Humanitext Reader

Lucian · The Dream or The Cock §11-12

The Ordeal at Dinner and the Dream of Wealth

Passage 4 of 11 · Greek

Summary

Micyllus joins the dinner in place of Eucrates' son but is annoyed by having to sit next to the philosopher Thesmopolis and listen to his sophistry. He then describes his dream of inheriting Eucrates' entire fortune and becoming extremely wealthy, expressing his anger at the cock for waking him from it.

§11Μίκυλλος ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἀπιέναι παρεσκευαζόμην, ὁ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐνδοιάσας, ἐπεί με πάνυ σκυθρωπὸν εἶδε, πάριθι, ἔφη, καὶ σύ, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ συνδείπνει μεθʼ ἡμῶν· τὸν υἱὸν γὰρ ἐγὼ κελεύσω ἐν τῇ γυναικωνίτιδι μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἑστιᾶσθαι, ὡς σὺ χώραν ἔχῃς. εἰσῄειν οὖν μάτην λύκος χανὼν παρὰ μικρόν, αἰσχυνόμενος ὅτι ἐδόκουν ἐξεληλακέναι τοῦ συμποσίου τὸ παιδίον τοῦ Εὐκράτους.
Micyllus I, then, was preparing to depart, but he, having turned around and hesitated for a long while, when he saw me very downcast, said: "Come in, you too, Micyllus, and dine with us; for I will order my son to feast in the women's quarters with his mother, so that you may have a place." So I entered, having narrowly escaped being a gaping wolf in vain, feeling ashamed because I seemed to have driven Eucrates' child out of the banquet.
κἀπειδὴ κατακλίνεσθαι καιρὸς ἦν, πρῶτον μὲν ἀράμενοι ἀνέθεσαν τὸν Θεσμόπολιν οὐκ ἀπραγμόνως μὰ Δία πέντε οἶμαι νεανίσκοι εὐμεγέθεις, ὑπαυχένια περιβύσαντες αὐτῷ πάντοθεν, ὡς διαμένοι ἐν τῷ σχήματι καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ καρτερεῖν δύναιτο.
And when it was time to recline, first indeed, by Zeus, not without trouble, five sturdy young men, I think, lifted and placed Thesmopolis, stuffing cushions around him on all sides, so that he might remain in that posture and be able to endure for a long time.
εἶτα μηδενὸς ἀνεχομένου πλησίον κατακεῖσθαι αὐτοῦ ἐμὲ ὑποκατακλίνουσι φέροντες, ὡς ὁμοτράπεζοι εἴημεν.
Then, since no one tolerated reclining near him, they brought and placed me next below him, so that we might be table-companions.
τοὐντεῦθεν ἐδειπνοῦμεν, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, πολύοψόν τι καὶ ποικίλον δεῖπνον ἐπὶ χρυσοῦ πολλοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου· καὶ ἐκπώματα ἦν χρυσᾶ καὶ διάκονοι ὡραῖοι καὶ μουσουργοὶ καὶ γελωτοποιοὶ μεταξύ, καὶ ὅλως ἡδίστη τις ἦν ἡ διατριβή, πλὴν ἀλλʼ ἕν με ἐλύπει οὐ μετρίως, ὁ Θεσμόπολις ἐνοχλῶν καὶ ἀρετήν τινα πρός με διεξιὼν καὶ διδάσκων ὡς αἱ δύο ἀποφάσεις μίαν κατάφασιν ἀποτελοῦσι καὶ ὡς εἰ ἡμέρα ἐστί, νὺξ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ κέρατα ἔφασκεν εἶναί μοι· καὶ τοιαῦτα πολλὰ οὐδὲν δεομένῳ προσφιλοσοφῶν συνῄρει καὶ ὑπετέμνετο τὴν εὐφροσύνην, οὐκ ἐῶν ἀκούειν τῶν κιθαριζόντων ἢ ᾀδόντων.
Thereupon we dined, Pythagoras, on a very lavish and varied dinner upon much gold and silver; and there were golden cups and beautiful servants and musicians and jesters in between, and altogether it was a most pleasant pastime, except that one thing grieved me not moderately: Thesmopolis troubling me and expounding some virtue to me, and teaching that two negations make one affirmation, and that if it is day, it is not night, and sometimes he even said that I had horns; and philosophizing such many things to me who did not want them at all, he spoiled and cut short my merriment, not letting me hear the cithara-players or singers.
τοῦτο μέν σοι, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, τὸ δεῖπνον.
This, indeed, O cock, was your dinner.
Ἀλεκτρυών οὐχ ἥδιστον, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπεὶ συνεκληρώθης τῷ λήρῳ ἐκείνῳ γέροντι.
Cock Not a very pleasant one, Micyllus, and especially since you were allotted to that babbling old man.
§12Μίκυλλος ἄκουε δὲ ἤδη καὶ τὸ ἐνύπνιον· ᾤμην γὰρ τὸν Εὐκράτην αὐτὸν ἄπαιδα ὄντα οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ἀποθνήσκειν, εἶτα προσκαλέσαντά με καὶ διαθήκας θέμενον ἐν αἷς ὁ κληρονόμος ἦν ἁπάντων ἐγώ, μικρὸν ἐπισχόντα ἀποθανεῖν· ἐμαυτὸν δὲ παρελθόντα ἐς τὴν οὐσίαν τὸ μὲν χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον ἐξαντλεῖν σκάφαις τισὶ μεγάλαις ἀέναόν τε καὶ πολὺ ἐπιρρέον, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα, τὴν ἐσθῆτα καὶ τραπέζας καὶ ἐκπώματα καὶ διακόνους, πάντα ἐμὰ ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς εἶναι.
Micyllus Hear now also the dream; for I thought that Eucrates himself, being childless, died in some way or other, then having called me and made a will in which I was the heir of all things, after waiting a little while, he died; and that I, having succeeded to the estate, baled out the gold and silver with some large tubs, flowing in continuously and abundantly, and that the other things, the clothing, tables, cups, and servants, were all mine, as was natural.
εἶτα ἐξήλαυνον ἐπὶ λευκοῦ ζεύγους, ἐξυπτιάζων, περίβλεπτος ἅπασι τοῖς ὁρῶσι καὶ ἐπίφθονος.
Then I drove out on a white pair, lying on my back, looked at by all who saw me and envied.
καὶ προέθεον πολλοὶ καὶ παρίππευον καὶ εἵποντο πλείους.
And many ran before and rode alongside and more followed.
ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν ἐκείνου ἔχων καὶ δακτυλίους βαρεῖς ὅσον ἑκκαίδεκα ἐξημμένος τῶν δακτύλων ἐκέλευον ἑστίασίν τινα λαμπρὰν εὐτρεπισθῆναι ἐς ὑποδοχὴν τῶν φίλων· οἱ δέ, ὡς ἐν ὀνείρῳ εἰκός, ἤδη παρῆσαν καὶ τὸ δεῖπνον εἰσεκομίζετο καὶ ὁ πότος συνεκροτεῖτο.
And I, having his clothing and having about sixteen heavy rings fastened to my fingers, ordered a splendid feast to be prepared for the reception of my friends; and they, as is natural in a dream, were already present, and the dinner was being brought in, and the drinking-bout was getting lively.
ἐν τούτῳ ὄντα με καὶ φιλοτησίας προπίνοντα ἐν χρυσαῖς φιάλαις ἑκάστῳ τῶν παρόντων, ἤδη τοῦ πλακοῦντος ἐσκομιζομένου ἀναβοήσας ἀκαίρως συνετάραξας μὲν ἡμῖν τὸ συμπόσιον, ἀνέτρεψας δὲ τὰς τραπέζας, τὸν δὲ πλοῦτον ἐκεῖνον ὑπηνέμιον φέρεσθαι παρεσκεύασας.
While I was in this state and drinking toasts in golden cups to each of those present, just as the cake was being brought in, you, by crying out unseasonably, threw our banquet into confusion, overturned the tables, and caused that wealth to be carried away on the wind.
ἆρά σοι ἀλόγως ἀγανακτῆσαι κατὰ σοῦ δοκῶ;
Do I seem to you to be angry with you without reason?
ὡς τριέσπερον ἂν ἡδέως ἐπεῖδον τὸν ὄνειρόν μοι γενόμενον.
How gladly would I have watched that dream of mine lasting for three nights!

Notes

  1. §11λύκος χανών — A proverbial Greek expression meaning "a gaping wolf." It refers to someone who misses their prey at the last moment or undergoes useless labor. Here, it is used with the adverbial phrase 'παρὰ μικρόν' to mean "having narrowly escaped being a gaping wolf in vain" (i.e., being saved from a useless effort).
  2. §12ᾤμην — This verb means "I dreamed (thought)" and governs the subsequent infinitives (ἀποθνήσκειν, ἀποθανεῖν, ἐξαντλεῖν, and εἶναι). On the other hand, starting from 'ἐξήλαυνον', the syntax transitions from indirect discourse to direct narration in the indicative imperfect to vividly describe the events in the dream.
  3. §12ἐξημμένος τῶν δακτύλων — The perfect middle participle 'ἐξημμένος' of 'ἐξάπτω' (to fasten, hang from) combined with the genitive of the body part 'τῶν δακτύλων'. While literally meaning "having fastened (rings) hanging from the fingers," the reflexive force of the middle voice expresses the state of "wearing (rings) on one's own fingers."
  4. §12τριέσπερον ἂν ἡδέως ἐπεῖδον — A conditional apodosis contrary to past fact, formed by the particle 'ἄν' with the indicative aorist 'ἐπεῖδον'. The word 'τριέσπερος' (lasting three nights) refers to the myth where Zeus extended the night to three times its length to lie with Alcmene. Here it expresses a strong longing: "How gladly would I have watched that dream, even if it lasted for three nights like the night of Heracles' birth, to see it come true!"

Cite this passage

Lucian, The Dream or The Cock §11-12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0062.tlg019.humanitext-grc2:11-12

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