Lucian of Samosata, Saturnalia, ed. Kenneth Kilburn, 6

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ΚΡΟΝΟΣ

Οἴει γὰρ τὸν ποιμένα ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ἀλαζόνα, ὑγιές τι περὶ ἐμοῦ εἰδέναι; σκόπει δὲ οὕτως. ἔσθ’ ὅστις ἄνθρωπος (οὐ γὰρ θεὸν ἐρῶ) ὑπομείνειεν ἂν ἑκὼν αὐτὸς καταφαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα, εἰ ¹ μή τις Θυέστης ὢν ἀσεβεῖ ἀδελφῷ περιπεσὼν ἤσθιε; καὶ εἰ τοῦτο μανείη, πῶς ἀγνοήσει λίθον ἀντὶ βρέφους ἐσθίων, εἰ μὴ ἀνάλγητος εἴη τοὺς ὀδόντας; ἀλλ’ οὔτε ἐπολεμήσαμεν οὔτε ὁ Ζεὺς βίᾳ τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἑκόντος δέ μου παραδόντος αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπεκστάντος, ἄρχει. ² ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὔτε πεπέδημαι οὔτε ἐν τῷ Ταρτάρῳ εἰμί, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁρᾷς οἶμαι εἰ μὴ τυφλὸς ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος εἶ.

Saturnalia. Lucian of Samosata. ed. Kenneth Kilburn. Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (1)

Τὰ πρὸς Κρόνον Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 3. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1913.) — 6 focus

Κρόνος

οἴει γὰρ τὸν ποιμένα ἐκεῖνον,τὸν ἀλαζόνα, ὑγιές τι περὶ ἐμοῦ εἰδέναι; σκόπει δὲ οὕτως. ἔσθʼ ὅστις ἄνθρωπος — οὐ γὰρ θεὸν ἐρῶ — ὑπομείνειεν ἂν ἑκὼν αὐτὸς καταφαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα, εἰ μὴ τις Θυέστης ἦν καὶ ἀσεβεῖ ἀδελφῷ περιπεσὼν ἤσθιε; καὶ τοῦτό γʼ ἂν εἴη, πῶς δʼ ἀγνοήσει λίθον ἀντὶ βρέφους ἐσθίων, εἰ μὴ ἀνάλγητος εἴη τοὺς ὀδόντας; ἀλλʼ οὔτε ἐπολεμήσαμεν οὔτε ὁ Ζεὺς βίᾳ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφείλετο, ἑκόντος δέ μου παραδόντος αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπεκστάντος ἄρχειν· ὅτι μὲν γὰρ οὔτε πεπέδημαι οὔτε ἐν τῷ Ταρτάρῳ εἰμί, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁρᾷς, οἶμαι εἰ μὴ τυφλὸς ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος εἶ.

Translations (2)

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

CRONUS

Do you imagine that that shepherd, that impostor, has any sound knowledge of me? Look at it this way: would any man (I will not say god) put up with eating his own children of his own free will, unless he were some Thyestes who unluckily had an impious brother? Suppose he were as mad as this; then how would he fail to recognise he was eating a stone and not a child, unless he had no feeling in his teeth? No, there was no fighting, nor does Zeus rule his empire by force; I handed it to him and abdicated quite voluntarily. That I am neither in chains nor in Tartarus I suppose you see for yourself, unless you are as blind as Homer.

Saturnalia Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 4. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 6 focus

[6]

Cronus

That conceited shepherd¹? you do not suppose he knew anything worth knowing about me? Why, think. Is a man conceivable—let alone a God—who would devour his own children?—wittingly, I mean; of course he might be a Thyestes and have a wicked brother; that is different. However, even granting that, I ask you whether he could help knowing he had a stone in his mouth instead of a baby; I envy him his teeth, that is all, The fact is, there was no war, and Zeus did not depose me; I voluntarily abdicated and retired from the cares of office. That I am not in fetters or in Tartarus you can see for yourself, or you must be as blind as Homer.

Notes on the current edition

Τὰ πρὸς Κρόνον

1. εἰ μή τις Θ. ἦν ἀσεβεῖ ἀδελφῷ περιπεσὼν ἤσθιε καὶ τοῦτο γ’ ἂν εἴη X B: εἰ . . . ἦν ἀσεβεῖ περιπεσὼν κἂν τοῦτό γ’ ἂν εἴη N. εἰ . . . ἦν ἀσεβείᾳ ἀδελφῷ (ἀδελφῶν Α Ω) περιπεσὼν εἴσθιε καὶ τοῦτο μανείη ΓΑΩ: H. ὢν Jacobitz: καὶ εἰ Mras.

2. τὴν ἀρχὴν . . . ἄρχει Γ: τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφείλετο . . . ἄρχειν N.

Lucian of Samosata Saturnalia 6

ed. Kenneth Kilburn

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Cronus

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