- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.21.1-33.21.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The author suggests that meticulously refuting obvious falsehoods is as futile as milking a he-goat and catching it in a sieve, concluding that discussing such matters is entirely useless unless one wishes to record and analyze waking dreams.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὀκνῶ μή ποτʼ εἰς τὸ περιφερόμενον ἐμπεσὼν λάθω,1 πότερον ὁ τὸν τράγον ἀμέλγων ἀφρονέστερος ἢ ὁ τὸ κόσκινον ὑπέχων· δοκῶ γὰρ δὴ κἀγὼ πρὸς ὁμολογουμένην ψευδολογίαν ἀκριβολογούμενος καὶ τὸν ἐπιμετροῦντα λόγον2 εἰσφέρων παραπλήσιόν τι ποιεῖν.
But indeed I fear lest I should inadvertently fall into the common saying, “whether the one milking the he-goat is sillier, or the one holding the sieve underneath”; for I too seem to be doing something very similar by arguing minutely against an acknowledged falsehood and bringing in a superfluous argument.
διὸ καὶ μάτην τελέως περὶ τούτων λέγειν,3 εἰ μή τις καὶ γράφειν ἐνύπνια βούλεται καὶ θεωρεῖν ἐγρηγορότος4 ἐνύπνια.
Therefore, it is also completely in vain to speak about these things, unless one also wishes to write down dreams and to observe the dreams of a waking man.
- 33.21.1ἐμπεσὼν λάθω
The subjunctive λάθω acts as the main verb (introduced by μή after a verb of fearing), and combined with the aorist participle ἐμπεσὼν, it expresses the idiomatic meaning 'to fall into inadvertently or without realizing'.
- 33.21.1τὸν ἐπιμετροῦντα λόγον
The present participle ἐπιμετροῦντα (from ἐπιμετρέω, 'to measure in addition') is used attributively to mean a 'superfluous', 'unnecessary', or 'excessive' argument.
- 33.21.2λέγειν
The infinitive λέγειν functions here as the subject of an implied impersonal expression (such as μάτην ἐστί, 'it is in vain to...'), meaning 'to speak [is in vain]'.
- 33.21.2ἐγρηγορότος
The genitive singular of the perfect active participle ἐγρηγορώς (from ἐγείρω), which has a present meaning 'waking' or 'being awake'. Used substantively, it modifies ἐνύπνια ('dreams of a waking man', i.e., waking dreams).