§3Χάρων
οἶσθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, ἅπερ εἴωθα λέγειν ἐγὼ πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐπειδὰν πλέωμεν;
Charon Do you know, Hermes, what I am accustomed to say to you all whenever we are sailing?
ὁπόταν γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα καταιγίσαν πλαγίᾳ τῇ ὀθόνῃ ἐμπέσῃ καὶ τὸ κῦμα ὑψηλὸν ἀρθῇ, τότε ὑμεῖς μὲν ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας κελεύετε τὴν ὀθόνην στεῖλαι ἢ ἐνδοῦναι ὀλίγον τοῦ ποδὸς ἢ συνεκδραμεῖν τῷ πνεύματι, ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν παρακελεύομαι ὑμῖν·
For whenever a gust of wind strikes with a slanting sail and the wave is raised high, then you, out of ignorance, order me to furl the sail, or to slacken the sheet a little, or to run with the wind, but I advise you to keep quiet, for I myself know what is best.
αὐτὸς γὰρ εἰδέναι τὸ βέλτιον. κατὰ ταὐτὰ δὴ καὶ σὺ πρᾶττε ὁπόσα καλῶς ἔχειν νομίζεις κυβερνήτης νῦν γε ὤν· ἐγὼ δέ, ὥσπερ ἐπιβάταις νόμος, σιωπῇ καθεδοῦμαι πάντα πειθόμενος κελεύοντί σοι.
In the very same way, you too do whatever you think is well, since you are the helmsman now; and I, as is the custom for passengers, will sit in silence, obeying you in everything you order.
Ἑρμῆς
ὀρθῶς λέγεις· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴσομαι τί ποιητέον καὶ ἐξευρήσω τὴν ἱκανὴν σκοπήν.
Hermes You speak correctly; for I myself shall know what must be done, and I shall find a sufficient lookout.
ἆρʼ οὖν ὁ Καύκασος ἐπιτήδειος ἢ ὁ Παρνασσὸς ἢ ὑψηλότερος ἀμφοῖν ὁ Ὄλυμπος ἐκεινοσί;
Well then, is Caucasus suitable, or Parnassus, or Olympus yonder, which is higher than both?
καίτοι οὐ φαῦλον ὃ ἀνεμνήσθην ἐς τὸν Ὄλυμπον ἀπιδών· συγκαμεῖν δέ τι καὶ ὑπουργῆσαι καὶ σὲ δεῖ.
And yet it was not a bad thing that I remembered when looking towards Olympus; but you too must labor together and help in some way.
Χάρων
πρόσταττε· ὑπουργήσω γὰρ ὅσα δυνατά.
Charon Give orders; for I will help as much as possible.
Ἑρμῆς
Ὅμηρος ὁ ποιητής φησι τοὺς Ἀλωέως υἱέας, δύο καὶ αὐτοὺς ὄντας, ἔτι παῖδας ἐθελῆσαί ποτε τὴν Ὄσσαν ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασπάσαντας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ, εἶτα τὸ Πήλιον ἐπʼ αὐτῇ, ἱκανὴν ταύτην κλίμακα ἕξειν οἰομένους καὶ πρόσβασιν ἐπὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.
Hermes Homer the poet says that the sons of Aloeus, being themselves also two, while still children, once wished to tear up Ossa from its foundations and place it upon Olympus, and then Pelion upon it, thinking that they would have this as a sufficient ladder and access to heaven.
ἐκείνω μὲν οὖν τὼ μειρακίω, ἀτασθάλω γὰρ ἤστην, δίκας ἐτισάτην· νὼ δὲ — οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν θεῶν ταῦτα βουλεύομεν — τί οὐχὶ οἰκοδομοῦμεν καὶ αὐτοὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐπικυλινδοῦντες ἐπάλληλα τὰ ὄρη, ὡς ἔχοιμεν ἀφʼ ὑψηλοτέρου ἀκριβεστέραν τὴν σκοπήν;
Those two youths indeed, since they were impious, paid the penalty; but we two—for we are not planning these things to the harm of the gods—why do we not also build in the same way, rolling the mountains one upon another, so that we may have a more precise lookout from a higher place?
§4Χάρων
καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύʼ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;
Charon And shall we be able, Hermes, being only two, to lift and place Pelion or Ossa upon another?
Ἑρμῆς
διὰ τί δʼ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων;
Hermes And why not, Charon?
ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;
Or do you deem us to be more ignoble than those two babes, and that too though we are gods?
Χάρων
οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.
Charon No, but the business seems to me to possess an incredible magnitude.
Ἑρμῆς
εἰκότως· ἰδιώτης γὰρ εἶ, ὦ Χάρων, καὶ ἥκιστα ποιητικός· ὁ δὲ γεννάδας Ὅμηρος ἀπὸ δυοῖν στίχοιν αὐτίκα ἡμῖν ἀμβατὸν ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανόν, οὕτω ῥᾳδίως συνθεὶς τὰ ὄρη.
Hermes Naturally; for you are a layman, Charon, and not at all poetic; but the noble Homer made heaven accessible to us immediately with two verses, so easily did he put the mountains together.
καὶ θαυμάζω εἴ σοι ταῦτα τεράστια εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸν Ἄτλαντα δηλαδὴ εἰδότι, ὃς τὸν πόλον αὐτὸν εἷς ὢν φέρει ἀνέχων ἡμᾶς ἅπαντας.
And I wonder if these things seem to you to be portents, knowing Atlas, of course, who, being one, carries the heaven itself, holding up all of us.
ἀκούεις δέ γε ἴσως καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πέρι τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, ὡς διαδέξαιτό ποτε αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος τὸν Ἄτλαντα, καὶ ἀναπαύσειε πρὸς ὀλίγον τοῦ ἄχθους ὑποθεὶς ἑαυτὸν τῷ φορτίῳ.
And you have probably heard also about my brother Heracles, how he himself once succeeded Atlas, and gave him rest for a little from his burden, placing himself under the load.
Χάρων
ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα· εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.
Charon I hear these things too; but whether they are true, you, Hermes, and the poets would know.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀληθέστατα, ὦ Χάρων.
Hermes Most true, Charon.
ἢ τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκα σοφοὶ ἄνδρες ἐψεύδοντο ἄν;
For why indeed would wise men tell lies?
ὥστε ἀναμοχλεύωμεν τὴν Ὄσσαν πρῶτον, ὥσπερ ἡμῖν ὑφηγεῖται τὸ ἔπος καὶ ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων Ὅμηρος,
"
αὐτὰρ ἐπʼ Ὄσσῃ
Πήλιον εἰνοσίφυλλον.
So let us pry up Ossa first, just as the verse and the architect Homer guide us: "And upon Ossa Pelion with shaking leaves.
"
ὁρᾷς ὅπως ῥᾳδίως ἅμα καὶ ποιητικῶς ἐξειργασάμεθα;
"Do you see how easily and at the same time poetically we have accomplished it?
φέρʼ οὖν ἀναβὰς ἴδω, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ ἢ ἐποικοδομεῖν ἔτι δεήσει.
Come then, let me go up and see if these are sufficient or if it will be necessary to build further.
§5Ἑρμῆς
παπαῖ, κάτω ἔτι ἐσμὲν ἐν ὑπωρείᾳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἑῴων μόγις Ἰωνία καὶ Λυδία φαίνεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἑσπέρας οὐ πλέον Ἰταλίας καὶ Σικελίας, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἀρκτῴων τὰ ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ἴστρου μόνον, κἀκεῖθεν ἡ Κρήτη οὐ πάνυ σαφῶς.
Hermes Oh, we are still down in the foothills of heaven; for from the east, Ionia and Lydia are scarcely visible, and from the west, no more than Italy and Sicily, and from the north, only the regions on this side of the Ister, and from there Crete is not at all clear.
μετακινητέα ἡμῖν, ὦ πορθμεῦ, καὶ ἡ Οἴτη, ὡς ἔοικεν, εἶτα ὁ Παρνασσὸς ἐπὶ πᾶσιν.
We must also move Oeta, O ferryman, as it seems, and then Parnassus on top of all.
Χάρων
οὕτω ποιῶμεν.
Charon Let us do so.
ὅρα μόνον μὴ λεπτότερον ἐξεργασώμεθα τὸ ἔργον ἀπομηκύναντες πέρα τοῦ πιθανοῦ, εἶτα συγκαταρριφέντες αὐτῷ πικρᾶς τῆς Ὁμήρου οἰκοδομικῆς πειραθῶμεν συντριβέντες τῶν κρανίων.
Only see that we do not make the work too fragile by stretching it beyond belief, and then, being hurled down together with it, experience the bitter architecture of Homer with our skulls crushed.
Ἑρμῆς
θάρρει· ἀσφαλῶς γὰρ ἕξει ἅπαντα.
Hermes Be of good courage; for everything will be safe.
μετατίθει τὴν Οἴτην· ἐπικυλινδείσθω ὁ Παρνασσός.
Move Oeta; let Parnassus be rolled on.
ἰδοὺ δή, ἐπάνειμι αὖθις·
Behold, I go up again.
εὖ ἔχει· πάντα ὁρῶ·
It is well; I see everything.
ἀνάβαινε ἤδη καὶ σύ.
Come up now, you too.
Χάρων
ὄρεξον, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, τὴν χεῖρα· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ μικράν με ταύτην μηχανὴν ἀναβιβάζεις.
Charon Stretch out your hand, Hermes; for you are raising me up onto no small engine.
Ἑρμῆς
εἴ γε καὶ ἰδεῖν ἐθέλεις, ὦ Χάρων, ἅπαντα· οὐκ ἔνι δὲ ἄμφω καὶ ἀσφαλῆ καὶ φιλοθεάμονα εἶναι.
Hermes Since indeed you wish to see everything, Charon; but it is not possible to be both safe and fond of sightseeing.
ἀλλʼ ἔχου μου τῆς δεξιᾶς καὶ φείδου μὴ κατὰ τοῦ ὀλισθηροῦ πατεῖν.
But take hold of my right hand, and take care not to tread on the slippery part.
εὖ γε, ἀνελήλυθας καὶ σύ· καὶ ἐπείπερ δικόρυμβος ὁ Παρνασσός ἐστι, μίαν ἑκάτερος ἄκραν ἀπολαβόμενοι καθεζώμεθα· σὺ δέ μοι ἤδη ἐν κύκλῳ περιβλέπων ἐπισκόπει ἅπαντα.
Well done, you too have come up; and since Parnassus is double-peaked, let us sit down, each taking one peak; and now, looking around in a circle, observe everything for me.