Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom

by Dio Chrysostom

  [21]

  ὀξέσι δὴ πελέκεσσι καὶ ἀξίναις ἐμάχοντο

  καὶ ξίφεσιν μεγάλοισιν

  οὐχ οὗτος ὁ τρόπος τῆς μάχης: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄντικρυς βιάζεσθαι τὴν ἡδονήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐξαπατᾶν καὶ γοητεύειν δεινοῖς φαρμάκοις, ὥσπερ Ὅμηρός φησι τὴν Κίρκην τοὺς τοῦ Ὀδυσσέως ἑταίρους καταφαρμάξαι, [p. 100] κἄπειτα τοὺς μὲν σῦς αὐτῶν, τοὺς δὲ λύκους γενέσθαι, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλ᾽ ἄττα θηρία, τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ χρῆμα τῆς ἡδονῆς, οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐπιβουλευούσης, ἀλλὰ πάντα τρόπον, διά τε τῆς ὄψεως καὶ ἀκοῆς ἢ ὀσφρήσεως ἢ γεύσεως ἢ ἁφῆς,

  [21] No, it is no such battle, for pleasure uses no open force but deceives and casts a spell with baneful drugs, just as Homer says Circe drugged the comrades of Odysseus, and some forthwith became swine, some wolves, and some other kinds of beasts. Yes, such is this thing pleasure, that hatches no single plot but all kinds of plots, and aims to undo men through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, with food too, and drink and carnal lust, tempting the waking and the sleeping alike.

  [22] ἔτι δὲ σιτίοις καὶ ποτοῖς καὶ ἀφροδισίοις διαφθεῖραι πειρωμένης, ὁμοίως μὲν ἐγρηγορότας, ὁμοίως δὲκοιμωμένους. οὐδὲ γὰρ ὥσπερ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ἔστι φυλακὰς καταστήσαντας καθεύδειν, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα δὴ πάντων τότε ἐπιτίθεται,

  [22] For it is not possible to set guards and then lie down to sleep as in ordinary warfare, since it is just then of all times that she makes her attack, at one time weakening and enslaving the soul by means of sleep itself, at another, sending mischievous and insidious dreams that suggest her.

  [23] τὰ μὲν αὐτῷ τῷ ὕπνῳ μαραίνουσα καὶ δουλουμένη, τὰ δὲ ἐπιπέμπουσα ὀνείρατα πανοῦργα καὶ ἐπίβουλα, ἀναμιμνῄσκοντα αὐτῆς. ὁ μὲν οὖν πόνος διὰ τῆς ἁφῆς ἐπιγίγνεται ὡς τὸ πολὺ καὶ ταύτῃ πρόσεισιν, ἡδὲ ἡδονὴ κατὰ πᾶσαν αἴσθησιν ὁπόσας ἄνθρωπος αἰσθήσεις ἔχει, καὶ δεῖ τοῖς μὲν πόνοις ἀπαντᾶν καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι,

  [23] “Now work is carried on by means of touch for the most part and proceeds in that way, but pleasure assails a man through each and every sense that he has; and while he must face and grapple with work, to pleasure he must give the widest berth possible and have none but unavoidable dealings with her.

  [24] τὴν δὲ ἡδονὴν φεύγειν ὡς πορρωτάτω καὶ μηδὲν ὅλως ἢ τἀναγκαῖα ὁμιλεῖν. καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ κράτιστος ἀνήρ κράτιστος δὲ σχεδόν, ὃς ἂν δύνηται πλεῖστον ἀποφεύγειν τὰς ἡδονάς: οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔστιν ἡδονῇ συνόντα ἢ καὶ πειρώμενονσυνεχῶς μὴ οὐ πάντως ἁλῶναι. ὅταν οὖν κρατήσῃ καὶ περιγένηται τῆς ψυχῆς τοῖς φαρμάκοις, γίγνεται τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη τὸ τῆς Κίρκης,

  [24] And herein the strongest man is indeed strongest, one might almost say, who can keep the farthest away from pleasures; for it is impossible to dwell with pleasure or even to dally with her for any length of time without being completely enslaved. Hence when she gets the mastery and overpowers the soul by her charms, the rest of Circe’s sorcery at once follows. With a stroke of her wand pleasure coolly drives her victim into a sort of sty and pens him up,

  [25] πλήξασα ῥᾳδίως τῇ ῥάβδῳ εἰς συφεόν τινα ἐλαύνει καὶ καθείργνυσι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπ᾽ ἐκείνου ἤδη ὁ ἄνθρωπος διατελεῖ σῦς ὢν ἢ λύκος,

  [25] and now from that time forth the man goes on living as a pig or a wolf. Pleasure also brings divers and deadly vipers into being, and other crawling things that attend constantly upon her as they lie about her doors, and though yearning for pleasure and serving her, they yet suffer a thousand hardships all in vain.

  [26] γίγνονται δὲ καὶ ὄφεις ὑφ᾽ ἡδονῆς ποικίλοι καὶὀλέθριοι καὶ ἄλλ᾽ ἄττα ἑρπετά, καὶ θεραπεύουσιν ἐκείνην ἀεὶ περὶ τὰς θύρας ὄντες καὶ ἐπιθυμοῦντες μὲν τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ λατρεύοντες ἐκείνῃ, μυρίους δὲ ἄλλως πόνους ἔχοντες. ἡ γὰρ ἡδονὴ κρατήσασα αὐτῶν καὶ παραλαβοῦσα τοῖς πόνοις παραδίδωσι τοῖς ἐχθίστοις καὶ χαλεπωτάτοις.

  [26] For pleasure, after overpowering and taking possession of her victims, delivers them over to hardships, the most hateful and most difficult to endure.

  “This is the contest which I steadfastly maintain, and in which I risk my life against pleasure and hardship, yet not a single wretched mortal gives heed to me, but only to the jumpers and runners and dancers.

  [27] τοῦτον δὴ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐμοὶ καρτεροῦντι καὶπαραβαλλομένῳ πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ πόνον οὐδεὶς προσέχει τῶν ἀθλίων ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀνδραπόδοις τοῖς πηδῶσι καὶ τρέχουσι καὶ χορεύουσιν. οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Ἡρακλέα ἑώρων ἀγωνιζόμενον καὶ πονοῦντα, οὐδὲ ἔμελεν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τότε ἴσως ἀθλητάς τινας ἐθαύμαζον, Ζήτην καὶ Κάλαϊν καὶ Πηλέα καὶ ἄλλους τοιούτους[p. 101] δρομέας τινὰς καὶ παλαιστάς: καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ κάλλει, τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ ἐθαύμαζον, καθάπερ Ἰασίωνα καὶ Κινύραν:

  [27] Neither, indeed, did men have eyes for struggles and labours of Heracles or have any interest in them, but perhaps even then they were admiring certain athletes such as Zetes, Calaïs, Peleus, and other like runners and wrestlers; and some they would admire for their beauty and others for their wealth, as, for example, Jason and Cinyras.

  [28] περὶ δὲ τοῦ Πέλοπος ἔλεγον ὅτι καὶ τὸν ὦμον ἐλεφάντινον ἔχοι, ὥσπερ τι ὄφελος ἀνθρώπου χρυσῆν χεῖρα ἢ ἐλεφαντίνην ἔχοντος ἢ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀδάμαντος ἢ σμαράγδου: τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν οὐκ ἐγίγνωσκον αὐτοῦ ὁποίαν τινὰ εἶχεν. τὸν δὲ Ἡρακλέα πονοῦντα μὲν καὶ ἀγωνιζόμενον ἠλέουν, καὶ ἔφασαν αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων ἀθλιώτατον: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἄθλους ἐκάλουν τοὺς πόνους αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα, ὡς τὸν ἐπίπονον βίον ἄθλιον ὄντα: ἀποθανόντα δὲ πάντων σσσμάλιστα τιμῶσι καὶ θεὸν νομίζουσι καί φασιν Ἥβῃ συνοικεῖν, καὶ τούτῳ πάντες εὔχονται,

  [28] About Pelops, too, the story ran that he had an ivory shoulder, as if there were any use in a man having a golden or ivory hand or eyes of diamond or malachite; but the kind of soul he had men did not notice. As for Heracles, they pitied him while he toiled and struggled and called him the most ‘trouble-ridden,’ or wretched, of men; indeed, this is why they gave the name ‘troubles,’ or tasks, to his labours and works, as though a laborious life were a trouble-ridden, or wretched life; but now that he is dead they honour him beyond all others, deify him,
and say he has Hebe to wife, and all pray to him that they may not themselves be wretched — to him who in his labours suffered wretchedness exceedingly great.

  [29] ὅπως αὐτοὶ μὴ ἔσονται ἄθλιοι, τῷ πλεῖστα ἀθλήσαντι. τὸν δὲ Εὐρυσθέα οἴονται κρατεῖν τούτου καὶ ἐπιτάττειν, ὃν οὐδενὸς ἄξιον νενομίκασιν, οὐδὲ εὔξατο οὐδὲ ἔθυσεν οὐδέποτε οὐδεὶς Εὐρυσθεῖ. πλὴν ὅ γε Ἡρακλῆς περιῄει τὴν Εὐρώπην καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἅπασαν,

  [29] “They have an idea, too, that Eurystheus had him in his power and ordered him about, Eurystheus, whom they considered a worthless fellow and to whom no one ever prayed or sacrificed. Heracles, however, roved over all Europe and Asia, though he did not look at all like any of these athletes;

  [30] οὐδὲν ὢν τούτοις ὅμοιος τοῖς ἀθληταῖς — ποῦ γὰρ ἂν ἠδυνήθη προελθεῖν σάρκας τοσαύτας ἔχων ἢ τοσούτων κρεῶν δεόμενος ἢ βαθὺν οὕτως ὕπνον καθεύδων; — ἀλλ᾽ ἄγρυπνος καὶ λεπτός, ὥσπερ οἱ λέοντες, ὀξὺ βλέπων, ὀξὺ ἀκούων, οὔτε χειμῶνος οὔτε καύματος φροντίζων, οὐδὲν δεόμενος στρωμάτων ἢ χλανίδων ἢ ταπήτων, ἀλλὰ δέρμα ἀμπεχόμενος ῥυπαρόν, λιμοῦ πνέων, τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς βοηθῶν, τοὺς κακοὺς κολάζων.

  [30] for where could he have penetrated, had he carried so much flesh or required so much meat or drink into such depths of sleep? No, he was as alert and lean like a lion, keen of eye and ear, recking naught of cold or heat, having no use for bed, shawl, or rug, clad in a dirty skin, with an air of hunger about him, as he succoured the good and punished the bad.

  [31] καὶ Διομήδην δὲ τὸν Θρᾷκα, ὅτι ποικίλην εἶχεν ἐσθῆτα καὶ καθῆστο ἐπὶ θρόνου πίνων δι᾽ ἡμέρας καὶ τρυφῶν, καὶ τοὺς ξένους ἠδίκει καὶ τοὺς ὑφ᾽ αὑτῷ, πολλὴν ἵππον τρέφων, τῷ ῥοπάλῳ παίων διήραξεν ὥσπερ πίθον παλαιόν. καὶ τὸν Γηρυόνην, πλείστους βοῦς ἔχοντα καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἑσπέρας ἁπάντων πλουσιώτατον ὄντα καὶ ὑπερηφανώτατον, αὐτόν τε ἀπέκτεινε καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς βοῦς ἀπήλασε.

  [31] And because Diomede, the Thracian, wore such fine raiment and sat upon a throne drinking the livelong day in high revel, and treated strangers unrighteously as well as his own subjects, and kept a large stable, Heracles smote him with his club and smashed him as if he had been an old jar. Then Geryones, who had ever so many cattle and was the richest of all western lords and the most arrogant, he also killed along with his brothers and drove his cattle away.

  [32] τὸν δὲ Βούσιριν εὑρὼν πάνυ ἐπιμελῶς ἀθλοῦντα καὶ δι᾽ ὅλης ἡμέρας ἐσθίοντα καὶ φρονοῦντα μέγιστον ἐπὶ πάλῃ, διέρρηξεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καταβαλὼν ὥσπερ τοὺς θυλάκους τοὺς σφόδρα γέμοντας. καὶ τῆς Ἀμαζόνος ἔλυσε τὴν ζώνην, θρυπτομένης αὐτῷ καὶ νομιζούσης ὅτι τῷ κάλλει κρατήσει, [p. 102] συγγενόμενος δ᾽ ἀπῄει δείξας ὅτι οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἡττηθείη κάλλους οὐδ᾽ ἂν μείνειε χάριν γυναικὸς πόρρω τῶν αὑτοῦ κτημάτων οὐδέποτε.

  [32] And when he found Busiris very diligently training, eating the whole day long, and exceeding proud of his wrestling, Heracles burst him open like an over-filled bag by dashing him to the ground. He loosed the girdle of the Amazon, who tried to coquet with him and thought to win by means of her beauty. For he both consorted with her and made her understand that he could never be overcome by beauty and would never tarry far away from his own possessions for a woman’s sake.

  [33] τὸν δὲ Προμηθέα, σοφιστήν τινα, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, καταλαβὼν ὑπὸ δόξης ἀπολλύμενον, καὶ νῦν μὲν οἰδοῦντος αὐτῷ καὶ αὔξοντος τοῦ ἥπατος, ὁπότε ἐπαινοῖτο, πάλιν δὲ φθίνοντος, ὁπότε ψέγοιεν αὐτόν,ἐλεήσας καὶ φοβήσας ἔπαυσε τοῦ τύφου καὶ τῆς φιλονικίας: καὶ οὕτως ᾤχετο ὑγιᾶ ποιήσας. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἔπραττεν οὐδὲν Εὐρυσθεῖ χαριζόμενος.

  [33] And Prometheus, whom I take to have been a sort of sophist, he found being destroyed by popular opinion; for his liver swelled and grew whenever he was praised and shrivelled again when he was censured. So he took pity on him, frightened . . , and thus relieved him of his vanity and inordinate ambition; and straightway he disappeared after making him whole.

  “Now in all those exploits he was not doing a favour to Eurystheus at all.

  [34] τὰ δὲ μῆλα τὰ χρυσᾶ ἃ ἐκόμισε λαβὼν ἔδωκεν ἐκείνῳ, τὰ τῶν Ἑσπερίδων: οὐδὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐδεῖτο, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκέλευσε κλάειν ἔχοντα. μηδὲν γὰρ ὄφελος εἶναι ἀνθρώπῳ χρυσῶν μήλων: μηδὲγὰρ ταῖς Ἑσπερίσι γενέσθαι. πέρας δέ, ἐπεὶ βραδύτερος ἐγίγνετο καὶ ἀσθενέστερος αὑτοῦ, φοβούμενος μὴ οὐ δύνηται ζῆν ὁμοίως, ἔπειτα οἶμαι νόσου τινὸς καταλαβούσης κάλλιστα ἀνθρώπων ἐθεράπευσεν αὑτόν, πυρὰν νήσας ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ ξύλων ὡς ξηροτάτων καὶ δείξας ὅτι οὐδὲν ἄξιον ἐφρόντιζε τοῦ πυρετοῦ.

  [34] And as to the golden apples that he got and brought back — I mean those of the Hesperides — he did give them to him, since he had no use for them himself, but told him to keep them and go hang; for he explained that apples of gold are of no use to a man, nor had the Hesperides, either, found them to be. Then, finally, when he was growing ever slower and weaker, from fear that he would not be able to live as before, and besides, I suppose, because he was attacked by some disease, he made the best provision that was humanly possible for himself, for he reared a pyre of the very driest wood in the courtyard and showed that he minded the fiery heat precious little.

  [35] πρότερον δέ,ἵνα μὴ δοκῇ σεμνὰ μόνον καὶ μεγάλα ἔργα διαπράττεσθαι, τὴν κόπρον ἀπελθὼν τὴν κειμένην παρ᾽ Αὐγέᾳ, πολύ τι χρῆμα πολλῶν ἐτῶν, ἐκείνην ἐξεφόρει καὶ ἐκάθαιρεν. ἡγεῖτο γὰρ οὐχ ἧττον αὑτῷ διαμαχητέον εἶναι καὶ πολεμητέον πρὸς τὴν δόξαν ἢ τὰ θηρία καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς κακούργους.

  [35] But before that, to avoid creating the opinion that he did only impressive and mighty deeds, he went and removed and cleaned away the dung in the Augean stables, that immense accumulation of many years. For he considered that he ought to fight stubbornly and war against opinion as much as against wild beasts and wicked men.”

  [36] ταῦτα δὲ λέγοντος τοῦ Διογένους, περιίσταντο πολλοὶ καὶ πάνυ ἡδέως ἠκροῶντο τῶν λόγων. ἐννοήσας δὲ οἶμαι τὸ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, τοὺς μὲν λόγους ἀφῆκε, χαμαὶ δὲ καθεζόμενος ἐποίει τι τῶν ἀδόξων. εὐθὺς οὖν οἱ πολλοὶ κατεφρόνουν αὐτοῦ καὶ μαίνεσθαι ἔφασαν, καὶ πάλιν ἐθορύβουν σο�
�ισταί, καθάπερ ἐν τέλματι βάτραχοι τὸνὕδρον οὐχ ὁρῶντες. [p. 103]

  [36] While Diogenes thus spoke, many stood about and listened to his words with great pleasure. Then, possibly with this thought of Heracles in his mind, he ceased speaking and, squatting on the ground, performed an indecent act, whereat the crowd straightway scorned him and called him crazy, and again the sophists raised their din, like frogs in a pond when they do not see the water-snake.

  THE NINTH OR ISTHMIAN DISCOURSE

  ΔΙΟΓΕΝΗΣ ἢ ΙΣΘΜΙΚΟΣ.

  THE NINTH OR ISTHMIAN DISCOURSE

  In the ninth Discourse, as in the eighth, we find Diogenes attending the Isthmian games, and in both Discourses there is the same reference to the importance of the great public gatherings for Diogenes’ purpose, the same references to physicians and to dogs. These similarities have led to the inference that the two Discourses were prepared at about the same time; but while in the preceding Discourse we are given the subject-matter of Diogenes’ teaching, in this one it is rather his method of teaching that is shown.

  [1] Ἰσθμίων ὄντων κατέβη Διογένης εἰς τὸν Ἰσθμόν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐν Κορίνθῳ διατρίβων. παρετύγχανε δὲ ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν οὐχ ὧνπερ οἱ πολλοὶ ἕνεκα, βουλόμενοι θεάσασθαι τοὺς ἀθλητὰς καὶ ἵνα ἐμπλησθῶσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπισκοπῶν οἶμαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ τὴν ἄνοιαν αὐτῶν. ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι φανερώτατοί εἰσιν ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ ταῖς πανηγύρεσιν: ἐν δὲ πολέμῳ καὶ στρατοπέδῳ λανθάνουσι μᾶλλον διὰ τὸ κινδυνεύειν καὶ φοβεῖσθαι.

  The Ninth or Isthmian Discourse

  When the Isthmian games were in progress, Diogenes, who probably was sojourning at Corinth, went down to the Isthmus. He did not attend the great public gatherings, however, with the same motives as the majority, who wished to see the athletes and to gormandize. No, I warrant he came as an observer of mankind and of men’s folly. He knew that men show their real character most clearly at public festivals and large gatherings, while in war and in camp it is more concealed owing to the presence of peril and fear.