Lucian of Samosata, De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 3

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[3]

TYCHIADES

Well, how it pleases you to be styled matters little or nothing to me; but you must consider the general absurdity of it.

SIMON

What absurdity, I should like to know?

TYCHIADES

If we are to list this among the other arts, so that when anybody enquires what art it is, we shall say “Parasitic,” to correspond with Music and Rhetoric.¹

SIMON

For my part, Tychiades, I should call this an art far more than any other. If you care to listen, I think I can tell you why, although, as I just said, I am not entirely prepared for it. TYCHIADES It will make no difference at all if you say little, as long as that little is true.

SIMON

Come now, first of all, if it please you, let us consider what an art is in general; for in that way we can go on to the individual] arts and see if they truly come under that head.

TYCHIADES

What on earth is an art, then? Surely you know.

SIMON

To be sure.

TYCHIADES

Then do not hesitate to tell, if you do know.

De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam. Lucian of Samosata. Austin Morris Harmon (Translator). United States. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Parasite Tychiades (English) (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.)

Editions (1)

Περὶ τοῦ Παρασίτου ὅτι Τέχνη ἡ Παρασιτική Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 3. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1921.) — 3 focus

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ὅπως χαίρεις καλούμενος, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρόν μοι μέλει· σκοπεῖν δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀτοπίαν.

Σίμων

τίνα μήν;

Τυχιάδης

εἰ καὶ ταύτην ταῖς ἄλλαις τέχναις ἐγκαταλέξομεν, ὥστε ἐπειδὰν πυνθάνηταί τις, ὁποία τις αὕτη τέχνη ἐστί, λέγειν, οἷον γραμματικὴ ἢ¹ ἰατρική, παρασιτική.

Σίμων

ἐγὼ μέν, ὦ Τυχιάδη, πολὺ μᾶλλον ταύτην ἤ τινα ἑτέραν τέχνην φαίην ἄν. εἰ δέ σοι φίλον ἀκούειν, καὶ ὅπως οἴομαι λέγοιμι ἄν, καίπερ οὐ παντάπασιν ὤν, ὡς ἔφθην εἰπών, ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρεσκευασμένος.

Τυχιάδης

οὐθέν, εἰ καὶ σμικρὰ λέγοις,² ἀληθῆ δέ, διοίσει.

Σίμων

ἴθι δὴ πρῶτον, εἴ σοι δοκεῖ, περὶ τῆς τέχνης, ἥτις ποτὲ οὖσα τυγχάνει τῷ γένει, σκοπῶμεν· οὑτωσὶ γὰρ ἐπακολουθήσαιμεν ἂν καὶ ταῖς κατʼ εἶδος τέχναις, εἴπερ ἄρα ὀρθῶς μετέχοιεν³ αὐτῆς.

Τυχιάδης

τί ποτʼ οὖν ἐστιν ἡ τέχνη; πάντως⁴ ἐπίστασαι.

Σίμων

πάνυ μὲν οὖν.

Τυχιάδης

μὴ τοίνυν ὄκνει λέγειν αὐτήν, εἴπερ οἶσθα.

Translations (1)

The Parasite: a Demonstration that Sponging is a Profession Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 3 focus

[3]

Tychiades

Well, well, your taste in titles concerns me very little. Come now to the next absurdity.

Simon

Which is?

Tychiades

The getting it entered on the list of arts, When any one asks what the art is, how do we describe it? Letters we know, Medicine we know; Sponging?

Simon

My own opinion is, that it has an exceptionally good right to the name of art. If you care to listen, I will explain, though I have not got this properly into shape, as I remarked before.

Tychiades

Oh, a brief exposition will do, provided it is true.

Simon

I think, if you agree, we had better examine Art generically first; that will enable us to go into the question whether the specific arts really belong under it.

Tychiades

Well, what is Art? Of course you know that?

Simon

Quite well.

Tychiades

Out with it, then, as you know.

Notes on the current edition

The Parasite Tychiades

The examples in the Greek are “Grammar and Medicine,” but it was necessary to choose English examples which retained the Greek ending.

Lucian of Samosata De parasito sive artem esse parasiticam 3

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

Current edition Perseus

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ὅπως χαίρεις καλούμενος, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρόν μοι μέλει· σκοπεῖν δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀτοπίαν.

Σίμων

τίνα μήν;

Τυχιάδης

οὐθέν, εἰ καὶ σμικρὰ λέγοις,² ἀληθῆ δέ, διοίσει.

Τυχιάδης

τί ποτʼ οὖν ἐστιν ἡ τέχνη; πάντως⁴ ἐπίστασαι.

Σίμων

πάνυ μὲν οὖν.

Τυχιάδης

μὴ τοίνυν ὄκνει λέγειν αὐτήν, εἴπερ οἶσθα.

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

SIMON

TYCHIADES

SIMON

TYCHIADES

Current edition Perseus

Τυχιάδης ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ὅπως χαίρεις καλούμενος, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρόν μοι μέλει· σκοπεῖν δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀτοπίαν.

Σίμων τίνα μήν;

Τυχιάδης οὐθέν, εἰ καὶ σμικρὰ λέγοις, 2 ἀληθῆ δέ, διοίσει.

Τυχιάδης τί ποτʼ οὖν ἐστιν ἡ τέχνη; πάντως 4 ἐπίστασαι.

Σίμων πάνυ μὲν οὖν.

Τυχιάδης μὴ τοίνυν ὄκνει λέγειν αὐτήν, εἴπερ οἶσθα.

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Simon

Tychiades

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Τυχιάδης

ἀλλὰ σὺ μὲν ὅπως χαίρεις καλούμενος, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρόν μοι μέλει· σκοπεῖν δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀτοπίαν.

Σίμων

τίνα μήν;

Τυχιάδης

οὐθέν, εἰ καὶ σμικρὰ λέγοις,² ἀληθῆ δέ, διοίσει.

Τυχιάδης

τί ποτʼ οὖν ἐστιν ἡ τέχνη; πάντως⁴ ἐπίστασαι.

Σίμων

πάνυ μὲν οὖν.

Τυχιάδης

μὴ τοίνυν ὄκνει λέγειν αὐτήν, εἴπερ οἶσθα.