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Zeus And Hermes

ZEUS

Hermes, do you know Inachus’ daughter, the one that’s so pretty?

HERMES

Yes. You mean Io, ¹ don’t you?

ZEUS

She’s not a girl, but a heifer now.

HERMES

Wonders will never cease! How this change?

ZEUS

Hera did it out of jealousy. But that’s not all. She’s played another nasty unheard-of trick on the poor girl. She’s put a herdsman called Argus with ever so many eyes in charge of her. He keeps an eye on her as she grazes, and he never goes to sleep.

HERMES

Well, what are we to do about it?

ZEUS

You must fly down to Nemea—Argus is on his beat thereabouts—and kill him. Then take Io over the sea to Egypt, and make her into Isis. Hereafter let her be goddess of the folk there, raising the waters of the Nile, sending them their winds, and preserving seafarers from harm.

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.) — 7 focus

Ἡφαίστου καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος

Ἥφαιστος

ἑώρακας, ὦ Ἄπολλον, τὸ τῆς Μαίας βρέφος 220 τὸ ἄρτι τεχθέν; ὡς καλόν τέ ἐστι καὶ προσμειδιᾷ πᾶσι καὶ δηλοῖ ἤδη μέγα τι ἀγαθὸν ἀποβησόμενον.

Ἀπόλλων

ἐκεῖνο τὸ βρέφος, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἦ μέγα ἀγαθόν, ὃ τοῦ Ἰαπετοῦ πρεσβύτερόν ἐστιν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ πανουργίᾳ;

Ἥφαιστος

καὶ τί ἂν ἀδικῆσαι δύναιτο ἀρτίτοκον ὄν;

Ἀπόλλων

ἐρώτα τὸν Ποσειδῶνα, οὗ τὴν τρίαιναν ἔκλεψεν, ἢ τὸν Ἄρη· καὶ τούτου γὰρ ἐξείλκυσε λαθὸν ἐκ τοῦ κολεοῦ τὸ ξίφος, ἵνα μὴ ἐμαυτὸν λέγω, ὃν ἀφώπλισε τοῦ τόξου καὶ τῶν βελῶν.

Ἥφαιστος

τὸ νεογνὸν ταῦτα, ὃ μόλις ἕστηκε, τὸ ἐν 221 τοῖς σπαργάνοις;

Ἀπόλλων

εἴσῃ, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἤν σοι προσέλθῃ μόνον.

Ἥφαιστος

καὶ μὴν προσῆλθεν ἤδη.

Ἀπόλλων

τί οὖν; πάντα ἔχεις τὰ ἐργαλεῖα καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόλωλεν αὐτῶν;

Ἥφαιστος

πάντα, ὦ Ἄπολλον.

Ἀπόλλων

ὅμως ἐπίσκεψαι ἀκριβῶς.

Ἥφαιστος

μὰ Δία, τὴν πυράγραν οὐχ ὁρῶ.

Ἀπόλλων

ἀλλʼ ὄψει που ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις αὐτὴν τοὺ βρέφους.

Ἥφαιστος

οὕτως ὀξύχειρ ἐστὶ καθάπερ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ἐκ μελετήσας τὴν κλεπτικήν;

Ἀπόλλων

οὐ γὰρ ἤκουσας αὐτοῦ καὶ λαλοῦντος ἤδη στωμύλα καὶ ἐπίτροχα· ὁ δὲ καὶ διακονεῖσθαι ἡμῖν ἐθέλει. χθὲς δὲ προκαλεσάμενος τὸν Ἔρωτα κατεπάλαισεν εὐθὺς οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ὑφελὼν τὼ πόδε· εἶτα μεταξὺ ἐπαινούμενος τῆς Ἀφροδίτης μὲν τὸν κεστὸν ἔκλεψε προσπτυξαμένης αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ νίκῃ, τοῦ Διὸς δὲ γελῶντος ἔτι 222 τὸ σκῆπτρον· εἰ δὲ μὴ βαρύτερος ὁ κεραυνὸς ἦν καὶ πολὺ τὸ πῦρ εἶχε, κἀκεῖνον ἂν ὑφείλετο.

Ἥφαιστος

γοργόν τινα τὸν παῖδα φής.

Ἀπόλλων

οὐ μόνον, ἀλλʼ ἤδη καὶ μουσικόν.

Ἥφαιστος

τῷ τοῦτο τεκμαίρεσθαι ἔχεις; 223

Ἀπόλλων

χελώνην που νεκρὰν εὑρὼν ὄργανον ἀπʼ αὐτῆς· συνεπήξατο· πήχεις γὰρ ἐναρμόσας καὶ ζυγώσας, ἔπειτα κολλάβους ἐμπήξας καὶ μαγάδα ὑποθεὶς καὶ ἐντεινάμενος 224 ἑπτὰ χορδὰς ἐμελῴδει πάνυ γλαφυρόν, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, καὶ ἐναρμόνιον, ὡς κἀμὲ αὐτῷ φθονεῖν πάλαι κιθαρίζειν ἀσκοῦντα. ἔλεγε δὲ ἡ Μαῖα, ὡς μηδὲ μένοι τὰς νύκτας ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ περιεργίας ἄχρι τοῦ ᾅδου κατίοι, κλέψων τι κἀκεῖθεν δηλαδή. ὑπόπτερος δʼ ἐστὶ καὶ ῥάβδον τινὰ πεποίηται θαυμασίαν τὴν δύναμιν, ᾗ ψυχαγωγεῖ καὶ κατάγει τοὺς νεκρούς.

Ἥφαιστος

ἐγὼ ἐκείνην ἔδωκα αὐτῷ παίγνιον εἶναι.

Ἀπόλλων

τοιγαροῦν ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὸν μισθόν, τὴν πυράγραν —

Ἥφαιστος

εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας· ὥστε βαδιοῦμαι ἀποληψόμενος αὐτήν, εἴ που ὡς φὴς εὑρεθείη ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις.

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

ΔΙΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΜΟΥ

ΖΕΥΣ

Τὴν τοῦ Ἰνάχου παῖδα τὴν καλὴν οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ναί· τὴν Ἰὼ λέγεις;

ΖΕΥΣ

Οὐκέτι παῖς ἐκείνη ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ δάμαλις.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τεράστιον τοῦτο· τῷ τρόπῳ δ’ ἐνηλλάγη;

ΖΕΥΣ

Ζηλοτυπήσασα ἡ Ἥρα μετέβαλεν αὐτήν. ἀλλὰ καὶ καινὸν ¹ ἄλλο τι δεινὸν ἐπιμεμηχάνηται τῇ κακοδαίμονι· βουκόλον τινὰ πολυόμματον Ἄργον τοὔνομα ἐπέστησεν, ὃς νέμει τὴν δάμαλιν ἄϋπνος ὤν.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τί οὖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ ποιεῖν;

ΖΕΥΣ

Καταπτάμενος ἐς τὴν Νεμέαν—ἐκεῖ δέ που ὁ Ἄργος βουκολεῖ—ἐκεῖνον ἀπόκτεινον, τὴν δὲ Ἰὼ 208 διὰ τοῦ πελάγους ἐς τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἀγαγὼν Ἶσιν ποίησον· καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἔστω θεὸς τῶν ἐκεῖ καὶ τὸν Νεῖλον ἀναγέτω καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἐπιπεμπέτω καὶ σῳζέτω τοὺς πλέοντας.

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.) — 7 focus

VII

Hephaestus

Apollo

Hephaestus

Have you seen Maia’s baby, Apollo? such a pretty little thing, with a smile for everybody; you can see it is going to be a treasure,

Apollo

That baby a treasure? well, in mischief, Iapetus is young beside it.

Hephaestus

Why, what harm can it do, only just born?

Apollo

Ask Posidon; it stole his trident. Ask Ares; he was surprised to find his sword gone out of the scabbard. Not to mention myself, disarmed of bow and arrows.

Hephaestus

Never! that infant? he has hardly found his legs yet; he is not out of his baby-linen.

Apollo

Ah, you will find out, Hephaestus, if he gets within reach of you.

Hephaestus

He has been.

Apollo

Well? all your tools safe? none missing?

Hephaestus

Of course not.

Apollo

I advise you to make sure.

Hephaestus

Zeus! where are my pincers?

Apollo

Ah, you will find them among the baby-linen,

Hephaestus

So light-fingered? one would swear he had practised petty larceny in the womb.

Apollo

Ah, and you don’t know what a glib young chatterbox he is; and, if he has his way, he is to be our errand-boy! Yesterday he challenged Eros—tripped up his heels somehow, and had him on his back in a twinkling; before the applause was over, he had taken the opportunity of a congratulatory hug from Aphrodite to steal her girdle; Zeus had not done laughing before— the sceptre was gone. If the thunderbolt had not been too heavy, and very hot, he would have made away with that too.

Hephaestus

The child has some spirit in him, by your account.

Apollo

Spirit, yes—and some music, moreover, young as he is.

Hephaestus

How can you tell that?

Apollo

He picked up a dead tortoise somewhere or other, and contrived an instrument with it. He fitted horns to it, with a cross-bar, stuck in pegs, inserted a bridge, and played a sweet tuneful thing that made an old harper like me quite envious. Even at night, Maia was saying, he does not stay in Heaven; he goes down poking his nose into Hades—on a thieves’ errand, no doubt. Then he has a pair of wings, and he has made himself a magic wand, which he uses for marshalling souls—convoying the dead to their place.

Hephaestus

Ah, I gave him that, for a toy.

Apollo

And by way of payment he stole—

Hephaestus

Well thought on; I must go and get them; you may be right about the baby-linen.

Henry Watson Fowler

Notes on the current edition

Dialogues of the Gods

1. For Io see pp. 217-219.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

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Zeus And Hermes

ZEUS Hermes, do you know Inachus’ daughter, the one that’s so pretty?

HERMES Yes. You mean Io, 1 don’t you?

ZEUS She’s not a girl, but a heifer now.

HERMES Wonders will never cease! How this change?

ZEUS Hera did it out of jealousy. But that’s not all. She’s played another nasty unheard-of trick on the poor girl. She’s put a herdsman called Argus with ever so many eyes in charge of her. He keeps an eye on her as she grazes, and he never goes to sleep.

HERMES Well, what are we to do about it?

ZEUS You must fly down to Nemea—Argus is on his beat thereabouts—and kill him. Then take Io over the sea to Egypt, and make her into Isis. Hereafter let her be goddess of the folk there, raising the waters of the Nile, sending them their winds, and preserving seafarers from harm.

Current edition Perseus

Ἡφαίστου καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος

Ἥφαιστος ἑώρακας, ὦ Ἄπολλον, τὸ τῆς Μαίας βρέφος 220 τὸ ἄρτι τεχθέν; ὡς καλόν τέ ἐστι καὶ προσμειδιᾷ πᾶσι καὶ δηλοῖ ἤδη μέγα τι ἀγαθὸν ἀποβησόμενον.

Ἀπόλλων ἐκεῖνο τὸ βρέφος, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἦ μέγα ἀγαθόν, ὃ τοῦ Ἰαπετοῦ πρεσβύτερόν ἐστιν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ πανουργίᾳ;

Ἥφαιστος καὶ τί ἂν ἀδικῆσαι δύναιτο ἀρτίτοκον ὄν;

Ἥφαιστος τὸ νεογνὸν ταῦτα, ὃ μόλις ἕστηκε, τὸ ἐν 221 τοῖς σπαργάνοις;

Ἀπόλλων εἴσῃ, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἤν σοι προσέλθῃ μόνον.

Ἥφαιστος καὶ μὴν προσῆλθεν ἤδη.

Ἀπόλλων τί οὖν; πάντα ἔχεις τὰ ἐργαλεῖα καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόλωλεν αὐτῶν;

Ἥφαιστος πάντα, ὦ Ἄπολλον.

Ἀπόλλων ὅμως ἐπίσκεψαι ἀκριβῶς.

Ἥφαιστος μὰ Δία, τὴν πυράγραν οὐχ ὁρῶ.

Ἀπόλλων ἀλλʼ ὄψει που ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις αὐτὴν τοὺ βρέφους.

Ἥφαιστος οὕτως ὀξύχειρ ἐστὶ καθάπερ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ἐκ μελετήσας τὴν κλεπτικήν;

Ἥφαιστος γοργόν τινα τὸν παῖδα φής.

Ἀπόλλων οὐ μόνον, ἀλλʼ ἤδη καὶ μουσικόν.

Ἥφαιστος τῷ τοῦτο τεκμαίρεσθαι ἔχεις; 223

Ἥφαιστος ἐγὼ ἐκείνην ἔδωκα αὐτῷ παίγνιον εἶναι.

Ἀπόλλων τοιγαροῦν ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὸν μισθόν, τὴν πυράγραν —

Ἥφαιστος εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας· ὥστε βαδιοῦμαι ἀποληψόμενος αὐτήν, εἴ που ὡς φὴς εὑρεθείη ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις.

ΔΙΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΜΟΥ

ΖΕΥΣ Τὴν τοῦ Ἰνάχου παῖδα τὴν καλὴν οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ναί· τὴν Ἰὼ λέγεις;

ΖΕΥΣ Οὐκέτι παῖς ἐκείνη ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ δάμαλις.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Τεράστιον τοῦτο· τῷ τρόπῳ δ’ ἐνηλλάγη;

ΕΡΜΗΣ Τί οὖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ ποιεῖν;

VII

Hephaestus

Apollo

Hephaestus Have you seen Maia’s baby, Apollo? such a pretty little thing, with a smile for everybody; you can see it is going to be a treasure,

Apollo That baby a treasure? well, in mischief, Iapetus is young beside it.

Hephaestus Why, what harm can it do, only just born?

Apollo Ask Posidon; it stole his trident. Ask Ares; he was surprised to find his sword gone out of the scabbard. Not to mention myself, disarmed of bow and arrows.

Hephaestus Never! that infant? he has hardly found his legs yet; he is not out of his baby-linen.

Apollo Ah, you will find out, Hephaestus, if he gets within reach of you.

Hephaestus He has been.

Apollo Well? all your tools safe? none missing?

Hephaestus Of course not.

Apollo I advise you to make sure.

Hephaestus Zeus! where are my pincers?

Apollo Ah, you will find them among the baby-linen,

Hephaestus So light-fingered? one would swear he had practised petty larceny in the womb.

Hephaestus The child has some spirit in him, by your account.

Apollo Spirit, yes—and some music, moreover, young as he is.

Hephaestus How can you tell that?

Hephaestus Ah, I gave him that, for a toy.

Apollo And by way of payment he stole—

Hephaestus Well thought on; I must go and get them; you may be right about the baby-linen.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

ZEUS

Hermes, do you know Inachus’ daughter, the one that’s so pretty?

HERMES

Yes. You mean Io, ¹ don’t you?

ZEUS

She’s not a girl, but a heifer now.

HERMES

Wonders will never cease! How this change?

ZEUS

Hera did it out of jealousy. But that’s not all. She’s played another nasty unheard-of trick on the poor girl. She’s put a herdsman called Argus with ever so many eyes in charge of her. He keeps an eye on her as she grazes, and he never goes to sleep.

HERMES

Well, what are we to do about it?

ZEUS

You must fly down to Nemea—Argus is on his beat thereabouts—and kill him. Then take Io over the sea to Egypt, and make her into Isis. Hereafter let her be goddess of the folk there, raising the waters of the Nile, sending them their winds, and preserving seafarers from harm.

Ἥφαιστος

ἑώρακας, ὦ Ἄπολλον, τὸ τῆς Μαίας βρέφος 220 τὸ ἄρτι τεχθέν; ὡς καλόν τέ ἐστι καὶ προσμειδιᾷ πᾶσι καὶ δηλοῖ ἤδη μέγα τι ἀγαθὸν ἀποβησόμενον.

Ἀπόλλων

ἐκεῖνο τὸ βρέφος, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἦ μέγα ἀγαθόν, ὃ τοῦ Ἰαπετοῦ πρεσβύτερόν ἐστιν ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ πανουργίᾳ;

Ἥφαιστος

καὶ τί ἂν ἀδικῆσαι δύναιτο ἀρτίτοκον ὄν;

Ἥφαιστος

τὸ νεογνὸν ταῦτα, ὃ μόλις ἕστηκε, τὸ ἐν 221 τοῖς σπαργάνοις;

Ἀπόλλων

εἴσῃ, ὦ Ἥφαιστε, ἤν σοι προσέλθῃ μόνον.

Ἥφαιστος

καὶ μὴν προσῆλθεν ἤδη.

Ἀπόλλων

τί οὖν; πάντα ἔχεις τὰ ἐργαλεῖα καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόλωλεν αὐτῶν;

Ἥφαιστος

πάντα, ὦ Ἄπολλον.

Ἀπόλλων

ὅμως ἐπίσκεψαι ἀκριβῶς.

Ἥφαιστος

μὰ Δία, τὴν πυράγραν οὐχ ὁρῶ.

Ἀπόλλων

ἀλλʼ ὄψει που ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις αὐτὴν τοὺ βρέφους.

Ἥφαιστος

οὕτως ὀξύχειρ ἐστὶ καθάπερ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ ἐκ μελετήσας τὴν κλεπτικήν;

Ἥφαιστος

γοργόν τινα τὸν παῖδα φής.

Ἀπόλλων

οὐ μόνον, ἀλλʼ ἤδη καὶ μουσικόν.

Ἥφαιστος

τῷ τοῦτο τεκμαίρεσθαι ἔχεις; 223

Ἥφαιστος

ἐγὼ ἐκείνην ἔδωκα αὐτῷ παίγνιον εἶναι.

Ἀπόλλων

τοιγαροῦν ἀπέδωκέ σοι τὸν μισθόν, τὴν πυράγραν —

Ἥφαιστος

εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας· ὥστε βαδιοῦμαι ἀποληψόμενος αὐτήν, εἴ που ὡς φὴς εὑρεθείη ἐν τοῖς σπαργάνοις.

ΖΕΥΣ

Τὴν τοῦ Ἰνάχου παῖδα τὴν καλὴν οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ναί· τὴν Ἰὼ λέγεις;

ΖΕΥΣ

Οὐκέτι παῖς ἐκείνη ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ δάμαλις.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τεράστιον τοῦτο· τῷ τρόπῳ δ’ ἐνηλλάγη;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Τί οὖν ἡμᾶς χρὴ ποιεῖν;

Hephaestus

Have you seen Maia’s baby, Apollo? such a pretty little thing, with a smile for everybody; you can see it is going to be a treasure,

Apollo

That baby a treasure? well, in mischief, Iapetus is young beside it.

Hephaestus

Why, what harm can it do, only just born?

Apollo

Ask Posidon; it stole his trident. Ask Ares; he was surprised to find his sword gone out of the scabbard. Not to mention myself, disarmed of bow and arrows.

Hephaestus

Never! that infant? he has hardly found his legs yet; he is not out of his baby-linen.

Apollo

Ah, you will find out, Hephaestus, if he gets within reach of you.

Hephaestus

He has been.

Apollo

Well? all your tools safe? none missing?

Hephaestus

Of course not.

Apollo

I advise you to make sure.

Hephaestus

Zeus! where are my pincers?

Apollo

Ah, you will find them among the baby-linen,

Hephaestus

So light-fingered? one would swear he had practised petty larceny in the womb.

Hephaestus

The child has some spirit in him, by your account.

Apollo

Spirit, yes—and some music, moreover, young as he is.

Hephaestus

How can you tell that?

Hephaestus

Ah, I gave him that, for a toy.

Apollo

And by way of payment he stole—

Hephaestus

Well thought on; I must go and get them; you may be right about the baby-linen.