§4Ἀλεκτρυών
φασὶ μὲν καὶ ταῦτα, ὦ Μίκυλλε, τὸ δὲ ἐμὸν ἑτεροῖόν τι ἐγένετο, καὶ πάνυ ἔναγχος εἰς ἀλεκτρυόνα σοι μεταβέβηκα.
Cock They say that too, Micyllus; but my case was somewhat different, and it is only very recently that I have changed into a cock for you.
Μίκυλλος
πῶς;
Micyllus How?
ἐθέλω γὰρ τοῦτο μάλιστα εἰδέναι.
For I especially want to know this.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἀκούεις τινὰ Πυθαγόραν Μνησαρχίδην Σάμιον;
Cock Have you heard of a certain Pythagoras, son of Mnesarchus, of Samos?
Μίκυλλος
τὸν σοφιστὴν λέγεις, τὸν ἀλαζόνα, ὃς ἐνομοθέτει μήτε κρεῶν γεύεσθαι μήτε κυάμους ἐσθίειν, ἥδιστον ἐμοὶ γοῦν ὄψον ἐκτράπεζον ἀποφαίνων, ἔτι δὲ πείθων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ὡς πρὸ τοῦ Πυθαγόρου Εὔφορβος γένοιτο;
Micyllus You mean the sophist, the braggart, who laid down laws neither to taste meat nor to eat beans—declaring what is to me at least the sweetest side-dish off the table to be forbidden—and who moreover persuaded people that before being Pythagoras he had been Euphorbus?
γόητά φασι καὶ τερατουργὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών.
They say he was a charlatan and a wonder-worker, O cock.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸς ἐγώ σοί εἰμι ὁ Πυθαγόρας.
Cock I am that very Pythagoras himself for you.
ὥστε παῦʼ, ὦγαθέ, λοιδορούμενός μοι, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ εἰδὼς οἷός τις ἦν τὸν τρόπον.
So stop, my good friend, abusing me, especially since you do not know what kind of character I was.
Μίκυλλος
τοῦτʼ αὖ μακρῷ ἐκείνου τερατωδέστερον, ἀλεκτρυὼν φιλόσοφος.
Micyllus This is far more monstrous than the other—a philosopher-cock!
εἰπὲ δὲ ὅμως, ὦ Μνησάρχου παῖ, ὅπως ἡμῖν ἀντὶ μὲν ἀνθρώπου ὄρνις, ἀντὶ δὲ Σαμίου Ταναγραῖος ἀναπέφηνας· οὐ πιθανὰ γὰρ ταῦτα οὐδὲ πάνυ πιστεῦσαι ῥᾴδια, ἐπεὶ καὶ δύʼ ἤδη μοι τετηρηκέναι δοκῶ πάνυ ἀλλότρια ἐν σοὶ τοῦ Πυθαγόρου.
But tell me nevertheless, O son of Mnesarchus, how you have appeared to us as a bird instead of a man, and as a Tanagraean instead of a Samian; for these things are not plausible, nor are they at all easy to believe, since I think I have already observed in you two things quite foreign to Pythagoras.
Ἀλεκτρυών
τὰ ποῖα;
Cock What sort of things?
Μίκυλλος
ἓν μὲν ὅτι λάλος εἶ καὶ κρακτικός, ὁ δὲ σιωπᾶν ἐς πέντε ὅλα ἔτη, οἶμαι, παρῄνει, ἕτερον δὲ καὶ παντελῶς παράνομον· οὐ γὰρ ἔχων ὅ τι σοι παραβάλοιμι εἰ μὴ κυάμους χθὲς ἧκον ὡς οἶσθα, καὶ σὺ οὐδὲ μελλήσας ἀνέλεξας αὐτούς·
Micyllus First, that you are talkative and noisy, whereas he, I think, advised keeping silence for five whole years; second, and completely unlawful: for yesterday, as you know, since I had nothing else to throw to you except beans, I came with them, and you, without even hesitating, picked them up.
ὥστε ἢ ἐψεῦσθαί σοι ἀνάγκη καὶ ἄλλῳ εἶναι ἢ Πυθαγόρᾳ ὄντι παρανενομηκέναι καὶ τὸ ἴσον ἠσεβηκέναι κυάμους φαγόντα ὡς ἂν εἰ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἐδηδόκεις.
So either you must be lying and be someone else, or, being Pythagoras, you must have broken the law and committed an equal impiety by eating beans, as if you had devoured your father's head.
§5Ἀλεκτρυών
οὐ γὰρ οἶσθα, ὦ Μίκυλλε, ἥτις αἰτία τούτων οὐδὲ τὰ πρόσφορα ἑκάστῳ βίῳ.
Cock For you do not know, Micyllus, what is the cause of these things, nor what is fitting for each life.
ἐγὼ δὲ τότε μὲν οὐκ ἤσθιον τῶν κυάμων, ἐφιλοσόφουν γάρ· νῦν δὲ φάγοιμʼ ἄν, ὀρνιθικὴ γὰρ καὶ οὐκ ἀπόρρητος ἡμῖν ἡ τροφή.
I, at that time, did not eat beans, for I was philosophizing; but now I would eat them, for this food belongs to birds and is not forbidden to us.
πλὴν ἀλλʼ εἴ σοι φίλον, ἄκουε ὅπως ἐκ Πυθαγόρου τοῦτο νῦν εἰμι καὶ ἐν οἵοις βίοις πρότερον ἐβιότευσα καὶ ἅτινα τῆς μεταβολῆς ἑκάστης ἀπολέλαυκα.
But if it is pleasing to you, hear how from Pythagoras I am now this, and in what kinds of lives I previously lived, and what I have enjoyed from each change.
Μίκυλλος
λέγοις ἄν· ὡς ἔμοιγε ὑπερήδιστον ἂν τὸ ἄκουσμα γένοιτο, ὥστε εἴ τις αἵρεσιν προθείη, πότερα μᾶλλον ἐθέλω σοῦ ἀκούειν τὰ τοιαῦτα διεξιόντος ἢ τὸν πανευδαίμονα ὄνειρον ἐκεῖνον αὖθις ὁρᾶν τὸν μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν, οὐκ οἶδα ὁπότερον ἂν ἑλοίμην· οὕτως ἀδελφὰ ἡγοῦμαι τὰ σὰ τοῖς ἡδίστοις φανεῖσι καὶ ἐν ἴσῃ ὑμᾶς τιμῇ ἄγω, σέ τε καὶ τὸ πολυτίμητον ἐνύπνιον.
Micyllus Do speak; for to me at least the hearing would be most pleasant, so that if someone should offer a choice, whether I prefer to hear you relating such things or to see again that all-happy dream of a little while ago, I do not know which of the two I would choose; so brotherly do I consider your words to those sweetest things that appeared, and in equal honor do I hold you both, you and that highly prized dream.
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἔτι γὰρ σὺ ἀναπεμπάζῃ τὸν ὄνειρον ὅστις ποτὲ ὁ φανείς σοι ἦν καί τινα ἰνδάλματα μάταια διαφυλάττεις, κενὴν καὶ ὡς ὁ ποιητικὸς λόγος φησὶν ἀμενηνήν τινα εὐδαιμονίαν τῇ μνήμῃ μεταδιώκων;
Cock Are you indeed still counting over the dream, whatever it was that appeared to you, and preserving some vain phantoms, pursuing with your memory a vacant and, as the poetic phrase says, 'strengthless' happiness?
§6Μίκυλλος
ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐπιλήσομαί ποτε, ὦ ἀλεκτρυών, εὖ ἴσθι, τῆς ὄψεως ἐκείνης· οὕτω μοι πολὺ τὸ μέλι ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁ ὄνειρος καταλιπὼν ᾤχετο, ὡς μόγις ἀνοίγειν τὰ βλέφαρα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς ὕπνον αὖθις κατασπώμενα.
Micyllus Indeed, I shall never forget that sight, O cock, be well assured; so much honey did the dream leave in my eyes when it departed, so that with difficulty do I open my eyelids, which are dragged down by it into sleep again.
οἷον γοῦν ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶ τὰ πτερὰ ἐργάζεται στρεφόμενα, τοιοῦτον γάργαλον παρείχετό μοι τὰ ὁρώμενα.
Such a tickling sensation as feathers turned in the ears produce, did the things seen afford me.
Ἀλεκτρυών
Ἡράκλεις, δεινόν τινα φὴς τὸν ὄνειρον, εἴ γε πτηνὸς ὤν, ὥς φασιν, καὶ ὅρον ἔχων τῆς πτήσεως τὸν ὕπνον ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσκαμμένα ἤδη πηδᾷ καὶ ἐνδιατρίβει ἀνεῳγόσι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μελιχρὸς οὕτως καὶ ἐναργὴς φαινόμενος·
Cock By Heracles, you speak of a strange dream indeed, if, being winged as they say, and having sleep as the limit of its flight, it already leaps beyond the bounds and lingers before your open eyes, appearing so sweet and vivid.
ἐθέλω γοῦν ἀκοῦσαι οἷός τίς ἐστιν οὕτω σοι τριπόθητος ὤν.
At any rate, I wish to hear what kind of thing it is that is so much yearned for by you.
Μίκυλλος
ἕτοιμος λέγειν· ἡδὺ γοῦν τὸ μεμνῆσθαι καὶ διεξιέναι τι περὶ αὐτοῦ.
Micyllus I am ready to tell you; for indeed it is sweet to remember and to relate something about it.
σὺ δὲ πηνίκα, ὦ Πυθαγόρα, διηγήσῃ τὰ περὶ τῶν μεταβολῶν;
But when, Pythagoras, will you relate the story of your changes?
Ἀλεκτρυών
ἐπειδὰν σύ, ὦ Μίκυλλε, παύσῃ ὀνειρώττων καὶ ἀποψήσῃ ἀπὸ τῶν βλεφάρων τὸ μέλι·
Cock Whenever you, Micyllus, stop dreaming and wipe the honey from your eyelids.
νῦν δὲ πρότερος εἰπέ, ὡς μάθω εἴτε διὰ τῶν ἐλεφαντίνων πυλῶν εἴτε διὰ τῶν κερατίνων σοι ὁ ὄνειρος ἧκε πετόμενος.
But now tell me first, so that I may learn whether the dream came flying to you through the gates of ivory or through those of horn.
Μίκυλλος
οὐδὲ διʼ ἑτέρας τούτων, ὦ Πυθαγόρα.
Micyllus Through neither of these, Pythagoras.
Ἀλεκτρυών
καὶ μὴν Ὅμηρος δύο ταύτας μόνας λέγει.
Cock And yet Homer says there are only these two.
Μίκυλλος
ἔα χαίρειν τὸν λῆρον ἐκεῖνον ποιητὴν οὐδὲν εἰδότα ὀνείρων πέρι.
Micyllus Let that silly poet go, who knows nothing about dreams.
οἱ πένητες ἴσως ὄνειροι διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἐξίασιν, οἵους ἐκεῖνος ἑώρα οὐδὲ πάνυ σαφῶς τυφλὸς αὐτὸς ὤν, ἐμοὶ δὲ διὰ χρυσῶν τινων πυλῶν ὁ ἥδιστος ἀφίκετο, χρυσοῦς καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ χρυσᾶ πάντα περιβεβλημένος καὶ πολὺ ἐπαγόμενος χρυσίον.
Poor dreams, perhaps, go out through such gates, the kind that he saw, and not very clearly, being blind himself. But to me, the sweetest dream arrived through certain golden gates, being golden itself, clad in all things golden, and bringing much gold with it.
Ἀλεκτρυών
παῦε, ὦ Μίδα βέλτιστε, χρυσολογῶν· ἀτεχνῶς γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνου σοι εὐχῆς τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ μέταλλα ὅλα χρύσεια κεκοιμῆσθαί μοι δοκεῖς.
Cock Stop, my good Midas, talking of gold; for your dream seems to me to be simply from his wish, and you seem to have slept over whole gold mines.