Lucian of Samosata, Anacharsis, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 9

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[9]

ANACHARSIS

And these prizes of yours, what are they?

SOLON

At the Olympic games, a wreath made of wild olive, at the Isthmian one of pine, and at the Nemean one of parsley, at the Pythian some of the apples sacred to Apollo, and with us at the Panathenaea, the oil from the holy olive.¹ What made you laugh, Anacharsis? Because you think these prizes trivial?

ANACHARSIS

No, the prizes that you have told off are absolutely imposing, Solon; they may well cause those who have offered them to glory in their munificence and the contestants themselves to be tremendously eager to carry off such guerdons, so that they will go through all these preliminary hardships and risks, getting choked and broken in two by one another, for apples and parsley, as if it were not possible for anyone who wants them to get plenty of apples without any trouble, or to wear a wreath of parsley or of pine without having his face bedaubed with mud or letting himself be kicked in the belly by his opponent!

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

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Anacharsis, or Athletics (English) (Lucian, Vol. 4. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Ἀνάχαρσις ἢ Περὶ Γυμνασίων Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 4. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 (printing).) — 9 focus

Ἀνάχαρσις

τὰ δὲ ἆθλα τίνα ὑμῖν ταῦτά ἐστιν;

Σόλων

Ὀλυμπίασι μὲν στέφανος ἐκ κοτίνου, Ἰσθμοῖ δὲ ἐκ πίτυος, ἐν Νεμέᾳ δὲ σελίνων πεπλεγμένος, Πυθοῖ δὲ μῆλα τῶν ἱερῶν τοῦ θεοῦ, παρʼ ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς Παναθηναίοις τὸ ἔλαιον τὸ ἐκ τῆς μορίας. τί ἐγέλασας, ὦ Ἀνάχαρσι; ἢ διότι μικρά σοι εἶναι ταῦτα δοκεῖ;

Ἀνάχαρσις

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ πάνσεμνα, ὦ Σόλων, κατέλεξας τὰ ἆθλα καὶ ἄξια τοῖς τε διαθεῖσιν αὐτὰ φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ μεγαλοδωρεᾷ καὶ τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς αὐτοῖς ὑπερεσπουδακέναι περὶ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τῶν τηλικούτων, ὥστε μήλων ἕνεκα καὶ σελίνων τοσαῦτα προπονεῖν καὶ κινδυνεύειν ἀγχομένους πρὸς ἀλλήλων καὶ κατακλωμένους, ὡς οὐκ ἐνὸν ἀπραγμόνως εὐπορῆσαι μήλων ὅτῳ ἐπιθυμία ἢ σελίνῳ ἐστεφανῶσθαι ἢ πίτυϊ μήτε πηλῷ καταχριόμενον τὸ πρόσωπον μήτε λακτιζόμενον εἰς τὴν γαστέρα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνταγωνιστῶν.

Translations (1)

Anacharsis, a Discussion of Physical Training Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 9 focus

[9]

Anacharsis

Ah, and what are the prizes, now?

Solon

At Olympia a wreath of wild oliye, at the Isthmus one of pine, at Nemea of parsley, at Pytho some of the God’s sacred apples, and at our Panathenaea oil pressed from the temple olives. What are you laughing at, Anacharsis? Are the prizes too small?

Anacharsis

Oh dear no; your prize-list is most imposing; the givers may well plume themselves on their munificence, and the competitors be monstrous keen on winning. Who would not go through this amount of preparatory toil, and take his chance of a choking or a dislocation, for apples or parsley? It is obviously impossible for any one who has a fancy to a supply of apples, or a wreath of parsley or pine, to get them without a mud plaster on his face, or a kick in the stomach from his competitor.

Notes on the current edition

Anacharsis, or Athletics

The one planted on the Acropolis by Athena. As to the prize in the Pythia, it may have been apples before the reorganization of the games in 586. But in that year the competition had prizes “in kind,” spoils of the Crisaean war (χρηματίτης ἀπὸ λαφύρων: Marmor Parium); and from 582 it was orepavirns, like the other three Panhellenic Festivals, with a wreath of laurel.

Lucian of Samosata Anacharsis 9

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ANACHARSIS

SOLON

ANACHARSIS

Current edition Perseus

Ἀνάχαρσις

τὰ δὲ ἆθλα τίνα ὑμῖν ταῦτά ἐστιν;

Anacharsis

Solon

Anacharsis

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ANACHARSIS

SOLON

ANACHARSIS

Current edition Perseus

Ἀνάχαρσις τὰ δὲ ἆθλα τίνα ὑμῖν ταῦτά ἐστιν;

Anacharsis

Solon

Anacharsis

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Ἀνάχαρσις

τὰ δὲ ἆθλα τίνα ὑμῖν ταῦτά ἐστιν;