§1Ζεύς
σὺ μὲν διατίθει τὰ βάθρα καὶ παρασκεύαζε τὸν τόπον τοῖς ἀφικνουμένοις, σὺ δὲ στῆσον ἑξῆς παραγαγὼν τοὺς βίους, ἀλλὰ κοσμήσας πρότερον, ὡς εὐπρόσωποι φανοῦνται καὶ ὅτι πλείστους ἐπάξονται· σὺ δέ, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, κήρυττε καὶ συγκάλει.
Zeus: You, arrange the benches and prepare the place for the newcomers, and you, bring forward and set the lives in order, but dress them up first, so that they will appear attractive and draw as many as possible; and you, Hermes, make the proclamation and call them together.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ τοὺς ὠνητὰς ἤδη παρεῖναι πρὸς τὸ πωλητήριον.
Hermes: With good fortune, let the buyers now be present at the sale-room.
ἀποκηρύξομεν δὲ βίους φιλοσόφους παντὸς εἴδους καὶ προαιρέσεων ποικίλων.
We shall auction philosophical lives of every kind and of various sects.
εἰ δέ τις τὸ παραυτίκα μὴ ἔχει τἀργύριον καταβαλέσθαι, εἰς νέωτα ἐκτίσει καταστήσας ἐγγυητήν.
If anyone does not have the cash to pay down on the spot, he shall pay next year, having set up a guarantor.
Ζεύς
πολλοὶ συνίασιν· ὥστε χρὴ μὴ διατρίβειν μηδὲ κατέχειν αὐτούς.
Zeus: Many are gathering; so we must not waste time or keep them waiting.
πωλῶμεν οὖν.
Let us sell then.
§2Ἑρμῆς
τίνα πρῶτον ἐθέλεις παραγάγωμεν;
Hermes: Whom do you want us to bring forward first?
Ζεύς
τουτονὶ τὸν κομήτην, τὸν Ἰωνικόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ σεμνός τις εἶναι φαίνεται.
Zeus: This long-haired one, the Ionian, since he also seems to be someone solemn.
Ἑρμῆς
οὗτος ὁ Πυθαγορικὸς κατάβηθι καὶ πάρεχε σεαυτὸν ἀναθεωρεῖσθαι τοῖς συνειλεγμένοις.
Hermes: You, the Pythagorean, step down and offer yourself to be inspected by those gathered.
Ζεύς
κήρυττε δή.
Zeus: Proclaim then.
Ἑρμῆς
τὸν ἄριστον βίον πωλῶ, τὸν σεμνότατον.
Hermes: I sell the best life, the most solemn.
τίς ὠνήσεται;
Who will buy?
τίς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι βούλεται;
Who wants to be above man?
τίς εἰδέναι τὴν τοῦ παντὸς ἁρμονίαν καὶ ἀναβιῶναι πάλιν;
Who wants to know the harmony of the universe and to live again?
Ἀγοράστης
τὸ μὲν εἶδος οὐκ ἀγεννής.
Buyer: In appearance he is not ignoble.
τί δὲ μάλιστα οἶδεν;
What does he know best?
Ἑρμῆς
ἀριθμητικήν, ἀστρονομίαν, τερατείαν, γεωμετρίαν, μουσικήν, γοητείαν.
Hermes: Arithmetic, astronomy, wonder-working, geometry, music, wizardry.
μάντιν ἄκρον βλέπεις.
You look upon a consummate seer.
Ἀγοράστης
ἔξεστιν αὐτὸν ἀνακρίνειν;
Buyer: Is it permitted to question him?
Ἑρμῆς
ἀνάκρινε ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ.
Hermes: Question him, with good fortune.
§3Ἀγοράστης
ποδαπὸς εἶ σύ;
Buyer: Where do you come from?
Πυθαγόρας
Σάμιος.
Pythagoras: From Samos.
Ἀγοράστης
ποῦ δὲ ἐπαιδεύθης;
Buyer: And where were you educated?
Πυθαγόρας
ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ παρὰ τοῖς ἐκεῖ σοφοῖσι.
Pythagoras: In Egypt, among the wise men there.
Ἀγοράστης
φέρε δέ, ἢν πρίωμαί σε, τί με διδάξει;
Buyer: Come now, if I buy you, what will you teach me?
Πυθαγόρας
διδάξομαι μὲν οὐδέν, ἀναμνήσω δέ.
Pythagoras: I shall teach you nothing, but I shall make you remember.
Ἀγοράστης
πῶς ἀναμνήσεις;
Buyer: How will you make me remember?
Πυθαγόρας
καθαρὴν πρότερον τὴν ψυχὴν ἐργασάμενος καὶ τὸν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ ῥύπον ἐκκλύσας.
Pythagoras: By first making your soul clean and washing away the dirt upon it.
Ἀγοράστης
καὶ δὴ νόμισον ἤδη ἐκκεκαθάρθαι με, τις ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἀναμνήσεως;
Buyer: And indeed, suppose me to have been already cleansed; what is the method of recollection?
Πυθαγόρας
τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡσυχίη μακρὴ καὶ ἀφωνίη καὶ πέντε ὅλων ἐτέων λαλέειν μηδέν.
Pythagoras: First, a long silence and speechlessness, and for five whole years to say nothing.
Ἀγοράστης
ὥρα σοι, ὦ βέλτιστε, τὸν Κροίσου παῖδα παιδεύειν· ἐγὼ γὰρ λάλος, οὐκ ἀνδριὰς εἶναι βούλομαι.
Buyer: It is time for you, my good man, to teach the son of Croesus; for I am talkative and do not wish to be a statue.
τί δὲ μετὰ τὴν σιωπὴν ὅμως καὶ τὴν πενταετίαν;
But what, nevertheless, after the silence and the five years?
Πυθαγόρας
Μουσουργίῃ καὶ γεωμετρίῃ ἐνασκήσεαι.
Pythagoras: You will exercise yourself in music-making and geometry.
Ἀγοράστης
χάριεν λέγεις, εἰ πρῶτόν με κιθαρῳδὸν γενόμενον κᾆτα εἶναι σοφὸν χρή.
Buyer: A pleasant prospect indeed, if I must first become a cithara-player and then be wise.
§4Πυθαγόρας
εἶτʼ ἐπὶ τουτέοισιν ἀριθμέειν.
Pythagoras: Then, after these things, to count.
Ἀγοράστης
οἶδα καὶ νῦν ἀριθμεῖν.
Buyer: I know how to count even now.
Πυθαγόρας
πῶς ἀριθμέεις;
Pythagoras: How do you count?
Ἀγοράστης
ἕν, δύο, τρία, τέτταρα.
Buyer: One, two, three, four.
Πυθαγόρας
ὁρᾷς;
Pythagoras: Do you see?
ἃ σὺ δοκέεις τέσσαρα, ταῦτα δέκα ἐστὶ καὶ τρίγωνον ἐντελὲς καὶ ἡμέτερον ὅρκιον.
What you think is four, these are ten, and a perfect triangle, and our oath.
Ἀγοράστης
οὐ μὰ τὸν μέγιστον τοίνυν ὅρκον τὰ τέτταρα, οὔποτε θειοτέρους λόγους ἤκουσα οὐδὲ μᾶλλον ἱερούς.
Buyer: Now by the greatest oath, the four, I never heard more divine words nor more sacred!
Πυθαγόρας
μετὰ δέ, ὦ ξεῖνε, εἴσεαι γῆς τε πέρι καὶ ἠέρος καὶ ὕδατος καὶ πυρὸς ἥτις αὐτέοισιν ἡ φορὴ καὶ ὁκοῖα ἐόντα μορφὴν ὅκως κινέονται.
Pythagoras: And after that, stranger, you shall know concerning earth and air and water and fire, what their motion is, and what form they have, and how they move.
Ἀγοράστης
μορφὴν γὰρ ἔχει τὸ πῦρ ἢ ἀὴρ ἢ ὕδωρ;
Buyer: Why, does fire or air or water have a form?
Πυθαγόρας
καὶ μάλα ἐμφανέα· οὐ γὰρ οἷά τε ἀμορφίῃ καὶ ἀσχημοσύνῃ κινέεσθαι.
Pythagoras: Indeed, very clear ones; for they cannot move with shapelessness and lack of form.
καὶ ἐπὶ τουτέοισι δὲ γνώσεαι τὸν θεὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐόντα καὶ νόον καὶ ἁρμονίην.
And besides these, you shall know that God is number and mind and harmony.
Ἀγοράστης
θαυμάσια λέγεις.
Buyer: You tell of wonders.
§5Πυθαγόρας
πρὸς δὲ τοῖσδεσι τοῖσιν εἰρημένοισι καὶ σεωυτὸν ἕνα δοκέοντα ἄλλον ὁρεόμενον καὶ ἄλλον ἐόντα εἴσεαι.
Pythagoras: And in addition to these things mentioned, you shall know that you yourself, who seem to be one, are seen as another and are another.
Ἀγοράστης
τί φής;
Buyer: What do you say?
ἄλλος εἰμὶ καὶ οὐχ οὗτος ὅσπερ νῦν πρὸς σὲ διαλέγομαι;
I am another, and not this person who is now talking to you?
Πυθαγόρας
νῦν μὲν οὗτος, πάλαι δὲ ἐν ἄλλῳ σώματι καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐνόματι ἐφαντάζεο· χρόνῳ δὲ αὖτις ἐς ἄλλον μεταβήσεαι.
Pythagoras: Now indeed this one, but formerly you appeared in another body and in another name; and in time you shall pass again into another.
Ἀγοράστης
τοῦτο φής, ἀθάνατον ἔσεσθαί με ἀλλαττόμενον ἐς μορφὰς πλείονας;
Buyer: Are you saying this, that I shall be immortal, changing into many forms?