Lucian of Samosata, De luctu, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 24

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[24] As the finishing touch to all this, there is the funeral feast, and the relatives come in, consoling the parents of the departed, and inducing them to taste something. The parents themselves, I must say, do not find it disagreeable to be constrained, but are already done up with three days of continuous fasting. It is: “Man dear, how long are we to lament? Let the spirits¹ of the departed rest! But if you have absolutely decided to keep on weeping, for that very reason you must not abstain from food, in order that you may prove equal to the magnitude of your sorrow.” Then, ah! then, two lines of Homer are recited by everyone:

Verily Niobe also, the fair-tressed, thought of her dinner,

Iliad, 24, 602. and

Mourning the dead by fasting is not to be done by Achaeans,²

Iliad, 19, 225. So they break bread, of course, but do it at first in shame, and in fear that they will disclose themselves to be still subject to human appetites after the death of their dearest. You will find, if you take note, that these things and others still more ridiculous are done at funerals, for the reason that people think death the greatest of misfortunes.³

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

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (1)

Περὶ Πένθους Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 4. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1925 (printing).) — 24 focus

[24] ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις τὸ περίδειπνον, καὶ πάρεισιν οἱ προσήκοντες καὶ τοὺς γονέας παραμυθοῦνται τοῦ τετελευτηκότος καὶ πείθουσι γεύσασθαι, οὐκ ἀηδῶς μὰ Δία οὐδʼ αὐτοὺς ἀναγκαζομένους, ἀλλὰ ἤδη ὑπὸ λιμοῦ τριῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν ἀπηυδηκότας. καί, μέχρι μὲν τίνος, ὦ οὗτος, ὀδυρόμεθα; ἔασον ἀναπαύσασθαι τοὺς τοῦ μακαρίτου δαίμονας· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ παράπαν κλάειν διέγνωκας, αὐτοῦ γε τούτου ἕνεκα χρὴ μὴ ἀπόσιτον εἶναι, ἵνα καὶ διαρκέσῃς πρὸς τοῦ πένθους τὸ μέγεθος. τότε δὴ τότε ῥαψωδοῦνται πρὸς ἁπάντων δύο τοῦ Ὁμήρου στίχοι·

καὶ γάρ τʼ ἠΰκομος Νιόβη ἐμνήσατο σίτου·

καὶ

γαστέρι δʼ οὔπως ἐστὶ νέκυν πενθῆσαι Ἀχαιούς.

οἱ δὲ ἅπτονται μέν, αἰσχυνόμενοι δὲ τὰ πρῶτα καὶ δεδιότες εἰ φανοῦνται μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τῶν φιλτάτων τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πάθεσιν ἐμμένοντες.

ταῦτα καὶ πολὺ τούτων γελοιότερα εὕροι τις ἂν ἐπιτηρῶν ἐν τοῖς πένθεσι γιγνόμενα διὰ τὸ τοὺς πολλοὺς τὸ μέγιστον τῶν κακῶν τὸν θάνατον οἴεσθαι.

Translations (1)

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

[24] The final absurdity is the funeral feast, at which the assembled relatives strive to console the parents, and to prevail upon them to take food; and, Heaven knows, they are willing enough to be persuaded, being almost prostrated by a three days’ fast. ‘How long is this to go on?’ some one expostulates. ‘Suffer the spirit of your departed saint to rest in peace. Or if mourn you will, then for that very reason you must eat, that your strength may be proportioned to your grief.’ At this point, a couple of lines of Homer go the round of the company:

Ev’n fair-haired Niobe forgat not food,

and

Not fasting mourn th’ Achaeans for their dead.

The parents are persuaded, though they go to work at first in a somewhat shamefaced manner; they do not want it to be thought that after their bereavement they are still subject to the infirmities of the flesh.

Such are some of the absurdities that may be observed in mourners; for I have by no means exhausted the list. And all springs from the vulgar error, that Death is the worst thing that can befall a man.

Notes on the current edition

On Funerals

The “Di Manes”?

It is impossible, argues Odysseus, for the Greek army to fast (for Patroclus) and fight at the same time.

The first words of Sacrifices seem to take up this sentence. They may be translated: "And as to sacrifices, what the dolts do”—ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις οἱ μάταιοι πράττουσι.

Lucian of Samosata De luctu 24

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)

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