Lucian of Samosata, Scytha, Kenneth Kilburn (Translator), 3

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[3] My reason for mentioning the story was this: Toxaris was still alive when Anacharsis, who had recently put in at Piraeus, went up to Athens. A stranger and a foreigner he experienced considerable confusion of mind, for everything was strange and there were the many sounds which frightened him; he did not know what to do with himself; he saw that people who saw him laughed at his dress; he met no one who spoke his language, and altogether he was already sorry he had made the trip. He decided just to see Athens and then immediately to retrace his steps and embark for the voyage back to the Bosporus, from where his journey home to Scythia would be quite short. While Anacharsis was in this frame of mind a good angel appeared to him when he was already in the Ceramicus, in fact it was Toxaris. Toxaris had been first attracted by the familiar cut of his Scythian dress and then was bound to recognise Anacharsis himself quite easily as he was of very noble stock and one of the leading men of Scythia. But Anacharsis had no means of recognising Toxaris as a fellow-countryman, with his Greek garb, his shaven chin, his lack of belt or sword, his fluency of speech—one of the real Attic aborigines; so much had time changed him.

Scytha. Lucian of Samosata. Kenneth Kilburn (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

The Scythian or Consul (English) (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).)

Editions (2)

Σκύθης ἢ Πρόξενος Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 3 focus

[3] ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὗπερ ἕνεκα ἐμνήσθην αὐτοῦ, ἔζη μὲν ἔτι ὸ Τόξαρις, ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις δὲ ἄρτι καταπεπλευκὼς ἀνῄει ἐκ Πειραιῶς, οἷα δὴ ξένος καὶ βάρβαρος οὐ μετρίως τεταραγμένος ἔτι τὴν γνώμην, πάντα ἀγνοῶν, ψοφοδεὴς πρὸς τὰ πολλά, οὐκ ἔχων ὅ τι χρήσαιτο ἑαυτῷ· καὶ γὰρ συνίει καταγελώμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ὁρώντων ἐπὶ τῇ σκευῇ, καὶ ὁμόγλωσσον οὐδένα εὕρισκε, καὶ ὅλως μετέμελεν αὐτῷ ἤδη τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἐδέδοκτο ἰδόντα μόνον τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐπὶ πόδα εὐθὺς ὀπίσω χωρεῖν καὶ πλοίῳ ἐπιβάντα πλεῖν αὖθις ἐπὶ Βοσπόρου, ὅθεν οὐ πολλὴ ἔμελλεν αὐτῷ ὁδὸς ἔσεσθαι οἴκαδε ἐς Σκύθας. οὕτως ἔχοντι τῷ Ἀναχάρσιδι ἐντυγχάνει 863 δαίμων τις ἀγαθὸς ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ Τόξαρις ἤδη ἐν τῷ Κεραμεικῷ· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡ στολὴ αὐτὸν ἐπεσπάσατο πατριῶτις οὖσα, εἶτα μέντοι οὐ χαλεπῶς ἔμελλε καὶ αὐτὸν γνώσεσθαι τὸν Ἀνάχαρσιν ἅτε γένους τοῦ δοκιμωτάτου ὄντα καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις Σκυθῶν. ὁ Ἀναχαρσις δὲ πόθεν ἂν ἐκεῖνον ἔγνω ὁμοεθνῆ ὄντα, Ἑλληνιστὶ ἐσταλμένον, ὑπεξυρημένον τὸ γένειον, ἄζωστον, ἀσίδηρον, ἤδη στωμύλον, αὐτῶν τῶν Ἀττικῶν ἕνα τῶν αὐτοχθόνων; οὕτω μετεπεποίητο ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου.

Σκύθης ἢ πρόξενος Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 3 focus

[3] Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὗπερ ἕνεκα ἐμνήσθην αὐτοῦ, ἔζη μὲν ἔτι ὁ Τόξαρις, ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις δὲ ἄρτι καταπεπλευκὼς ἀνῄει ἐκ Πειραιῶς, οἷα δὴ ξένος καὶ βάρβαρος οὐ μετρίως τεταραγμένος ἔτι τὴν γνώμην, πάντα ἀγνοῶν, ψοφοδεὴς πρὸς τὰ πολλά, οὐκ ἔχων ὅ τι χρήσαιτο ἑαυτῷ· καὶ γὰρ συνίει καταγελώμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ὁρώντων ἐπὶ τῇ σκευῇ, καὶ ὁμόγλωσσον οὐδένα εὕρισκεν, καὶ ὅλως μετέμελεν αὐτῷ ἤδη τῆς ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἐδέδοκτο ἰδόντα μόνον τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐπὶ πόδα εὐθὺς ὀπίσω χωρεῖν καὶ πλοίῳ ἐπιβάντα πλεῖν αὖθις ἐπὶ Βοσπόρου, ὅθεν οὐ πολλὴ ἔμελλεν αὐτῷ ὁδὸς ἔσεσθαι οἴκαδε ἐς Σκύθας. οὕτως ἔχοντι τῷ Ἀναχάρσιδι ἐντυγχάνει δαίμων τις ἀγαθὸς ὡς ἀληθῶς ὁ Τόξαρις ἤδη ἐν τῷ Κεραμεικῷ. καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡ στολὴ αὐτὸν ἐπεσπάσατο πατριῶτις οὖσα, εἶτα μέντοι οὐ χαλεπῶς ἔμελλε καὶ αὐτὸν γνώσεσθαι τὸν Ἀνάχαρσιν ἅτε γένους τοῦ δοκιμωτάτου ὄντα καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις Σκυθῶν. ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις δὲ πόθεν ἂν ἐκεῖνον ἔγνω ὁμοεθνῆ ὄντα, Ἑλληνιστὶ ἐσταλμένον, ἐν χρῷ κεκαρμένον ¹ τὸ γένειον, ἄζωστον, ἀσίδηρον, ἤδη στωμύλον, αὐτῶν τῶν Ἀττικῶν ἕνα τῶν αὐτοχθόνων; οὕτω μετεπεποίητο ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου.

Translations (1)

The Scythian Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 2. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 3 focus

[3] However, my reason for mentioning Toxaris was this. He was still alive, when Anacharsis landed at Piraeus and made his way up to Athens, in no small perturbation of spirit; a foreigner and a barbarian, everything was strange to him, and many things caused him uneasiness; he knew not what to do with himself; he saw that every one was laughing at his attire; he could find no one to speak his native tongue;—in short he was heartily sick of his travels, and made up his mind that he would just see Athens, and then retreat to his ship without loss of time, get on board, and so back to the Bosphorus; once there he had no great journey to perform before he would be home again. In this frame of mind he had already reached the Ceramicus, when his good genius appeared to him in the guise of Toxaris. The attention of the latter was immediately arrested by the dress of his native country, nor was it likely that he would have any difficulty in recognizing Anatharsis, who was of noble birth and of the highest rank in Scythia. Anacharsis, on the other hand, could not be expected to see a compatriot in Toxaris, who was dressed in the Greek fashion, without sword or belt, wore no beard, and from his fluent speech might have been an Athenian born; so completely had time transformed him.

Lucian of Samosata Scytha 3

Kenneth Kilburn (Translator)

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