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XIV

Hermes

Apollo

Hermes

Why so sad, Apollo?

Apollo

Alas, Hermes,—my love!

Hermes

Oh; that’s bad. What, are you still brooding over that affair of Daphne?

Apollo

No. I grieve for my beloved; the Laconian, the son of Oebalus.

Hermes

Hyacinth? he is not dead?

Apollo

Dead.

Hermes

Who killed him? Who could have the heart? That lovely boy!

Apollo

It was the work of my own hand.

Hermes

You must have been mad!

Apollo

Not mad; it was an accident.

Hermes

Oh? and how did it happen?

Apollo

He was learning to throw the quoit, and I was throwing with him. I had just sent my quoit up into the air as usual, when jealous Zephyr (damned be he above all winds! he had long been in love with Hyacinth, though Hyacinth would have nothing to say to him)—Zephyr came blustering down from Taygetus, and dashed the quoit upon the child’s head; blood flowed from the wound in streams, and in one moment all was over. My first thought was of revenge; I lodged an arrow in Zephyr, and pursued his flight to the mountain, As for the child, I buried him at Amyclae, on the fatal spot; and from his blood I have caused a flower to spring up, sweetest, fairest of flowers, inscribed with letters of woe.—Is my grief unreasonable?

Hermes

It is, Apollo. You knew that you had set your heart upon a mortal: grieve not then for his mortality.

Francis George Fowler

Dialogi deorum. Lucian. Henry Watson Fowler (Translator), Francis George Fowler (Translator). Medford, MA, USA. 2023-08-01.

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (2)

Θεῶν Διάλογοι Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 14 focus

Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος

Ἑρμῆς

τί σκυθρωπός, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων

ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

Ἑρμῆς

ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι; 239

Ἀπόλλων

οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου.

Ἑρμῆς

τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

Ἀπόλλων

καὶ μάλα.

Ἑρμῆς

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

Ἀπόλλων

αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

Ἑρμῆς

πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

Ἀπόλλων

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, ἐγὼ μὲν ἀνέρριψα, ὥσπερ εἰώθειμεν, τὸν δίσκον ἐς τὸ ἄνω, ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ταϋγέτου καταπνεύσας ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν τῷ παιδὶ ἐνέσεισε φέρων αὐτόν, ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς πληγῆς αἷμά τε ῥυῆναι πολὺ καὶ τὸν παῖδα εὐθέως 240 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 ἀνθέων ἁπάντων, ἔτι καὶ γράμματα ἔχον ἐπαιάζοντα τῷ νεκρῷ. ἆρά σοι ἀλόγως λελυπῆσθαι δοκῶ;

Ἑρμῆς

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

Θεῶν διάλογοι Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 7. Macleod, Matthew Donald, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961 (unrenewed copyright).) — 14 focus

ΕΡΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΗΛΙΟΥ

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὠ Ἥλιε, μὴ ἐλάσῃς τήμερον, ὁ Ζεύς φησι, μηδὲ αὔριον ¹ μηδὲ εἰς τρίτην ἡμέραν, ἀλλὰ ἔνδον μένε, καὶ τὸ μεταξὺ μία τις ἔστω νὺξ μακρά· ὥστε λυέτωσαν μὲν αἱ Ὧραι αὖθις τοὺς ἵππους, σὺ δὲ σβέσον τὸ πῦρ καὶ ἀνάπαυε διὰ μακροῦ σεαυτόν.

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Καινὰ ταῦτα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ ἀλλόκοτα ἥκεις παραγγέλλων. ἀλλὰ μὴ παραβαίνειν τι ἔδοξα ἐν τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ ἔξω ἐλάσαι τῶν ὅρων, κᾆτά μοι ἄχθεται καὶ τὴν νύκτα τριπλασίαν τῆς ἡμέρας ποιῆσαι διέγνωκεν;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἐς ἀεὶ τοῦτο ἔσται· δεῖται δέ τι νῦν ² αὐτὸς ἐπιμηκεστέραν γενέσθαι οἱ τὴν νύκτα.

230

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἢ πόθεν ἐξεπέμφθης ταῦτα διαγγελῶν μοι;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ἐκ Βοιωτίας, ὦ Ἥλιε, παρὰ τῆς Ἀμφιτρύωνος, ᾗ σύνεστιν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς.

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Εἶτα οὐχ ἱκανὴ νὺξ μία;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐδαμῶς· τεχθῆναι γάρ τινα δεῖ ἐκ τῆς ὁμιλίας ταύτης μέγαν καὶ πολύμοχθον· ³ τοῦτον οὖν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ἀποτελεσθῆναι ἀδύνατον.

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Ἀλλὰ τελεσιουργείτω μὲν ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ. ταῦτα δ’ οὖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, οὐκ ἐγίνετο ἐπὶ τοῦ Κρόνου—αὐτοὶ ⁴ γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν—οὐδὲ ἀπόκοιτός ποτε ἐκεῖνος παρὰ τῆς Ῥέας ἦν οὐδὲ ἀπολιπὼν ἂν τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐν Θήβαις ἐκοιμᾶτο, ἀλλὰ ἡμέρα μὲν ἦν ἡ ἡμέρα, νὺξ δὲ κατὰ μέτρον τὸ αὐτῆς ἀνάλογον ⁵ ταῖς ὥραις, ξένον δὲ ἢ παρηλλαγμένον οὐδέν, οὐδ’ ἂν ἐκοινώνησέ ποτε ἐκεῖνος θνητῇ γυναικί· νῦν δὲ δυστήνου γυναίου ἕνεκα χρὴ ἀνεστράφθαι τὰ πάντα καὶ ἀκαμπεστέρους μὲν γενέσθαι τοὺς ἵππους ὑπὸ τῆς ἀργίας, δύσπορον δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀτριβῆ μένουσαν τριῶν ἑξῆς ἡμερῶν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἀθλίους ⁶ ἐν σκοτεινῷ διαβιοῦν. τοιαῦτα ἀπολαύσονται τῶν Διὸς ἐρώτων καὶ καθεδοῦνται περιμένοντες, ἔστ' ἂν ἐκεῖνος ἀποτελέσῃ τὸν ἀθλητήν, ὃν λέγεις, ὑπὸ μακρῷ τῷ ζόφῳ.

231

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Σιώπα, ὦ Ἥλιε, μή τι κακὸν ἀπολαύσῃς τῶν λόγων. ἐγὼ δὲ παρὰ τὴν Σελήνην ἀπελθὼν καὶ τὸν Ὕπνον ἀπαγγελῶ κἀκείνοις ἅπερ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐπέστειλε, τὴν μὲν σχολῇ προβαίνειν, τὸν δὲ Ὕπνον ⁷ μὴ ἀνεῖναι ⁸ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἀγνοήσωσι μακρὰν οὕτω τὴν νύκτα γεγενημένην.

Translations (1)

Dialogues of the Gods Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 7. Macleod, Matthew Donald, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961 (unrenewed copyright).) — 14 focus

Hermes nd Helios

HERMES

Zeus says you’re not to go out driving today, Mr. Sun-god, or tomorrow or the next day. You’ve to stay at home, and all that time’s to be one long night; so the Hours ¹ can unyoke your horses, and you can put out your fire and have a nice long rest.

HELIOS

A strange message you’ve brought, Hermes. Why, I’ve never heard the like of it! He doesn’t think I’ve been going off my course and breaking bounds, does he? He’s not annoyed with me, that he’s decided to make the night three times as long as the day?

HERMES

Not a bit of it. This won’t go on for ever; but for this once, it’s his personal wish that he should get a longer night at this time.

HELIOS

Where is he? Where were you sent from with this message?

HERMES

From Boeotia, Mr. Sun, from Amphitryon’s wife. ² He’s been keeping company with her. He’s in love with her.

HELIOS

Isn’t one night enough, then?

HERMES

Not at all. From this romance must come one who is mighty and fit for many labours; so they can’t do justice to him in a single night.

HELIOS

Well, I hope he makes a success of the job, though I must say, Hermes, this sort of thing didn’t happen in Cronos’ day. (It’s all right, we’re alone.) He would never sleep away from Rhea, ³ or leave heaven for a bed in Thebes, but day was day, and night night, varying only within their proper limits with the seasons of the year, with none of these strange upheavals. No, Cronos would never have had anything to do with a mortal woman. Now, however, for some poor miserable woman, everything must be turned topsy-turvy, my horses become stiff for want of exercise, the road grows difficult, left untrodden for three days on end, and men must spend a miserable time in the dark. That’s what they’ll get from Zeus’ love-affairs. Why, they’ll have to sit waiting in darkness for hours, till he finishes his job on the labouring fellow you’ve been telling me about.

HERMES

Quiet, Mr. Sun, or your words may get you into trouble. I’ll be off now to the Moon and to Sleep, and pass on Zeus’ instructions to them too, telling her to take her time, and Sleep not to leave men, so that they may not know the night’s been so long.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

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XIV

Hermes

Apollo

Hermes Why so sad, Apollo?

Apollo Alas, Hermes,—my love!

Hermes Oh; that’s bad. What, are you still brooding over that affair of Daphne?

Apollo No. I grieve for my beloved; the Laconian, the son of Oebalus.

Hermes Hyacinth? he is not dead?

Apollo Dead.

Hermes Who killed him? Who could have the heart? That lovely boy!

Apollo It was the work of my own hand.

Hermes You must have been mad!

Apollo Not mad; it was an accident.

Hermes Oh? and how did it happen?

Hermes It is, Apollo. You knew that you had set your heart upon a mortal: grieve not then for his mortality.

Current edition Perseus

Ἑρμοῦ καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος

Ἑρμῆς τί σκυθρωπός, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

Ἑρμῆς ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι; 239

Ἀπόλλων οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου.

Ἑρμῆς τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

Ἀπόλλων καὶ μάλα.

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

Ἀπόλλων αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

Ἑρμῆς οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

Ἑρμῆς πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

Ἑρμῆς ναί, ὦ Ἄπολλον· ᾔδεις γὰρ θνητὸν πεποιημένος τὸν ἐρώμενον· ὥστε μὴ ἄχθου ἀποθανόντος.

ΕΡΜΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΗΛΙΟΥ

ΕΡΜΗΣ Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἐς ἀεὶ τοῦτο ἔσται· δεῖται δέ τι νῦν 2 αὐτὸς ἐπιμηκεστέραν γενέσθαι οἱ τὴν νύκτα.

ΗΛΙΟΣ Ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἢ πόθεν ἐξεπέμφθης ταῦτα διαγγελῶν μοι;

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ἐκ Βοιωτίας, ὦ Ἥλιε, παρὰ τῆς Ἀμφιτρύωνος, ᾗ σύνεστιν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς.

ΗΛΙΟΣ Εἶτα οὐχ ἱκανὴ νὺξ μία;

ΕΡΜΗΣ Οὐδαμῶς· τεχθῆναι γάρ τινα δεῖ ἐκ τῆς ὁμιλίας ταύτης μέγαν καὶ πολύμοχθον· 3 τοῦτον οὖν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ἀποτελεσθῆναι ἀδύνατον.

Hermes nd Helios

HERMES Zeus says you’re not to go out driving today, Mr. Sun-god, or tomorrow or the next day. You’ve to stay at home, and all that time’s to be one long night; so the Hours 1 can unyoke your horses, and you can put out your fire and have a nice long rest.

HELIOS A strange message you’ve brought, Hermes. Why, I’ve never heard the like of it! He doesn’t think I’ve been going off my course and breaking bounds, does he? He’s not annoyed with me, that he’s decided to make the night three times as long as the day?

HERMES Not a bit of it. This won’t go on for ever; but for this once, it’s his personal wish that he should get a longer night at this time.

HELIOS Where is he? Where were you sent from with this message?

HERMES From Boeotia, Mr. Sun, from Amphitryon’s wife. 2 He’s been keeping company with her. He’s in love with her.

HELIOS Isn’t one night enough, then?

HERMES Not at all. From this romance must come one who is mighty and fit for many labours; so they can’t do justice to him in a single night.

HERMES Quiet, Mr. Sun, or your words may get you into trouble. I’ll be off now to the Moon and to Sleep, and pass on Zeus’ instructions to them too, telling her to take her time, and Sleep not to leave men, so that they may not know the night’s been so long.

Stable identifiers

Hermes

Why so sad, Apollo?

Apollo

Alas, Hermes,—my love!

Hermes

Oh; that’s bad. What, are you still brooding over that affair of Daphne?

Apollo

No. I grieve for my beloved; the Laconian, the son of Oebalus.

Hermes

Hyacinth? he is not dead?

Apollo

Dead.

Hermes

Who killed him? Who could have the heart? That lovely boy!

Apollo

It was the work of my own hand.

Hermes

You must have been mad!

Apollo

Not mad; it was an accident.

Hermes

Oh? and how did it happen?

Hermes

It is, Apollo. You knew that you had set your heart upon a mortal: grieve not then for his mortality.

Ἑρμῆς

τί σκυθρωπός, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων

ὅτι, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δυστυχῶ ἐν τοῖς ἐρωτικοῖς.

Ἑρμῆς

ἄξιον μὲν λύπης τὸ τοιοῦτο· σὺ δὲ τί δυστυχεῖς; ἢ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Δάφνην σε λυπεῖ ἔτι; 239

Ἀπόλλων

οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ ἐρώμενον πενθῶ τὸν Λάκωνα τὸν Οἰβάλου.

Ἑρμῆς

τέθνηκε γάρ, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ Ὑάκινθος;

Ἀπόλλων

καὶ μάλα.

Ἑρμῆς

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

Ἀπόλλων

αὐτοῦ ἐμοῦ τὸ ἔργον.

Ἑρμῆς

οὐκοῦν ἐμάνης, ὦ Ἄπολλον;

Ἀπόλλων

οὔκ, ἀλλὰ δυστύχημά τι ἀκούσιον ἐγένετο.

Ἑρμῆς

πῶς; ἐθέλω γὰρ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν τρόπον.

Ἑρμῆς

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

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, οὐδὲ ἐς ἀεὶ τοῦτο ἔσται· δεῖται δέ τι νῦν ² αὐτὸς ἐπιμηκεστέραν γενέσθαι οἱ τὴν νύκτα.

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Ποῦ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἢ πόθεν ἐξεπέμφθης ταῦτα διαγγελῶν μοι;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ἐκ Βοιωτίας, ὦ Ἥλιε, παρὰ τῆς Ἀμφιτρύωνος, ᾗ σύνεστιν ἐρῶν αὐτῆς.

ΗΛΙΟΣ

Εἶτα οὐχ ἱκανὴ νὺξ μία;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐδαμῶς· τεχθῆναι γάρ τινα δεῖ ἐκ τῆς ὁμιλίας ταύτης μέγαν καὶ πολύμοχθον· ³ τοῦτον οὖν ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ ἀποτελεσθῆναι ἀδύνατον.

HERMES

Zeus says you’re not to go out driving today, Mr. Sun-god, or tomorrow or the next day. You’ve to stay at home, and all that time’s to be one long night; so the Hours ¹ can unyoke your horses, and you can put out your fire and have a nice long rest.

HELIOS

A strange message you’ve brought, Hermes. Why, I’ve never heard the like of it! He doesn’t think I’ve been going off my course and breaking bounds, does he? He’s not annoyed with me, that he’s decided to make the night three times as long as the day?

HERMES

Not a bit of it. This won’t go on for ever; but for this once, it’s his personal wish that he should get a longer night at this time.

HELIOS

Where is he? Where were you sent from with this message?

HERMES

From Boeotia, Mr. Sun, from Amphitryon’s wife. ² He’s been keeping company with her. He’s in love with her.

HELIOS

Isn’t one night enough, then?

HERMES

Not at all. From this romance must come one who is mighty and fit for many labours; so they can’t do justice to him in a single night.

HERMES

Quiet, Mr. Sun, or your words may get you into trouble. I’ll be off now to the Moon and to Sleep, and pass on Zeus’ instructions to them too, telling her to take her time, and Sleep not to leave men, so that they may not know the night’s been so long.