Lucian, Contemplantes, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 4

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Charon

What, shall we two be able to lift Pelion or Ossa?

Hermes

Why not? We are gods; I should hope we are as good as those two infants.

Charon

Yes; but I should never have thought we could do such a job as that.

Hermes

Ah, my dear Charon, you don’t understand these things; you have no imagination. To the lofty spirit of Homer this is simplicity itself. Just a couple of lines, and the mountains are in place;—we have only to walk up. I wonder you make such a marvel of this. You know Atlas, of course? He holds up the entire heaven by himself, Gods and all. And I dare say you have heard how my brother Heracles relieved him once, and took the burden on his own shoulders for a time?;

Charon

Yes, I have heard it. But you and the poets best know whether it is true.

Hermes

Oh, perfectly true. What should induce wise men to lie?—Come, let us get to work on Ossa first; for so the masterbuilder directs:

Ossa first;

On Ossa leafy Pelion.

There! What think you of this? Is it suave work? is it poetry?

Contemplantes. Lucian. Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator). Medford, MA, USA. 2023-08-01.

Current edition Perseus

Charon (English) (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.)

Editions (1)

Χάρων ἢ Ἐπισκοποῦντες Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 4 focus

Χάρων

καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύʼ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;

Ἑρμῆς

διὰ τί δʼ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων; ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;

Χάρων

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.

Ἑρμῆς

εἰκότως· ἰδιώτης γὰρ εἶ, ὦ Χάρων, καὶ ἥκιστα ποιητικός· ὁ δὲ γεννάδας Ὅμηρος ἀπὸ δυοῖν στίχοιν αὐτίκα ἡμῖν ἀμβατὸν ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανόν, οὕτω ῥᾳδίως συνθεὶς τὰ ὄρη. καὶ θαυμάζω εἴ σοι ταῦτα τεράστια εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸν Ἄτλαντα δηλαδὴ εἰδότι, ὃς τὸν πόλον αὐτὸν εἷς ὢν φέρει ἀνέχων ἡμᾶς ἅπαντας. ἀκούεις δέ γε ἴσως καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πέρι τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, ὡς διαδέξαιτό ποτε αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος¹ τὸν Ἄτλαντα, καὶ ἀναπαύσειε πρὸς ὀλίγον τοῦ ἄχθους ὑποθεὶς ἑαυτὸν τῷ φορτίῳ.

Χάρων

ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.

Ἑρμῆς

ἀληθέστατα, ὦ Χάρων. ἢ τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκα σοφοὶ ἄνδρες ἐψεύδοντο ἄν; ὥστε ἀναμοχλεύωμεν τὴν Ὄσσαν πρῶτον, ὥσπερ ἡμῖν ὑφηγεῖται τὸ ἔπος καὶ ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων Ὅμηρος,

αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ Ὄσσῃ

Πήλιον εἰνοσίφυλλον.

ὁρᾷς ὅπως ῥᾳδίως ἅμα καὶ ποιητικῶς ἐξειργασάμεθα; φέρʼ οὖν ἀναβὰς ἴδω, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ ἢ ἐποικοδομεῖν ἔτι δεήσει.

Translations (1)

Charon, or the Inspectors Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 4 focus

CHARON

Shall we be able to lift Pelion or Ossa and heave it up, Hermes, when there are only two of us?

HERMES

Why not, Charon? Surely you don’t consider us weaker than that pair of infants? Moreover, we are gods.

CHARON

No, but the thing seems to me to involve an incredible deal of work,

HERMES

Of course, for you are only a prosaic body, Charon, and not a bit of a poet. Good Homer, however, has made it possible for us to scale Heaven in a jiffy with a pair of verses, for he puts the mountains together as easily as that. I am surprised that you think this miraculous, for, of course, you know Atlas, who carries Heaven itself without any help, upholding us all. And no doubt you have heard about my brother Heracles, how he himself once took the place of Atlas and relieved him of his load for a time by taking the burden on his own shoulders.

CHARON

Yes, I have heard that; but whether it is true or not, Hermes, you and the poets only know!

HERMES

True as can be, Charon. Why should wise men lie? So let us uproot Ossa first, according to the directions of the poem and the master-builder, Homer;

then upon Ossa

Pelion quivering-leaved.

Od. 11, 305. Don’t you see how easily and poetically we have done the job? Come now, let me climb up and see if this is enough or we shall have to add to the pile.

Lucian Contemplantes 4

Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator)

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Charon

What, shall we two be able to lift Pelion or Ossa?

Hermes

Why not? We are gods; I should hope we are as good as those two infants.

Charon

Yes; but I should never have thought we could do such a job as that.

Charon

Yes, I have heard it. But you and the poets best know whether it is true.

Hermes

Oh, perfectly true. What should induce wise men to lie?—Come, let us get to work on Ossa first; for so the masterbuilder directs:

Ossa first;

On Ossa leafy Pelion.

There! What think you of this? Is it suave work? is it poetry?

Current edition Perseus

Χάρων

καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύʼ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;

Ἑρμῆς

διὰ τί δʼ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων; ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;

Χάρων

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.

Χάρων

ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.

CHARON

Shall we be able to lift Pelion or Ossa and heave it up, Hermes, when there are only two of us?

HERMES

Why not, Charon? Surely you don’t consider us weaker than that pair of infants? Moreover, we are gods.

CHARON

No, but the thing seems to me to involve an incredible deal of work,

CHARON

Yes, I have heard that; but whether it is true or not, Hermes, you and the poets only know!

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Charon What, shall we two be able to lift Pelion or Ossa?

Hermes Why not? We are gods; I should hope we are as good as those two infants.

Charon Yes; but I should never have thought we could do such a job as that.

Charon Yes, I have heard it. But you and the poets best know whether it is true.

Hermes Oh, perfectly true. What should induce wise men to lie?—Come, let us get to work on Ossa first; for so the masterbuilder directs: Ossa first; On Ossa leafy Pelion. There! What think you of this? Is it suave work? is it poetry?

Current edition Perseus

Χάρων καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύʼ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;

Ἑρμῆς διὰ τί δʼ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων; ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;

Χάρων οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.

Χάρων ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.

CHARON Shall we be able to lift Pelion or Ossa and heave it up, Hermes, when there are only two of us?

HERMES Why not, Charon? Surely you don’t consider us weaker than that pair of infants? Moreover, we are gods.

CHARON No, but the thing seems to me to involve an incredible deal of work,

CHARON Yes, I have heard that; but whether it is true or not, Hermes, you and the poets only know!

Stable identifiers

Charon

What, shall we two be able to lift Pelion or Ossa?

Hermes

Why not? We are gods; I should hope we are as good as those two infants.

Charon

Yes; but I should never have thought we could do such a job as that.

Charon

Yes, I have heard it. But you and the poets best know whether it is true.

Hermes

Oh, perfectly true. What should induce wise men to lie?—Come, let us get to work on Ossa first; for so the masterbuilder directs:

Ossa first;

On Ossa leafy Pelion.

There! What think you of this? Is it suave work? is it poetry?

Χάρων

καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύʼ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;

Ἑρμῆς

διὰ τί δʼ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων; ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;

Χάρων

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.

Χάρων

ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.

CHARON

Shall we be able to lift Pelion or Ossa and heave it up, Hermes, when there are only two of us?

HERMES

Why not, Charon? Surely you don’t consider us weaker than that pair of infants? Moreover, we are gods.

CHARON

No, but the thing seems to me to involve an incredible deal of work,

CHARON

Yes, I have heard that; but whether it is true or not, Hermes, you and the poets only know!