής.

Current edition Perseus

MICYLLUS

Tell me, cock, when you were king—for you say you were once on a time—how did you find that life? You were completely happy, I suppose, as you had what is surely the acme of all blessings.

COCK

Don’t even remind me of it, Micyllus, so utterly wretched was I then; for although in all things external I seemed to be completely happy, as you say, I had a thousand vexations within.

MICYLLUS

What were they? What you say is strange and not quite credible.

Micyllus

You tell me, cock, that you have been a king yourself: now how did you find the life? I expect you had a pleasant time of it, living on the very fat of the land?

Cock

Do not remind me of that miserable existence. A pleasant time! So people thought, no doubt: I knew better; it was vexation upon vexation.

Micyllus

You surprise me. How should that be? It sounds unlikely.

Mikyllos

Tell me, Cock, when you were a king -for you say you were once even on the throne —what was your experience of that life? I suppose you were perfectly happy, for you had whatever is best of all good things.

Cock

Do not remind me of that thrice unhappy time. As far as those external goods go that you speak of, I seemed indeed perfectly happy, but I had a thousand troubles within.

Mikyllos

What were they? This is astonishing, and I don't altogether believe it.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Ἀλεκτρυών μηδὲ ἀναμνήσῃς με, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὕτω τρισάθλιος ἦν τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἔξω πᾶσιν ὅπερ ἔφησθα πανευδαίμων εἶναι δοκῶν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ μυρίαις ἀνίαις συνών.

Μίκυλλος τίσι ταύταις; παράδοξα γὰρ καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι 1 πιστὰ φής.

Current edition Perseus

MICYLLUS Tell me, cock, when you were king—for you say you were once on a time—how did you find that life? You were completely happy, I suppose, as you had what is surely the acme of all blessings.

COCK Don’t even remind me of it, Micyllus, so utterly wretched was I then; for although in all things external I seemed to be completely happy, as you say, I had a thousand vexations within.

MICYLLUS What were they? What you say is strange and not quite credible.

Micyllus You tell me, cock, that you have been a king yourself: now how did you find the life? I expect you had a pleasant time of it, living on the very fat of the land?

Cock Do not remind me of that miserable existence. A pleasant time! So people thought, no doubt: I knew better; it was vexation upon vexation.

Micyllus You surprise me. How should that be? It sounds unlikely.

Mikyllos Tell me, Cock, when you were a king -for you say you were once even on the throne —what was your experience of that life? I suppose you were perfectly happy, for you had whatever is best of all good things.

Cock Do not remind me of that thrice unhappy time. As far as those external goods go that you speak of, I seemed indeed perfectly happy, but I had a thousand troubles within.

Mikyllos What were they? This is astonishing, and I don't altogether believe it.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Ἀλεκτρυών

μηδὲ ἀναμνήσῃς με, ὦ Μίκυλλε, οὕτω τρισάθλιος ἦν τότε, τοῖς μὲν ἔξω πᾶσιν ὅπερ ἔφησθα πανευδαίμων εἶναι δοκῶν, ἔνδοθεν δὲ μυρίαις ἀνίαις συνών.

Μίκυλλος

τίσι ταύταις; παράδοξα γὰρ καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι¹ πιστὰ φής.

MICYLLUS

Tell me, cock, when you were king—for you say you were once on a time—how did you find that life? You were completely happy, I suppose, as you had what is surely the acme of all blessings.

COCK

Don’t even remind me of it, Micyllus, so utterly wretched was I then; for although in all things external I seemed to be completely happy, as you say, I had a thousand vexations within.

MICYLLUS

What were they? What you say is strange and not quite credible.

Micyllus

You tell me, cock, that you have been a king yourself: now how did you find the life? I expect you had a pleasant time of it, living on the very fat of the land?

Cock

Do not remind me of that miserable existence. A pleasant time! So people thought, no doubt: I knew better; it was vexation upon vexation.

Micyllus

You surprise me. How should that be? It sounds unlikely.

Mikyllos

Tell me, Cock, when you were a king -for you say you were once even on the throne —what was your experience of that life? I suppose you were perfectly happy, for you had whatever is best of all good things.

Cock

Do not remind me of that thrice unhappy time. As far as those external goods go that you speak of, I seemed indeed perfectly happy, but I had a thousand troubles within.

Mikyllos

What were they? This is astonishing, and I don't altogether believe it.