Lucian, Saturnalia, Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator), 9

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[9] But tell me this, now: as you are such a delicate old deity, why pick out the most disagreeable time, when all is wrapt in snow, and the north wind blows, everything is hard frozen, trees dry and bare and leafless, meadows have lost their flowery beauty, and men are hunched up cowering over the fire like so many octogenarians,—why this season of all others for your festival? It is no time for the old or the luxurious.

Cronus

Fellow, your questions are many, and no good substitute for the flowing bowl. You have filched a good portion of my carnival with your impertinent philosophizings. Let them go, and we will make merry and clap our hands and take our holiday licence, play draughts for nuts in the good old. way, elect our kings and do them fealty, Iam minded to verify. the saw, that old age is second childhood.

Priest

Now dry be his cup when he thirsts, to whom such words come amiss! Cronus, a bowl with you! ’tis enough that you have made answer to my former questions. By the way, I think of reducing our little interview to writing, my questions and your so affable answers, for submission to those friends. whose discretion may be trusted.

Henry Watson Fowler

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

Current edition Perseus

Saturnalia (English) (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 4. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.)

Editions (2)

Τὰ πρὸς Κρόνον Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 3. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1913.) — 9 focus

Κρόνος

πολλά με ἀνακρίνεις, ὦ οὗτος, ἤδη πίνειν δέον· παρῄρησαι γοῦν μου χρόνον τῆς ἑορτῆς οὐκ ὀλίγον οὐ πάνυ ἀναγκαῖά μοι ταῦτα προσφιλοσοφῶν. ὥστε νῦν μὲν ἄφες αὐτά, εὐωχώμεθα δὲ ἤδη καὶ κροτῶμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἑορτῇ ἐλευθεριάζωμεν, εἶτα πεττεύωμεν ἐς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπὶ καρύων καὶ βασιλέας χειροτονῶμεν καὶ πειθαρχῶμεν αὐτοῖς· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τὴν παροιμίαν ἐπαληθεύσαιμι, ἥ φησι, παλίμπαιδας τοὺς γέροντας γίγνεσθαι.

Ἱερεύς

ἀλλὰ μὴ δύναιτο διψῶν πιεῖν, ὦ Κρόνε, ὅτῳ μὴ ταῦτα ἃ λέγεις ἡδέα. ὥστε πίνωμεν· ἱκανὰ γὰρ ἀποκέκρισαι καὶ τὰ πρῶτα. καί μοι δοκῶ γραψάμενος εἰς βιβλίον ταύτην ἡμῶν τὴν συνουσίαν ἅ τε αὐτὸς ἠρώτησα καὶ σὺ πρὸς ταῦτα ἵλεως ἀπεκρίνω παρέξειν ἀναγνῶναι τῶν φίλων, ὅσοι γʼ ἐπακοῦσαι τῶν σῶν λόγων αξιοι.

Τὰ πρὸς Κρόνον Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 9 focus

ἀτὰρ εἰπέ μοι καὶ τόδε· τί δή ποτε ἁβρὸς οὕτω θεὸς ὢν καὶ γέρων ἐπιλεξάμενος τὸ ἀτερπέστατον, ὁπότε ἡ χιὼν ἐπέχει τὰ πάντα καὶ ὁ βορρᾶς πολὺς καὶ οὐδὲν ὅ τι οὐ πέπηγεν ὑπὸ τοῦ κρύους καὶ τὰ δένδρα ξηρὰ καὶ γυμνὰ καὶ ἄφυλλα καὶ οἱ λειμῶνες ἄμορφοι καὶ ἀπηνθηκότες καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐπικεκυφότες ὥσπερ οἱ πάνυ γεγηρακότες, ἀμφὶ τὴν κάμινον οἱ πολλοί, τηνικαῦτα ἑορτάζεις; οὐ γὰρ πρεσβυτικός γε ὁ καιρὸς οὐδὲ ἐπιτήδειος τοῖς τρυφῶσι.

ΚΡΟΝΟΣ

Πολλά με ἀνακρίνεις, ὦ οὗτος, ἤδη πίνειν δέον. παρῄρησαι γοῦν μου χρόνον τῆς ἑορτῆς οὐκ ὀλίγον οὐ πάνυ ἀναγκαῖά μοι ταῦτα προσφιλοσοφῶν. ὥστε νῦν μὲν ἄφες αὐτά. εὐωχώμεθα δὲ ἤδη καὶ κροτῶμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ ἤδη ζῶμεν, εἶτα πεττεύωμεν ἐς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπὶ καρύων καὶ βασιλέας χειροτονῶμεν καὶ πειθαρχῶμεν αὐτοῖς. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τὴν παροιμίαν ἐπαληθεύσαιμι, ἥ φησι παλίμπαιδας τοὺς γέροντας γίγνεσθαι.

ΙΕΡΕΥΣ

Ἀλλὰ μὴ δύναιτο διψῶν πιεῖν, ὦ Κρόνε, ὅτῳ μὴ ταῦτα ἃ λέγεις ἡδέα. ὥστε πίνωμεν. ἱκανὰ γὰρ ἀποκέκρισαι καὶ τὰ πρῶτα. καί μοι δοκῶ γραψάμενος εἰς βιβλίον ταύτην ἡμῶν τὴν συνουσίαν ἅ τε αὐτὸς ἠρώτησα καὶ σὺ πρὸς ταῦτα ἵλεως ἀπεκρίνω παρέξειν ἀναγνῶναι τῶν φίλων, ὅσοι γ’ ἐπακοῦσαι τῶν σῶν λόγων ἄξιοι.

Translations (1)

A Conversation with Cronus Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 9 focus

But tell me this as well: why, when you are such a soft-living god and old at that, have you chosen the most unpleasant time of the year, when the snow covers everything, the North wind is strong, everything is frozen, trees are withered and bare and leafless, fields are ugly and without bloom, and men are bent like old, old men, most of them hard by the stove? The season is not good for the old or for lovers of easy living.

CRONUS

You are asking me a lot of questions, my man, when I ought to be already drinking. In fact you’ve robbed me of quite a bit of my festival with all these completely unnecessary speculations. So let them be for now and let us enjoy ourselves, clap hands, and live on freedom’s terms at this festival-time. Then let’s dice in the old way for nuts, vote for our kings and obey them. So I will prove the truth of the proverb which says that for old men there comes a second childhood.

PRIEST

Well, Cronus, never may anyone who doesn’t approve of what you say be able to get a drink when he is thirsty! Then let us drink! Your first answer was quite enough. I think I shall write down this conversation of ours in a book, both what I asked and what you so kindly answered, and I’ll give it to my friends to read, at any rate those who deserve to hear what you have said.

Lucian Saturnalia 9

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

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Cronus

Priest

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