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Hermes and Apollo

HERMES

Why so down in the mouth, Apollo?

APOLLO

It’s my bad luck in love, Hermes.

HERMES

Ah, yes, that could well make a chap sad. But what’s your bad luck? Still sore about Daphne?

APOLLO

Oh, no; I’m in mourning for my Laconian darling, Oebalus’ son.

HERMES

Is Hyacinthus dead then?

APOLLO

He certainly is.

HERMES

Who did it, Apollo? Who was so insensible to charm as to kill that lovely boy?

APOLLO

I did it with my own hand.

HERMES

What! Were you mad, Apollo?

APOLLO

No, it was an unlucky accident.

HERMES

How? I’d like to hear how it happened.

APOLLO

He was learning to throw the quoit, and I was throwing it with him, when Zephyrus did it—curse that wind above them all—Zephyrus, too, had been in love with him for a long time, but the boy wouldn’t look at him, and he couldn’t stand his contempt. Well, I threw my quoit as usual, and Zephyrus blew down from Taygetus, and dashed it down on the boy’s head. Blood poured out where it hit him, and he died on the spot, poor lad. I shot back at Zephyrus with my arrows and chased him hard, all the way back to the mountain. The boy I’ve had buried in Amyclae, where he was struck down by the discus, and I’ve made the earth send up from his blood the sweetest and fairest flower of them all, one which bears lettering ¹ of mourning for the dead one. Do you think it’s unreasonable of me to have a broken heart?

HERMES

Yes I do, my good chap. You knew you’d chosen a mortal to love; so you mustn’t be vexed at his death.

Dialogi deorum. Lucian of Samosata. Matthew Donald Macleod (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Dialogues of the Gods (English) (Lucian, Vol. 7. Macleod, Matthew Donald, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961 (unrenewed copyright).)

Editions (2)

Θεῶν Διάλογοι Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 16 focus

Ἥρας καὶ Λητοῦς

Ἥρα

καλὰ μέν, ὦ Λητοῖ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἔτεκες τῷ Διί.

Λητώ

οὐ πᾶσαι, ὦ Ἥρα, τοιούτους τίκτειν δυνάμεθα, οἷος ὁ Ἥφαιστός ἐστιν.

Ἥρα

ἀλλὰ οὗτος μὲν ὁ χωλὸς ὅμως χρήσιμός γε ἐστι τεχνίτης ὢν ἄριστος καὶ κατακεκόσμηκεν ἡμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν Ἀφροδίτην ἔγημε καὶ σπουδάζεται πρὸς αὐτῆς, οἱ δὲ σοὶ παῖδες ἡ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀρρενικὴ πέρα τοῦ μετρίου καὶ ὄρειος, καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον ἐς τὴν Σκυθίαν ἀπελθοῦσα πάντες ἴσασιν οἷα ἐσθίει ξενοκτονοῦσα καὶ μιμουμένη τοὺς Σκύθας αὐτοὺς ἀνθρωποφάγους ὄντας· 244 ὁ δὲ Ἀπόλλων προσποιεῖται μὲν πάντα εἰδέναι καὶ τοξεύειν καὶ κιθαρίζειν καὶ ἰατρὸς εἶναι καὶ μαντεύεσθαι καὶ καταστησάμενος ἐργαστήρια τῆς μαντικῆς τὸ μὲν ἐν Δελφοῖς, τὸ δὲ ἐν Κλάρῳ καὶ ἐν Διδύμοις ἐξαπατᾷ τοὺς χρωμένους αὐτῷ λοξὰ καὶ ἐπαμφοτερίζοντα πρὸς ἑκάτερον τῆς ἐρωτήσεως ἀποκρινόμενος, ὡς ἀκίνδυνον εἶναι τὸ σφάλμα. καὶ πλουτεῖ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ τοιούτου· πολλοὶ γὰρ οἱ ἀνόητοι καὶ παρέχοντες αὑτοὺς καταγοητεύεσθαι· πλὴν οὐκ ἀγνοεῖταί γε ὑπὸ τῶν ξυνετωτέρων τὰ πολλὰ τερατευόμενος· αὐτὸς γοῦν ὁ μάντις ἠγνόει μὲν ὅτι φονεύσει τὸν ἐρώμενον τῷ δίσκῳ, οὐ προεμαντεύσατο δὲ ὡς φεύξεται αὐτὸν ἡ Δάφνη, καὶ ταῦτα οὕτω καλὸν καὶ κομήτην ὄντα. ὥστε οὐχ ὁρῶ καθότι καλλιτεκνοτέρα τῆς Νιόβης ἔδοξας.

Λητώ

ταῦτα μέντοι τὰ τέκνα, ἡ ξενοκτόνος καὶ ὁ ψευδόμαντις, οἶδα, ὅπως λυπεῖ σε ὁρώμενα ἐν τοῖς θεοῖς, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπόταν ἡ μὲν ἐπαινῆται ἐς τὸ κάλλος, ὁ δὲ κιθαρίζῃ ἐν τῷ συμποσίῳ θαυμαζόμενος ὑφʼ ἁπάντων.

Ἥρα

ἐγέλασα, ὦ Λητοῖ· ἐκεῖνος θαυμαστός, ὃν ὁ Μαρσύας, εἰ τὰ δίκαια αἱ Μοῦσαι δικάσαι ἤθελον, ἀπέδειρεν ἂν αὐτὸς κρατήσας τῇ μουσικῇ· νῦν δὲ κατασοφισθεὶς ἄθλιος ἀπόλωλεν ἀδίκως ἁλούς· ἡ δὲ καλή σου παρθένος οὕτω καλή ἐστιν, ὥστε ἐπεὶ ἔμαθεν ὀφθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀκταίωνος, φοβηθεῖσα μὴ ὁ νεανίσκος ἐξαγορεύσῃ 245 τὸ αἶσχος αὐτῆς, ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτῷ τοὺς κύνας· ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν ὅτι οὐδὲ τὰς τεκούσας ἐμαιοῦτο παρθένος γε αὐτὴ οὖσα.

Λητώ

μέγα, ὦ Ἥρα, φρονεῖς, ὅτι ξύνει τῷ Διὶ καὶ συμβασιλεύεις αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑβρίζεις ἀδεῶς· πλὴν ἀλλʼ ὄψομαί σε μετʼ ὀλίγον αὖθις δακρύουσαν, ὁπόταν σε καταλιπὼν ἐς τὴν γῆν κατίῃ ταῦρος ἢ κύκνος γενόμενος.

Θεῶν διάλογοι Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 7. Macleod, Matthew Donald, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961 (unrenewed copyright).) — 16 focus

ΕΡΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τί κατηφὴς εἶ, ¹ ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι;

239

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου. ²

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Καὶ μάλα.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Πρὸς τίνος, ὦ Ἄπολλον; ἢ τίς οὕτως ἀνέραστος ἦν ὡς ἀποκτεῖναι τὸ καλὸν ἐκεῖνο μειράκιον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Δισκεύειν ἐμάνθανε κἀγὼ συνεδίσκευον αὐτῷ, ὁ δὲ κάκιστα ἀνέμων ἀπολούμενος ὁ Ζέφυρος ἤρα μὲν ἐκ πολλοῦ καὶ αὐτός, ἀμελούμενος δὲ καὶ μὴ φέρων τὴν ὑπεροψίαν ταῦτα εἰργάσατο· ³ ἐγὼ μὲν ἀνέρριψα, ὥσπερ εἰώθειμεν, τὸν δίσκον εἰς τὸ ἄνω, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ταϋγέτου καταπνεύσας ἐπὶ κεφαλὺν τῷ παιδὶ ἐνέσεισε φέρων ⁴ αὐτόν, ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς 240 πληγῆς αἷμα ῥυῆναι πολὺ καὶ τὸν παῖδα εὐθὺς ἀποθανεῖν. ἀλλὰ ἐγὼ τὸν μὲν Ζέφυρον αὐτίκα ἠμυνάμην κατατοξεύσας, φεύγοντι ἐπισπόμενος ἄχρι τοῦ ὄρους, τῷ παιδὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν τάφον μὲν ἐχωσάμην ἐν Ἀμύκλαις, ὅπου ὁ δίσκος αὐτὸν κατέβαλε, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος ἄνθος ἀναδοῦναι τὴν γῆν ἐποίησα ἥδιστον, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ εὐανθέστατον ἀνθῶν ἁπάντων, ἔτι καὶ γράμματα ἔχον ἐπαιάζοντα τῷ νεκρῷ. ἆρά σοι ἀλόγως λελυπῆσθαι δοκῶ;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ναί, ὦ Ἄπολλον· ᾔδεις γὰρ θνητὸν πεποιημένος τὸν ἐρώμενον· ⁵ ὥστε μὴ ἄχθου ἀποθανόντος.

Translations (1)

Dialogues of the Gods Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 1. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 16 focus

XVI

Hera

Leto

Hera

I must congratulate you, madam, on the children with whom you have presented Zeus.

Leto

Ah, madam; we cannot all be the proud mothers of Hephaestuses.

Hera

My boy may be a cripple, but at least he is of some use. He is a wonderful smith, and has made Heaven look another place; and Aphrodite thought him worth marrying, and dotes on him still. But those two of yours!—that girl is wild and mannish to a degree; and now she has gone off to Scythia, and her doings there are no secret; she is as bad as any Scythian herself,—butchering strangers and eating them! Apollo, too, who pretends to be so clever, with his bow and his lyre and his medicine and his prophecies; those oracle-shops that he has opened at Delphi, and Clarus, and Dindyma, are a cheat; he takes good care to be on the safe side by giving ambiguous answers that no one can understand, and makes money out of it, for there are plenty of fools who like being imposed upon,—but sensible people know well enough that most of it is clap-trap. The prophet did not know that he was to kill his favourite with a quoit; he never foresaw that Daphne would run away from him, so handsome as he is, too, such beautiful hair! I am not sure, after all, that there is much to choose between your children and Niobe’s.

Leto

Oh, of course; my children are butchers and impostors. I know how you hate the sight of them. You cannot bear to hear my girl complimented on her looks, or my boy’s playing admired by the company.

Hera

His playing, madam!—excuse a smile;—why, if the Muses had not favoured him, his contest with Marsyas would have cost him his skin; poor Marsyas was shamefully used on that occasion; 'twas a judicial murder.—As for your charming daughter, when Actaeon once caught sight of her charms, she had to set the dogs upon him, for fear he should tell all he knew: I forbear to ask where the innocent child picked up her knowledge of obstetrics.

Leto

You set no small value on yourself, madam, because you are the wife of Zeus, and share his throne; you may insult whom you please. But there will be tears presently, when the next bull or swan sets out on his travels, and you are left neglected.

Francis George Fowler

Notes on the current edition

Dialogues of the Gods

1. A sort of iris forming the letters of AIAI (alas); cf. Ovid, Met. 10, 215 and The Dance 45.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Hermes and Apollo

HERMES Why so down in the mouth, Apollo?

APOLLO It’s my bad luck in love, Hermes.

HERMES Ah, yes, that could well make a chap sad. But what’s your bad luck? Still sore about Daphne?

APOLLO Oh, no; I’m in mourning for my Laconian darling, Oebalus’ son.

HERMES Is Hyacinthus dead then?

APOLLO He certainly is.

HERMES Who did it, Apollo? Who was so insensible to charm as to kill that lovely boy?

APOLLO I did it with my own hand.

HERMES What! Were you mad, Apollo?

APOLLO No, it was an unlucky accident.

HERMES How? I’d like to hear how it happened.

HERMES Yes I do, my good chap. You knew you’d chosen a mortal to love; so you mustn’t be vexed at his death.

Current edition Perseus

Ἥρας καὶ Λητοῦς

Ἥρα καλὰ μέν, ὦ Λητοῖ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἔτεκες τῷ Διί.

Λητώ οὐ πᾶσαι, ὦ Ἥρα, τοιούτους τίκτειν δυνάμεθα, οἷος ὁ Ἥφαιστός ἐστιν.

ΕΡΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ

ΕΡΜΗΣ Τί κατηφὴς εἶ, 1 ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου. 2

ΕΡΜΗΣ Τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Καὶ μάλα.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Πρὸς τίνος, ὦ Ἄπολλον; ἢ τίς οὕτως ἀνέραστος ἦν ὡς ἀποκτεῖναι τὸ καλὸν ἐκεῖνο μειράκιον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ναί, ὦ Ἄπολλον· ᾔδεις γὰρ θνητὸν πεποιημένος τὸν ἐρώμενον· 5 ὥστε μὴ ἄχθου ἀποθανόντος.

XVI

Hera

Leto

Hera I must congratulate you, madam, on the children with whom you have presented Zeus.

Leto Ah, madam; we cannot all be the proud mothers of Hephaestuses.

Leto Oh, of course; my children are butchers and impostors. I know how you hate the sight of them. You cannot bear to hear my girl complimented on her looks, or my boy’s playing admired by the company.

Leto You set no small value on yourself, madam, because you are the wife of Zeus, and share his throne; you may insult whom you please. But there will be tears presently, when the next bull or swan sets out on his travels, and you are left neglected.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

HERMES

Why so down in the mouth, Apollo?

APOLLO

It’s my bad luck in love, Hermes.

HERMES

Ah, yes, that could well make a chap sad. But what’s your bad luck? Still sore about Daphne?

APOLLO

Oh, no; I’m in mourning for my Laconian darling, Oebalus’ son.

HERMES

Is Hyacinthus dead then?

APOLLO

He certainly is.

HERMES

Who did it, Apollo? Who was so insensible to charm as to kill that lovely boy?

APOLLO

I did it with my own hand.

HERMES

What! Were you mad, Apollo?

APOLLO

No, it was an unlucky accident.

HERMES

How? I’d like to hear how it happened.

HERMES

Yes I do, my good chap. You knew you’d chosen a mortal to love; so you mustn’t be vexed at his death.

Ἥρα

καλὰ μέν, ὦ Λητοῖ, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἔτεκες τῷ Διί.

Λητώ

οὐ πᾶσαι, ὦ Ἥρα, τοιούτους τίκτειν δυνάμεθα, οἷος ὁ Ἥφαιστός ἐστιν.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τί κατηφὴς εἶ, ¹ ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου. ²

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Καὶ μάλα.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Πρὸς τίνος, ὦ Ἄπολλον; ἢ τίς οὕτως ἀνέραστος ἦν ὡς ἀποκτεῖναι τὸ καλὸν ἐκεῖνο μειράκιον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ναί, ὦ Ἄπολλον· ᾔδεις γὰρ θνητὸν πεποιημένος τὸν ἐρώμενον· ⁵ ὥστε μὴ ἄχθου ἀποθανόντος.

Hera

I must congratulate you, madam, on the children with whom you have presented Zeus.

Leto

Ah, madam; we cannot all be the proud mothers of Hephaestuses.

Leto

Oh, of course; my children are butchers and impostors. I know how you hate the sight of them. You cannot bear to hear my girl complimented on her looks, or my boy’s playing admired by the company.

Leto

You set no small value on yourself, madam, because you are the wife of Zeus, and share his throne; you may insult whom you please. But there will be tears presently, when the next bull or swan sets out on his travels, and you are left neglected.