Lucian of Samosata, Navigium, ed. Kenneth Kilburn, 26

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ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Οἶσθα οὖν, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, ὡς πάνυ σοι ἀπὸ λεπτῆς κρόκης ὁ πᾶς οὑτοσὶ πλοῦτος ἀπήρτηται, καὶ ἢν ἐκείνη ἀπορραγῇ, πάντα οἴχεται καὶ ἄνθρακές σοι ὁ θησαυρὸς ἔσται;

ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟ

Πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ

Ὅτι, ὦ ἄριστε, ἄδηλον ὁπόσον χρόνον βιώσει ¹ πλουτῶν. τίς γὰρ οἶδεν εἰ ἔτι παρακειμένης σοι τῆς χρυσῆς τραπέζης, πρὶν ἐπιβαλεῖν τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἀπογεύσασθαι τοῦ ταὼ ἢ τοῦ Νομάδος ἀλεκτρυόνος, ἀποφυσήσας τὸ ψυχίδιον ἄπει γυψὶ καὶ κόραξι πάντα ἐκεῖνα καταλιπών; ἢ ἐθέλεις καταριθμήσομαί σοι τοὺς μὲν αὐτίκα πρὶν ἀπολαῦσαι τοῦ πλούτου ἀποθανόντας, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ ζῶντας ἀποστερηθέντας ὧν εἶχον ὑπό τινος βασκάνου πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα δαίμονος; ἀκούεις γάρ που τὸν Κροῖσον καὶ τὸν Πολυκράτην πολύ σου πλουσιωτέρους γενομένους ἐκπεσόντας ἐν βραχεῖ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων.

Navigium. 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

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

Editions (1)

Πλοῖον ἢ Εὐχαί Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 3. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1913.) — 26 focus

Λυκῖνος

οἶσθα οὖν, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, ὡς πάνυ σοι ἀπὸ λεπτῆς κρόκης ὁ πᾶς οὑτοσὶ πλοῦτος ἀπήρτηται, καὶ ἢν ἐκείνη ἀπορραγῇ, πάντα οἴχεται καὶ ἄνθρακές σοι ὁ θησαυρὸς ἔσται;

Ἀδείμαντος

πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

Λυκῖνος

ὅτι, ὦ ἄριστε, ἄδηλον ὁπόσον χρόνον βιώσεις πλουτῶν. τίς γὰρ οἶδεν εἰ ἔτι σοι παρακειμένης τῆς χρυσῆς τραπέζης, πρὶν ἐπιβαλεῖν τὴν χεῖρα καὶ ἀπογεύσασθαι τοῦ ταὼ ἢ τοῦ Νομάδος ἀλεκτρυόνος, ἀποφυσήσας τὸ ψυχίδιον ἄπει γυψὶ καὶ κόραξι πάντα ἐκεῖνα καταλιπών; ἢ ἐθέλεις καταριθμήσομαί σοι τοὺς μὲν αὐτίκα τοῦ πλούτου πρὶν ἀπολαῦσαι ἀποθανόντας, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ ζῶντας ἀποστερηθέντας ὧν εἶχον ὑπό τινος βασκάνου πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα δαίμονος; ἀκούεις γάρ που τὸν Κροῖσον καὶ τὸν Πολυκράτην πολύ σου πλουσιωτέρους γενομένους ἐκπεσόντας ἐν βραχεῖ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων.

Translations (2)

The ship or the wishes Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 6. Kilburn, Kenneth, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1959 (unrenewed copyright).) — 26 focus

LYCINUS

Do you know, Adimantus, by what exceedingly thin thread all this wealth is hanging? If it snaps, then all is gone and your treasure will be ashes. ¹

ADIMANTUS

What do you mean, Lycinus?

LYCINUS

That, my fine friend, you don’t know how long you will live with your wealth. Who knows that when your golden table is beside you, before you can put out your hand and sample the peacock or your guinea cock, you will not breathe out your little bit of soul and be gone, leaving all that for vultures and ravens? Would you like me to run through for you those who died at once before they had a chance to enjoy their wealth, or some who even though they lived on were robbed of what they had by some spirit malignant in such matters? You have heard, I suppose, of Croesus and Polycrates who became much richer than you and lost all their good things in a moment.

The Ship: Or, the Wishes Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 4. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 26 focus

Lycinus

Have you realized on what a slender thread all this wealth depends? Once let that break, and all is gone; your treasure is but dust and ashes.

Adimantus

How so?

Lycinus

Why, it is not clear how long this life of affluence is to last. Who knows? You may be sitting one day at your solid gold table, just putting out your hand for a slice of that peacock or capon, when, at that very moment, off flies animula vagula, and Adimantus after her, leaving his all a prey to crows and vultures, Need I enumerate instances? There have been rich men who have died before they knew what it was to be rich; others have lived to be robbed of their possessions by some malign spirit who waits uponwealth. The cases of Croesus and Polycrates are familiar to you. Their riches were greater far than yours; yet at one stroke they lost all.

Notes on the current edition

Πλοῖον ἢΕυχαί

1. βιώσει Dindorf: βιώσεις MSS.

Lucian of Samosata Navigium 26

ed. Kenneth Kilburn

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟ

Πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

Current edition Perseus

Ἀδείμαντος

πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

LYCINUS

Do you know, Adimantus, by what exceedingly thin thread all this wealth is hanging? If it snaps, then all is gone and your treasure will be ashes. ¹

ADIMANTUS

What do you mean, Lycinus?

Lycinus

Have you realized on what a slender thread all this wealth depends? Once let that break, and all is gone; your treasure is but dust and ashes.

Adimantus

How so?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟ Πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

Current edition Perseus

Ἀδείμαντος πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

LYCINUS Do you know, Adimantus, by what exceedingly thin thread all this wealth is hanging? If it snaps, then all is gone and your treasure will be ashes. 1

ADIMANTUS What do you mean, Lycinus?

Lycinus Have you realized on what a slender thread all this wealth depends? Once let that break, and all is gone; your treasure is but dust and ashes.

Adimantus How so?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟ

Πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

Ἀδείμαντος

πῶς λέγεις, ὦ Λυκῖνε;

LYCINUS

Do you know, Adimantus, by what exceedingly thin thread all this wealth is hanging? If it snaps, then all is gone and your treasure will be ashes. ¹

ADIMANTUS

What do you mean, Lycinus?

Lycinus

Have you realized on what a slender thread all this wealth depends? Once let that break, and all is gone; your treasure is but dust and ashes.

Adimantus

How so?