§13Ἀλεκτρυών
οὕτω φιλόχρυσος εἶ καὶ φιλόπλουτος, ὦ Μίκυλλε, καὶ μόνον τοῦτο ἐξ ἅπαντος θαυμάζεις καὶ ἡγῇ εὔδαιμον εἶναι, πολὺ κεκτῆσθαι χρυσίον;
Cock Are you so gold-loving and wealth-loving, Micyllus, and do you admire only this of all things and judge it to be happy, to possess much gold?
Μίκυλλος
οὐκ ἐγὼ μόνος, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ σὺ αὐτός, ὁπότε Εὔφορβος ἦσθα, χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον ἐξημμένος τῶν βοστρύχων ᾔεις πολεμήσων τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς, καὶ ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, ἔνθα σιδηροφορεῖν ἄμεινον ἦν, σὺ δὲ καὶ τότε ἠξίους χρυσῷ ἀναδεδεμένος τοὺς πλοκάμους διακινδυνεύσειν.
Micyllus Not I alone, Pythagoras, but also you yourself, when you were Euphorbus, went to fight against the Achaeans with gold and silver fastened to your curls; and in the war, where it was better to wear iron, you even then deemed it worthy to risk danger with your locks bound up with gold.
καί μοι δοκεῖ ὁ Ὅμηρος διὰ τοῦτο Χαρίτεσσιν ὁμοίας εἰπεῖν σου τὰς κόμας, ὅτι
χρυσῷ τε καὶ ἀργύρῳ ἐσφήκωντο. μακρῷ γὰρ ἀμείνους δηλαδὴ καὶ ἐρασμιώτεραι ἐφαίνοντο συναναπεπλεγμέναι τῷ χρυσίῳ καὶ συναπολάμπουσαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ.
And it seems to me that Homer for this reason said your hair was like that of the Graces, because 'they were bound with gold and silver.' For they clearly appeared far better and more lovely when interwoven with gold and shining along with it.
καίτοι τὰ μὲν σά, ὦ χρυσοκόμη, μέτρια, εἰ Πάνθου υἱὸς ὢν ἐτίμας τὸ χρυσίον· ὁ δὲ πάντων θεῶν πατὴρ καὶ ἄνδρων, ὁ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, ὁπότε ἠράσθη τῆς Ἀργολικῆς ἐκείνης μείρακος, οὐκ ἔχων εἰς ὅ τι ἐρασμιώτερον αὑτὸν μεταβάλοι οὐδὲ ὅπως ἂν διαφθείρειε τοῦ Ἀκρισίου τὴν φρουράν — ἀκούεις δήπου ὡς χρυσίον ἐγένετο καὶ ῥυεὶς διὰ τοῦ τέγους συνῆν τῇ ἀγαπωμένῃ.
And yet your actions, O golden-haired one, were moderate, if being Panthous' son you honored gold; but the father of all gods and men, the son of Cronus and Rhea, when he fell in love with that Argive maiden, having no idea into what more lovely thing he could transform himself or how he could corrupt Acrisius' guard—you have surely heard how he became gold and, having flowed through the roof, was united with his beloved.
ὥστε τί ἄν σοι τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἔτι λέγοιμι, ὅσας μὲν χρείας παρέχεται ὁ χρυσός, ὡς δὲ οἷς ἂν παρῇ, καλούς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ ἰσχυροὺς ἀπεργάζεται τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν προσάπτων, καὶ ἐξ ἀφανῶν καὶ ἀδόξων ἐνίοτε περιβλέπτους καὶ ἀοιδίμους ἐν βραχεῖ τίθησι;
So why should I tell you further on this, how many uses gold provides, and how it renders those to whom it is present beautiful and wise and strong, attaching honor and glory to them, and sometimes makes the obscure and inglorious to be looked at and sung of in a short time?
§14Μίκυλλος
τὸν γείτονα γοῦν μοι τὸν ὁμότεχνον οἶσθα τὸν Σίμωνα, οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ δειπνήσαντα παρʼ ἐμοί, ὅτε τὸ ἔτνος ἥψουν τοῖς Κρονίοις δύο τόμους τοῦ ἀλλᾶντος ἐμβαλών.
Micyllus At any rate, you know my neighbor, Simo, who is of the same trade, who not long ago dined at my house, when I was boiling the pease-soup for the Cronia, having thrown in two slices of sausage.
Ἀλεκτρυών
οἶδα· τὸν σιμόν, τὸν βραχύν, ὃς τὸ κεραμεοῦν τρύβλιον ὑφελόμενος ᾤχετο ὑπὸ μάλης ἔχων μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον, ὃ μόνον ἡμῖν ὑπῆρχεν· εἶδον γὰρ αὐτός, ὦ Μίκυλλε.
Cock I know him; the flat-nosed, short one, who went off after dinner having stolen the earthen bowl under his arm, which was the only one we had; for I saw it myself, Micyllus.
Μίκυλλος
οὐκοῦν ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸ κλέψας εἶτα ἀπωμόσατο θεοὺς τοσούτους;
Micyllus So, did he, having stolen it, then swear by so many gods denying it?
ἀλλὰ τί οὐκ ἐβόας καὶ ἐμήνυες τότε, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, ληϊζομένους ἡμᾶς ὁρῶν;
But why did you not cry out and inform me then, O cock, seeing us being plundered?
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἐκόκκυζον, ὃ μόνον μοι τότε δυνατὸν ἦν.
Cock I crowed, which was the only thing possible for me then.
τί δʼ οὖν ὁ Σίμων;
But what about Simo, then?
ἐῴκεις γάρ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐρεῖν.
For you seemed to be about to say something about him.
Μίκυλλος
ἀνεψιὸς ἦν αὐτῷ πλούσιος ἐς ὑπερβολήν, Δριμύλος τοὔνομα.
Micyllus He had an exceedingly rich cousin, Drymylus by name.
οὗτος ζῶν μὲν οὐδὲ ὀβολὸν ἔδωκε τῷ Σίμωνι — πῶς γάρ, ὃς οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἥπτετο τῶν χρημάτων;
He, while living, did not give even an obol to Simo—for how could he, who did not even touch his own money himself?
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀπέθανε πρῴην, ἅπαντα ἐκεῖνα κατὰ τοὺς νόμους Σίμωνός ἐστι, καὶ νῦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ τὰ ῥάκια τὰ πιναρά, ὁ τὸ τρύβλιον περιλείχων, ἄσμενος ἐξελαύνει ἁλουργῆ καὶ ὑσγινοβαφῆ ἀμπεχόμενος, οἰκέτας καὶ ζεύγη καὶ χρυσᾶ ἐκπώματα καὶ ἐλεφαντόποδας τραπέζας ἔχων, ὑφʼ ἁπάντων προσκυνούμενος, οὐδὲ προσβλέπων ἔτι ἡμᾶς·
But when he died the other day, all those things according to the laws belong to Simo; and now that man of the filthy rags, who used to lick the bowl, drives out gladly clad in purple and scarlet dye, having servants and pairs of horses and golden cups and ivory-footed tables, worshiped by all, and no longer even looking at us.
ἔναγχος γοῦν ἐγὼ μὲν ἰδὼν προσιόντα,
χαῖρε,
ἔφην,
ὦ Σίμων,
ὁ δὲ ἀγανακτήσας,
εἴπατε,
ἔφη,
τῷ πτωχῷ τούτῳ μὴ κατασμικρύνειν μου τοὔνομα· οὐ γὰρ Σίμων, ἀλλὰ Σιμωνίδης ὀνομάζομαι. τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ἤδη καὶ ἐρῶσιν αὐτοῦ αἱ γυναῖκες, ὁ δὲ θρύπτεται πρὸς αὐτὰς καὶ ὑπερορᾷ καὶ τὰς μὲν προσίεται καὶ ἵλεώς ἐστιν, αἱ δὲ ἀπειλοῦσιν ἀναρτήσειν αὑτὰς ἀμελούμεναι.
At any rate, recently, when I saw him approaching, I said: 'Greetings, Simo!' But he, being annoyed, said: 'Tell this beggar not to diminish my name; for I am named Simonides, not Simo.' And the greatest thing: now even women are in love with him, and he acts haughtily toward them and looks down on them, and some he admits and is gracious to, while others, being neglected, threaten to hang themselves.
ὁρᾷς ὅσων ἀγαθῶν ὁ χρυσὸς αἴτιος, εἴ γε καὶ μεταποιεῖ τοὺς ἀμορφοτέρους καὶ ἐρασμίους ἀπεργάζεται ὥσπερ ὁ ποιητικὸς ἐκεῖνος κεστός.
Do you see of how many good things gold is the cause, if indeed it transforms even the uglier and makes them lovely like that poetic girdle?
ἀκούεις δὲ καὶ τῶν ποιητῶν λεγόντων· "
ὦ χρυσέ, δεξίωμα κάλλιστον
"
καὶ χρυσὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὃς βροτῶν ἔχει κράτη. ἀλλὰ τί μεταξὺ ἐγέλασας, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών;
And you hear the poets saying: 'O gold, most beautiful welcome-gift,' and 'For it is gold that holds sway over mortals.' But why did you laugh in the midst, O cock?