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ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΜΟΥ

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἔχεις μοι εἰπεῖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πότερος ὁ Κάστωρ ἐστὶ τούτων ἢ πότερος ὁ Πολυδεύκης; 281 ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν διακρίναιμι αὐτούς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὁ μὲν χθὲς ἡμῖν ξυγγενόμενος ἐκεῖνος Κάστωρ ἦν, οὗτος δὲ Πολυδεύκης.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Πῶς διαγινώσκεις; ὅμοιοι γάρ.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὅτι οὗτος μέν, ὦ Ἄπολλον, ἔχει ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου τὰ ἴχνη τῶν τραυμάτων ἃ ἔλαβε παρὰ τῶν ἀνταγωνιστῶν πυκτεύων, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπόσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Βέβρυκος Ἀμύκου ἐτρώθη τῷ Ἰάσονι συμπλέων, ἅτερος δὲ οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐμφαίνει, ἀλλὰ καθαρός ἐστι καὶ ἀπαθὴς τὸ πρόσωπον.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ὤνησας διδάξας ¹ τὰ γνωρίσματα, ἐπεὶ τά γε 282 ἄλλα πάντα ἴσα, τοῦ ᾠοῦ τὸ ἡμίτομον καὶ ἀστὴρ 283 ὑπεράνω καὶ ἀκόντιον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ καὶ ἵππος ἑκατέρῳ 284 λευκός, ὥστε πολλάκις ἐγὼ τὸν μὲν προσεῖπον 285 Κάστορα Πολυδεύκην ὄντα, τὸν δὲ τῷ τοῦ Πολυδεύκους ὀνόματι. 286 ἀτὰρ εἰπέ μοι καὶ τόδε, τί δήποτε οὐκ ἄμφω ξύνεισιν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ’ ἐξ ἡμισείας ἄρτι μὲν νεκρός, ἄρτι δὲ θεός ἐστιν ἅτερος αὐτῶν;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὑπὸ φιλαδελφίας τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔδει ἕνα μὲν τεθνάναι τῶν Λήδας υἱέων, ἕνα δὲ ἀθάνατον εἶναι, ἐνείμαντο οὕτως αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Οὐ ξυνετήν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὴν νομήν, οἵ γε οὐδὲ ὄψονται οὕτως ἀλλήλους, ὅπερ ἐπόθουν, οἶμαι, μάλιστα· πῶς γάρ, ὁ μὲν παρὰ θεοῖς, ὁ δὲ παρὰ τοῖς φθιτοῖς ὤν; πλὴν ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἐγὼ μαντεύομαι, 287 ὁ δὲ Ἀσκληπιὸς ἰᾶται, σὺ δὲ παλαίειν διδάσκεις παιδοτρίβης ἄριστος ὤν, ἡ δὲ Ἄρτεμις μαιεύεται καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστος ἔχει τινὰ τέχνην ἢ θεοῖς ἢ ἀνθρώποις χρησίμην, οὗτοι δὲ τί ποιήσουσιν ἡμῖν; ἢ ἀργοὶ εὐωχήσονται τηλικοῦτοι ὄντες;

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Οὐδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ προστέτακται αὐτοῖν ὑπηρετεῖν τῷ Ποσειδῶνι καὶ καθιππεύειν δεῖ τὸ πέλαγος καὶ ἐάν που ναύτας χειμαζομένους ἴδωσιν, ἐπικαθίσαντας ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον σῴζειν τοὺς ἐμπλέοντας.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἀγαθήν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ σωτήριον λέγεις τὴν τέχνην.

Dialogi deorum. Lucian of Samosata. ed. Matthew Donald Macleod. Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

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

Editions (1)

Θεῶν Διάλογοι Perseus (Lucian. Luciani Samosatensis Opera, Vol. 1. Jacobitz, Karl, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.) — 25 focus

Διὸς καὶ Ἡλίου

Ζεύς

οἷα πεποίηκας, ὦ Τιτάνων κακιστε; ἀπολώλεκας τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἅπαντα, μειρακίῳ ἀνοήτῳ πιστεύσας 278 τὸ ἅρμα, ὃς τὰ μὲν κατέφλεξε πρόσγειος ἐνεχθείς, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ κρύους διαφθαρῆναι ἐποίησε πολὺ αὐτῶν ἀποσπάσας το πῦρ, καὶ ὅλως οὐδὲν ὅ τι οὐ ξυνετάραξε καὶ ξυνέχεε, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐγὼ ξυνεὶς τὸ γιγνόμενον κατέβαλον αὐτὸν τῷ κεραυνῷ, οὐδὲ λείψανον ἀνθρώπων ἐπέμεινεν ἄν· τοιοῦτον ἡμῖν ἡνίοχον τὸν καλὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ διφρηλάτην ἐκπέπομφας.

Ἥλιος

ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλέπαινε, εἰ ἐπείσθην υἱῷ πολλὰ ἱκετεύοντι· πόθεν γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἤλπισα τηλικοῦτο γενήσεσθαι κακόν;

Ζεύς

οὐκ ᾔδεις, ὅσης ἐδεῖτο ἀκριβείας τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ ὡς, εἰ βραχύ τις ἐκβαίη τῆς ὁδοῦ, οἴχεται πάντα; ἠγνόεις δὲ καὶ τῶν ἵππων τὸν θυμόν, ὡς δεῖ ξυνέχειν ἀνάγκῃ τὸν χαλινόν; εἰ γὰρ ἐνδοίη τις, ἀφηνιάζουσιν εὐθύς, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τοῦτον ἐξήνεγκαν, ἄρτι μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ λαιά, μετʼ ὀλίγον δὲ ἐπὶ τὰ δεξιά, καὶ ἐς τὸ ἐναντίον τοῦ δρόμου ἐνίοτε, καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω, ὅλως ἔνθα ἐβούλοντο αὐτοί· ὁ δὲ οὐκ εἶχεν ὅ τι χρήσαιτο αὐτοῖς.

Ἥλιος

πάντα μὲν ἠπιστάμην ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο 279 ἀντεῖχον ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ οὐκ ἐπίστευον αὐτῷ τὴν ἔλασιν· ἐπεὶ δὲ κατελιπάρησε δακρύων καὶ ἡ μήτηρ Κλυμένη μετʼ αὐτοῦ, ἀναβιβασάμενος ἐπὶ τὸ ἅρμα ὑπεθέμην, ὅπως μὲν χρὴ βεβηκέναι αὐτόν, ἐφʼ ὁπόσον δὲ ἐς τὸ ἄνω ἀφέντα ὑπερενεχθῆναι, εἶτα ἐς τὸ κάταντες αὖθις ἐπινεύειν καὶ ὡς ἐγκρατῆ εἶναι τῶν ἡνιῶν καὶ μὴ ἐφιέναι τῷ θυμῷ τῶν ἵππων· εἶπον δὲ καὶ ἡλίκος ὁ κίνδυνος, εἰ μὴ ὀρθὴν ἐλαύνοι· ὁ δὲ — παῖς γὰρ ἦν — ἐπιβὰς τοσούτου πυρὸς καὶ ἐπικύψας ἐς βάθος ἀχανὲς ἐξεπλάγη, ὡς τὸ εἰκός· οἱ δὲ ἵπποι ὡς ᾔσθοντο οὐκ ὄντα ἐμὲ τὸν ἐπιβεβηκότα, καταφρονήσαντες τοῦ μειρακίου ἐξετράποντο τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα ἐποίησαν· ὁ δὲ τὰς ἡνίας ἀφείς, οἶμαι δεδιὼς μὴ ἐκπέσῃ αὐτός, εἴχετο τῆς ἄντυγος. ἀλλὰ ἐκεῖνός τε ἤδη ἔχει τὴν δίκην κἀμοί, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἱκανὸν τὸ πένθος.

Ζεύς

ἱκανὸν λέγεις τοιαῦτα τολμήσας; νῦν μὲν οὖν συγγνώμην ἀπονέμω σοι, ἐς δὲ τὸ λοιπόν, ἤν τι ὅμοιον παρανομήσῃς ἤ τινα τοιοῦτον σεαυτοῦ διάδοχον ἐκπέμψῃς, αὐτίκα εἴσῃ, ὁπόσον τοῦ σοῦ πυρὸς ὁ κεραυνὸς πυρωδέστερος. ὥστε ἐκεῖνον μὲν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ θαπτέτωσαν 280 ἐπὶ τῷ Ἠριδανῷ, ἵναπερ ἔπεσεν ἐκδιφρευθείς, ἤλεκτρον ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δακρύουσαι καὶ αἴγειροι γενέσθωσαν ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει, σὺ δὲ ξυμπηξάμενος τὸ ἅρμα — κατέαγε δὲ καὶ ὁ ῥυμὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅτερος τῶν τροχῶν συντέτριπται — ἔλαυνε ὑπαγαγὼν τοὺς ἵππους. ἀλλὰ μέμνησο τούτων ἁπάντων.

Translations (2)

Dialogues of the Gods Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 7. Macleod, Matthew Donald, translator. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1961 (unrenewed copyright).) — 25 focus

Apollo and Hermes

APOLLO

Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.

HERMES

The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.

APOLLO

How can you tell? They look identical.

HERMES

This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus, ¹ when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.

APOLLO

Thanks for telling me the difference, for all the rest’s the same, the half egg-shell on the head, and the star above it, the javelin in the hand, and a white horse each; so I’ve often called Pollux Castor and Castor Pollux. And there’s something else you can tell me. Why don’t we see them together? Why do they take turns of being dead and being a god?

HERMES

That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.

APOLLO

Not a very clever way of sharing it, was it, Hermes? This way they won’t even see each other, and that’s what they wanted most of all, I take it. How can they, when one’s with the gods and one with the dead? Another thing; I play the prophet, Asclepius goes in for doctoring, you teach wrestling and are an excellent trainer, Artemis is a mid-wife, ² and everyone else among us has some special craft, which helps gods or men. But what will we get them to do? We can’t have big strapping fellows like them sitting in idleness all day stuffing themselves.

HERMES

You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over ³ the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.

APOLLO

A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.

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.) — 25 focus

XXV

Zeus

Helius

Zeus

What have you been about, you villanous Titan? You have utterly done for the earth, trusting your car to a silly boy like that; he has got too near and scorched it in one place, and in another killed everything with frost by withdrawing the heat too far; there is not a single thing he has not turned upside down; if I had not seen what was happening and upset him with the thunderbolt, there would not have been a remnant of mankind left. A pretty deputy driver!

Helius

I was wrong, Zeus; but do not be angry with me; my boy pressed me so; how could I tell it would turn out so badly?

Zeus

Oh, of course you didn’t know what a delicate business it is, and how the slightest divergence ruins everything! it never occurred to you that the horses are spirited, and want a tight hand! oh no! why, give them their heads a moment, and they are out of control; just what happened: they carried him now left, now right, now clean round backwards, and up or down, just at their own sweet will; he was utterly helpless.

Helius

I knew it all; I held out for a long time and told him he mustn’t drive. But he wept and entreated, and his mother Clymene joined in, and at last I put him up. I showed him how to stand, and how far he was to mount upwards, and where to begin descending, and how to hold the reins, and keep the spirited beasts under control; and I told him how dangerous it was, if he did not keep the track.. But, poor boy, when he found himself in charge of all that fire, and looking down into yawning space, he was frightened, and no wonder; and the horses soon knew I was not behind them, took the child’s measure, left the track, and wrought all this havoc; he let go the reins—I suppose he was afraid of being thrown out—and held on to the rail. But he has suffered for it, and my grief is punishment enough for me, Zeus.

Zeus

Punishment enough, indeed! after daring to do such a thing as that!—Well, I forgive you this time. But if ever you transgress again, or send another substitute like him, I will show you how much hotter the thunderbolt is than your fire. Let his sisters bury him by the Eridanus, where he was upset. They shall weep amber tears and be changed by their grief into poplars. As for you, repair the car—the pole is broken, and one of the wheels crushed—, put the horses to and drive yourself. And let this be a lesson to you.

Henry Watson Fowler

Notes on the current edition

Θεῶν διάλογοι

1. δείξας Ω. (cf. p. 346 note 1).

Lucian of Samosata Dialogi deorum 25

ed. Matthew Donald Macleod

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ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΜΟΥ

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἔχεις μοι εἰπεῖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πότερος ὁ Κάστωρ ἐστὶ τούτων ἢ πότερος ὁ Πολυδεύκης; 281 ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν διακρίναιμι αὐτούς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὁ μὲν χθὲς ἡμῖν ξυγγενόμενος ἐκεῖνος Κάστωρ ἦν, οὗτος δὲ Πολυδεύκης.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Πῶς διαγινώσκεις; ὅμοιοι γάρ.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὑπὸ φιλαδελφίας τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔδει ἕνα μὲν τεθνάναι τῶν Λήδας υἱέων, ἕνα δὲ ἀθάνατον εἶναι, ἐνείμαντο οὕτως αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἀγαθήν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ σωτήριον λέγεις τὴν τέχνην.

Current edition Perseus

Διὸς καὶ Ἡλίου

Ἥλιος

ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλέπαινε, εἰ ἐπείσθην υἱῷ πολλὰ ἱκετεύοντι· πόθεν γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἤλπισα τηλικοῦτο γενήσεσθαι κακόν;

Apollo and Hermes

APOLLO

Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.

HERMES

The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.

APOLLO

How can you tell? They look identical.

HERMES

This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus, ¹ when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.

HERMES

That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.

HERMES

You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over ³ the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.

APOLLO

A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.

XXV

Zeus

Helius

Helius

I was wrong, Zeus; but do not be angry with me; my boy pressed me so; how could I tell it would turn out so badly?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΡΜΟΥ

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Ἔχεις μοι εἰπεῖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πότερος ὁ Κάστωρ ἐστὶ τούτων ἢ πότερος ὁ Πολυδεύκης; 281 ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν διακρίναιμι αὐτούς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ὁ μὲν χθὲς ἡμῖν ξυγγενόμενος ἐκεῖνος Κάστωρ ἦν, οὗτος δὲ Πολυδεύκης.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Πῶς διαγινώσκεις; ὅμοιοι γάρ.

ΕΡΜΗΣ Ὑπὸ φιλαδελφίας τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔδει ἕνα μὲν τεθνάναι τῶν Λήδας υἱέων, ἕνα δὲ ἀθάνατον εἶναι, ἐνείμαντο οὕτως αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ Ἀγαθήν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ σωτήριον λέγεις τὴν τέχνην.

Current edition Perseus

Διὸς καὶ Ἡλίου

Ἥλιος ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλέπαινε, εἰ ἐπείσθην υἱῷ πολλὰ ἱκετεύοντι· πόθεν γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἤλπισα τηλικοῦτο γενήσεσθαι κακόν;

Apollo and Hermes

APOLLO Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.

HERMES The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.

APOLLO How can you tell? They look identical.

HERMES This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus, 1 when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.

HERMES That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.

HERMES You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over 3 the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.

APOLLO A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.

XXV

Zeus

Helius

Helius I was wrong, Zeus; but do not be angry with me; my boy pressed me so; how could I tell it would turn out so badly?

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἔχεις μοι εἰπεῖν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, πότερος ὁ Κάστωρ ἐστὶ τούτων ἢ πότερος ὁ Πολυδεύκης; 281 ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐκ ἂν διακρίναιμι αὐτούς.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὁ μὲν χθὲς ἡμῖν ξυγγενόμενος ἐκεῖνος Κάστωρ ἦν, οὗτος δὲ Πολυδεύκης.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Πῶς διαγινώσκεις; ὅμοιοι γάρ.

ΕΡΜΗΣ

Ὑπὸ φιλαδελφίας τοῦτο ποιοῦσιν· ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἔδει ἕνα μὲν τεθνάναι τῶν Λήδας υἱέων, ἕνα δὲ ἀθάνατον εἶναι, ἐνείμαντο οὕτως αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀθανασίαν.

ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ

Ἀγαθήν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ σωτήριον λέγεις τὴν τέχνην.

Ἥλιος

ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλέπαινε, εἰ ἐπείσθην υἱῷ πολλὰ ἱκετεύοντι· πόθεν γὰρ ἂν καὶ ἤλπισα τηλικοῦτο γενήσεσθαι κακόν;

APOLLO

Can you tell me, Hermes, which of these two is Castor and which is Pollux? I can’t tell them apart.

HERMES

The one with us yesterday was Castor, this one is Pollux.

APOLLO

How can you tell? They look identical.

HERMES

This one, Apollo, has on his face the marks of the injuries he’s got from his opponents when boxing, and especially from Bebryx, the son of Amycus, ¹ when he sailed on that expedition with Jason. The other has no marks like that; his face is free from blemish.

HERMES

That’s because of their brotherly love. When one of the sons of Leda had to die, and one to be immortal, they shared out the immortality in this way themselves.

HERMES

You needn’t worry. They’ve been put on to serving Poseidon; they must ride over ³ the sea, and anywhere they see sailors in a storm, they must perch on the vessel and keep the crew safe.

APOLLO

A useful vocation that, Hermes, and one of salvation.

Helius

I was wrong, Zeus; but do not be angry with me; my boy pressed me so; how could I tell it would turn out so badly?