- Source
- Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.8-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0004.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.9.106-1.9.108
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-09-23
Diogenes recounts the origins of Myson, one of the Seven Sages, the Delphic oracle given to Anacharsis, their meeting as Myson repaired a plow, his misanthropy and obscurity, and his maxim and lifespan.
Μύσων Στρύμωνος, ὥς φησι Σωσικράτης Ἕρμιππον παρατιθέμενος, τὸ γένος Χηνεύς, ἀπὸ κώμης τινὸς Οἰταϊκῆς ἢ Λακωνικῆς, σὺν τοῖς ἑπτὰ καταριθμεῖται. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ τυράννου πατρὸς εἶναι. λέγεται δὴ πρός τινος Ἀναχάρσιδος πυνθανομένου1 εἴ τις αὐτοῦ σοφώτερος εἴη, τὴν Πυθίαν ἀνελεῖν ἅπερ προείρηται ἐν τῷ Θαλοῦ βίῳ ὑπὲρ Χίλωνος· "Οἰταῖόν τινά φημι Μύσωνʼ ἐνὶ Χηνὶ γενέσθαι σοῦ μᾶλλον πραπίδεσσιν ἀρηρότα πευκαλίμῃσι." πολυπραγμονήσαντα δὲ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν κώμην καὶ εὑρεῖν αὐτὸν θέρους ἐχέτλην ἀρότρῳ προσαρμόττοντα, καὶ εἰπεῖν, ἀλλʼ, ὦ Μύσων, οὐχ ὥρα νῦν ἀρότρου. καὶ μάλα, εἶπεν, ὥστε ἐπισκευάζειν2.
Myson, son of Strymon, according to Sosicrates citing Hermippus, was by birth a Chenian, from a certain village of Oeta or Laconia, and is counted among the Seven Sages. They say also that his father was a tyrant. It is indeed related by someone that, when Anacharsis inquired whether anyone was wiser than he, the Pythia gave the oracle which was mentioned previously in the Life of Thales concerning Chilon: “An Oetaean, I say, Myson born in Chen, is equipped with a shrewd mind more than thou.” And that Anacharsis, having inquired further, came to the village and found him in summer fitting a plow-tail to a plow, and said: “Why, Myson, now is not the season for the plow.” “Very much so,” said he, “for putting it in repair.”
ἄλλοι δὲ τὸν χρησμὸν οὕτως ἔχειν φασί, Ἠτεῖόν τινά φημι· καὶ ζητοῦσι τί ἐστιν ὁ Ἠτεῖος. Παρμενίδης μὲν οὖν δῆμον εἶναι Λακωνικῆς, ὅθεν εἶναι τὸν Μύσωνα. Σωσικράτης δʼ ἐν Διαδοχαῖς, ἀπὸ μὲν πατρὸς Ἠτεῖον εἶναι, ἀπὸ δὲ μητρὸς Χηνέα. Εὐθύφρων δʼ ὁ Ἡρακλείδου τοῦ Ποντικοῦ, Κρῆτά φησιν εἶναι· Ἠτείαν γὰρ πόλιν εἶναι Κρήτης. Ἀναξίλαος δʼ Ἀρκάδα. Μέμνηται δʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἱππῶναξ εἰπών· "καὶ Μύσων ὃν Ὡπόλλων ἀνεῖλεν ἀνδρῶν σωφρονέστατον πάντων." Ἀριστόξενος δέ φησιν ἐν τοῖς σποράδην οὐ πόρρω Τίμωνος αὐτὸν καὶ Ἀπημάντου γεγονέναι· μισανθρωπεῖν γάρ.
Others say that the oracle ran as follows: “An Etean, I say”; and they inquire what the Etean means. Parmenides, then, says it is a deme of Laconia, whence Myson came. But Sosicrates in his Successions says he was an Etean on his father’s side, and a Chenian on his mother’s. Euthyphro, the pupil of Heraclides Ponticus, says he was a Cretan; for Eteia is a city of Crete. And Anaxilaus says he was an Arcadian. Hipponax also mentions him, saying: “And Myson, whom Apollo declared wisest of all men.” Aristoxenus in his Miscellanies says that he was not far removed from Timon and Apemantus; for he was a misanthrope.
ὀφθῆναι γοῦν ἐν Λακεδαίμονι μόνον ἐπʼ ἐρημίας γελῶντα· ἄφνω δέ τινος ἐπιστάντος καὶ πυθομένου διὰ τί μηδενὸς παρόντος γελᾷ, φάναι, διʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο. φησὶ δʼ Ἀριστόξενος ὅτι ἔνθεν καὶ ἄδοξος ἦν, ὅτι μηδὲ πόλεως, ἀλλὰ κώμης, καὶ ταῦτα ἀφανοῦς. ὅθεν διὰ τὴν ἀδοξίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ τινας Πεισιστράτῳ περιθεῖναι τῷ τυράννῳ, χωρὶς Πλάτωνος τοῦ φιλοσόφου3. μέμνηται γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὗτος ἐν τῷ Πρωταγόρᾳ, ἀντὶ Περιάνδρου θεὶς αὐτόν. Ἔφασκε δὲ μὴ ἐκ τῶν λόγων τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων τοὺς λόγους ζητεῖν· οὐ γὰρ ἕνεκα τῶν λόγων τὰ πράγματα συντελεῖσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἕνεκα τῶν πραγμάτων τοὺς λόγους. Κατέστρεψε δὲ βιοὺς ἔτη ἑπτὰ καὶ ἐννενήκοντα.
At any rate, he was seen in Lacedaemon laughing alone in a deserted spot; and when someone suddenly came upon him and asked why he was laughing when no one was present, he said: “For this very reason.” Aristoxenus says that he was obscure for this reason, that he was not from a city, but from a village, and an obscure one at that. Whence, on account of his obscurity, some people attributed his sayings and deeds to the tyrant Peisistratus, with the exception of Plato the philosopher. For he too mentions him in the Protagoras, ranking him in place of Periander. He used to say that one should not seek facts from words, but words from facts; for facts are not brought to pass for the sake of words, but words for the sake of facts. He died having lived ninety-seven years.
- 1.9.106λέγεται δὴ πρός τινος Ἀναχάρσιδος πυνθανομένου
The phrase πρός τινος acts as the agent with the passive verb λέγεται ("it is said by someone"), while Ἀναχάρσιδος πυνθανομένου is a genitive absolute denoting time ("when Anacharsis inquired"). Although πρός τινος could grammatically be attached to πυνθανομένου ("inquiring of someone"), the object of inquiry is evidently the oracle/Pythia (as shown by τὴν Πυθίαν ἀνελεῖν), so πρός τινος is best taken with λέγεται.
- 1.9.106ὥστε ἐπισκευάζειν
An elliptical conversational reply to the preceding statement "οὐχ ὥρα νῦν ἀρότρου" (now is not the season for the plow). Myson's reply "καὶ μάλα ... ὥστε ἐπισκευάζειν" is understood with an ellipsis: "καὶ μάλα [ὥρα ἐστίν], ὥστε ἐπισκευάζειν" ("indeed [it is season enough] so as to repair it"), where ὥστε with the infinitive denotes intended result or fitness.
- 1.9.108καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ τινας Πεισιστράτῳ περιθεῖναι τῷ τυράννῳ, χωρὶς Πλάτωνος τοῦ φιλοσόφου
An accusative and infinitive construction with τινας as subject accusative and περιθεῖναι as infinitive. The verb περιτίθημι with a dative (Πεισιστράτῳ) means "to attribute / attach to". The object τὰ αὐτοῦ (neuter plural accusative) refers to Myson's words and deeds. The prepositional phrase χωρὶς Πλάτωνος ("except Plato the philosopher") qualifies τινας, indicating that while others transferred Myson's maxims to Peisistratus, Plato did not, as explained in the subsequent clause.