Lucian of Samosata, Prometheus es in verbis, Kenneth Kilburn (Translator), 1

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

[1] So you say I am a Prometheus? If by this, my friend, you mean that my works like his are of clay, I accept the comparison and agree that I am like him. I don’t object to being called a clay-worker, even if my mud is rather dirty stuff from a road-junction, little better than filth. But if you are over-praising my words, implying that they are well wrought and graciously assigning the name of the wisest of the Titans to them, you may find that people will detect irony and an Attic sniff in your praise. In what way is my work well wrought? What superlative wisdom and Promethean foresight is there in my writings? I am quite content if you thought them not too earthy, not quite worthy of the Caucasus. Yet how much more just would it be to compare to Prometheus all you people who win fame by fighting real battles in the courts! What you do is truly alive and breathing and, yes, its heat is that of fire. ¹ This too is from Prometheus with the sole difference that what you fashion is not clay but in many cases your fictions are golden.

Prometheus es in verbis. 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

To one who said "You're a Prometheus in words." (English) (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).)

Editions (2)

Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα Προμηθεὺς εἶ ἐν λόγοις Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 1 focus

[1] οὐκοῦν Προμηθέα με εἶναι φής; εἰ μὲν κατὰ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄριστε, ὡς πηλίνων κἀμοὶ τῶν ἔργων ὄντων, γνωρίζω τὴν εἰκόνα καί φημι ὅμοιος εἶναι αὐτῷ, οὐδʼ ἀναίνομαι πηλοπλάθος ἀκούειν, εἰ καὶ φαυλότερος ἐμοὶ 24 ὁ πηλὸς οἷος ἐκ τριόδου, βόρβορός τις παρὰ μικρόν· εἰ δὲ ὑπερεπαινῶν τοὺς λόγους ὡς δῆθεν εὐμηχάνους ὄντας τὸν σοφώτατον τῶν Τιτάνων ἐπιφημίζεις αὐτοῖς, ὅρα μή τις εἰρωνείαν φῇ καὶ μυκτῆρα οἷον τὸν Ἀττικὸν προσεῖναι τῷ ἐπαίνῳ. ἢ πόθεν γὰρ εὐμήχανον τοὐμόν; τίς δʼ ἡ περιττὴ σοφία καὶ προμήθεια ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν; ὡς ἔμοιγε ἱκανόν, εἰ μὴ πάνυ σοι γήϊνα ἔδοξε μηδὲ κομιδῇ ἄξια τοῦ Καυκάσου. καίτοι πόσῳ δικαιότερον ὑμεῖς ἂν εἰκάζοισθε τῷ Προμηθεῖ, ὁπόσοι ἐν δίκαις εὐδοκιμεῖτε ξὺν ἀληθείᾳ ποιούμενοι τοὺς ἀγῶνας; ζῶντα 25 γοῦν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἔμψυχα ὑμῖν τὰ ἔργα, καὶ νὴ Δία καὶ τὸ θερμὸν αὐτῶν ἐστι διάπυρον· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ Προμηθέως ἂν εἴη, πλὴν εἰ μὴ διαλλάττοιτε, ὅτι μὴ ἐκ πηλοῦ πλάττετε, ἀλλὰ χρυσᾶ ὑμῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰ πλάσματα.

Πρὸς τὸν εἰπόντα, Προμηθεὺς εἴ εἶ ἐν λόγοις Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 1 focus

[1] Οὐκοῦν Προμηθέα με εἶναι φής; εἰ μὲν κατὰ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄριστε, ὡς πηλίνων κἀμοὶ τῶν ἔργων ὄντων, γνωρίζω τὴν εἰκόνα καί φημι ὅμοιος εἶναι αὐτῷ, οὐδ’ ἀναίνομαι πηλοπλάθος ἀκούειν, εἰ καὶ φαυλότερος ἐμοὶ ὁ πηλὸς οἷος ἐκ τριόδου, βόρβορός τις παρὰ μικρόν. εἰ δὲ ὑπερεπαινῶν τοὺς λόγους ὡς δῆθεν εὐμηχάνους ὄντας τὸν σοφώτατον τῶν Τιτάνων ἐπιφημίζεις αὐτοῖς, ὅρα μή τις εἰρωνείαν φῇ καὶ μυκτῆρα οἷον τὸν Ἀττικὸν προσεῖναι τῷ ἐπαίνῳ. ἢ πόθεν γὰρ εὐμήχανον τοὐμόν; τίς δὲ ἡ περιττὴ σοφία καὶ προμήθεια ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν; ὡς ἔμοιγε ἱκανόν εἰ μὴ πάνυ σοι γήϊνα ἔδοξεν μηδὲ κομιδῇ ἄξια τοῦ Καυκάσου. καίτοι πόσῳ δικαιότερον ὑμεῖς ἂν εἰκάζοισθε τῷ Προμηθεῖ, ὁπόσοι ἐν δίκαις εὐδοκιμεῖτε ξὺν ἀληθείᾳ ποιούμενοι τοὺς ἀγῶνας. ζῶα γοῦν ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἔμψυχα ὑμῖν τὰ ἔργα, καὶ νὴ Δία καὶ τὸ θερμὸν αὐτῶν ἐστι διάπυρον· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τοῦ Προμηθέως ἂν εἴη, πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἑνὶ ¹ διαλλάττοιτε, ὅτι μὴ ² ἐκ πηλοῦ πλάττετε ἀλλὰ χρυσᾶ ὑμῖν τοῖς πολλοῖς τὰ πλάσματα.

Translations (1)

A Literary Prometheus Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 1 focus

[1] So you will have me a Prometheus? If your meaning is, my good sir, that my works, like his, are of clay, I accept the comparison and hail my prototype; potter me to your heart’s content, though my clay is poor common stuff, trampled by common feet till it is little better than mud. But perhaps it is in exaggerated compliment to my ingenuity that you father my books upon the subtlest of the Titans; in that case I fear men will find a hidden meaning, and detect an Attic curl on your laudatory lips. Where do you find my ingenuity? in what consists the great subtlety, the Prometheanism, of my writings? enough for me if you have not found them sheer earth, all unworthy of Caucasian clay-pits. How much better a claim to kinship with Prometheus have you gentlemen who win fame in the courts, engaged in real contests; your works have true life and breath, ay, and the warmth of fire. That is Promethean indeed, though with the difference, it may be, that you do not work in clay; your creations are oftenest of gold;

Notes on the current edition

To one who said "You're a Prometheus in words."

1. Prometheus stole fire and gave it to mortals.

Lucian of Samosata Prometheus es in verbis 1

Kenneth Kilburn (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers