§14Σίμων
καὶ μὴν αἱ ἄλλαι τέχναι τὸ τέλος ὕστερον τοῦτο ἔχουσι, μετὰ τὸ μαθεῖν καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς ἡδέως ἀπολαμβάνουσαι·
Simon And indeed, the other arts have this end later, after learning, and enjoy their fruits with pleasure.
πολλὴ γὰρ
καὶ ὄρθιος οἶμος ἐς αὐτάς· ἡ δὲ παρασιτικὴ μόνη τῶν ἄλλων εὐθὺς ἀπολαύει τῆς τέχνης ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ μανθάνειν, καὶ ἅμα τε ἄρχεται καὶ ἐν τῷ τέλει ἐστίν.
For "long and steep is the path to them." But the art of being a parasite alone among the others enjoys the art immediately in the learning itself, and at the same time it both begins and is in the end.
καὶ μέντοι τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν οὐ τινές, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαι ἐπὶ μόνην τὴν τροφὴν γεγόνασιν, ὁ δὲ παράσιτος εὐθὺς ἔχει τὴν τροφὴν ἅμα τῷ ἄρξασθαι τῆς τέχνης.
And indeed, not some but all of the other arts have come to exist for sustenance alone, but the parasite immediately has sustenance at the same time as beginning the art.
ἢ οὐκ ἐννοεῖς ὅτι ὁ μὲν γεωργὸς γεωργεῖ οὐ τοῦ γεωργεῖν ἕνεκα καὶ ὁ τέκτων τεκταίνεται οὐχὶ τοῦ τεκταίνεσθαι ἕνεκα, ὁ δὲ παράσιτος οὐχ ἕτερον μέν τι διώκει, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἔργον μὲν ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὗ ἕνεκα γίγνεται;
Or do you not consider that the farmer farms not for the sake of farming, and the carpenter works in wood not for the sake of working in wood, but the parasite does not pursue something else, but the very same thing is both his work and that for the sake of which it happens?
§15Σίμων
καὶ μὴν ἐκεῖνά γε οὐδείς ἐστιν ὅστις οὐκ ἐπίσταται, ὅτι οἱ μὲν τὰς λοιπὰς τέχνας ἐργαζόμενοι τὸν μὲν ἄλλον χρόνον ταλαιπωροῦσι, μίαν δὲ ἢ δύο μόνας τοῦ μηνὸς ἡμέρας ἱερὰς ἄγουσι, καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι λέγονται τότε· ὁ δὲ παράσιτος τοῦ μηνὸς τὰς τριάκονθʼ ἡμέρας ἱερὰς ἄγει· πᾶσαι γὰρ αὐτῷ δοκοῦσιν εἶναι τῶν θεῶν.
Simon And indeed, there is no one who does not know this, that those who work at the other arts toil during the rest of the time, but keep only one or two days of the month as holy, and are said to enjoy themselves then; but the parasite keeps the thirty days of the month as holy; for they all seem to him to belong to the gods.
§16Σίμων
ἔτι οἱ μὲν βουλόμενοι τὰς ἄλλας τέχνας κατορθοῦν ὀλιγοσιτίαις καὶ ὀλιγοποσίαις χρῶνται καθάπερ οἱ νοσοῦντες, πολυποσίαις δὲ καὶ πολυσιτίαις οὐκ ἔστιν εὐφραινόμενον μανθάνειν.
Simon Furthermore, those who wish to succeed in the other arts practice eating little and drinking little like those who are sick, since it is not possible to learn while enjoying oneself with much drinking and much eating.
§17Σίμων
καὶ αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι τέχναι χωρὶς ὀργάνων οὐδαμῶς τῷ κεκτημένῳ ὑπηρετεῖν δύνανται· οὔτε γὰρ αὐλεῖν ἔνι χωρὶς αὐλῶν οὔτε ψάλλειν ἄνευ λύρας οὔτε ἱππεύειν ἄνευ ἵππου· αὕτη δὲ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀγαθὴ καὶ οὐ βαρεῖα τῷ τεχνίτῃ, ὥστε ὑπάρχει καὶ μηδὲν ἔχοντι ὅπλον χρῆσθαι αὐτῇ.
Simon And indeed, the other arts are in no way able to serve their possessor without instruments; for it is not possible to play the flute without flutes, nor to play the lyre without a lyre, nor to ride without a horse; but this one is so good and not burdensome to the craftsman, that it is possible for him to use it even if he has no tool.
§18Σίμων
καὶ ὡς ἔοικεν ἄλλας τέχνας μανθάνομεν μισθὸν διδόντες, ταύτην δὲ λαμβάνοντες.
Simon And as it seems, we learn other arts by paying a fee, but this one by receiving it.
ἔτι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων τεχνῶν εἰσι διδάσκαλοί τινες, §19Σίμων
τῆς δὲ παρασιτικῆς οὐδείς, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἡ ποιητικὴ κατὰ Σωκράτη καὶ αὕτη τινὶ θείᾳ μοίρᾳ παραγίγνεται.
Furthermore, of the other arts there are some teachers, Simon but of the art of being a parasite, none; but just like poetry, according to Socrates, this one also comes to be present by some divine dispensation.
§20Σίμων
κἀκεῖνο δὲ σκόπει, ὅτι τὰς μὲν ἄλλας τέχνας ὁδεύοντες ἢ πλέοντες οὐ δυνάμεθα διαπράττεσθαι, ταύτῃ δέ ἐστι χρῆσθαι καὶ ἐν ὁδῷ καὶ πλέοντι.
Simon And consider that also, that while traveling or sailing, we are not able to practice the other arts, but it is possible to use this one both on the road and while sailing.
§21Τυχιάδης
πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Tychiades Most certainly.
Σίμων
καὶ μέντοι, ὦ Τυχιάδη, αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι τέχναι δοκοῦσί μοι ταύτης ἐπιθυμεῖν, αὕτη δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς ἑτέρας.
Simon And indeed, Tychiades, the other arts seem to me to desire this one, but this one desires no other.
Τυχιάδης
τί δέ, οὐχ οἱ τὰ ἀλλότρια λαμβάνοντες ἀδικεῖν σοι δοκοῦσι;
Tychiades What then? Do not those who take what belongs to others seem to you to do wrong?
Σίμων
πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
Simon Of course they do.
Τυχιάδης
πῶς οὖν ὁ παράσιτος τὰ ἀλλότρια λαμβάνων οὐκ ἀδικεῖ μόνος;
Tychiades How then is it that the parasite, who takes what belongs to others, alone does not do wrong?
§22Σίμων
οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν.
Simon I cannot say.
καὶ μὴν τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν αἱ ἀρχαὶ φαῦλαί τινες καὶ εὐτελεῖς εἰσι, τῆς δὲ παρασιτικῆς ἀρχὴ πάνυ γενναία τις· τὸ γὰρ θρυλούμενον τοῦτο τῆς φιλίας ὄνομα οὐκ ἂν ἄλλο τι εὕροις ἢ ἀρχὴν παρασιτικῆς.
And indeed, the origins of the other arts are cheap and mean, but the origin of the art of being a parasite is very noble; for you would find this celebrated name of friendship to be nothing other than the origin of the art of being a parasite.
Τυχιάδης
πῶς λέγεις;
Tychiades How do you mean?
Σίμων
ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐχθρὸν ἢ ἀγνῶτα ἄνθρωπον ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ συνήθη μετρίως ἐπὶ δεῖπνον καλεῖ, ἀλλὰ δεῖ πρότερον οἶμαι τοῦτον γενέσθαι φίλον, ἵνα κοινωνήσῃ σπονδῶν καὶ τραπέζης καὶ τῶν τῆς τέχνης ταύτης μυστηρίων.
Simon Because no one invites an enemy or a stranger, nor even a moderate acquaintance, to dinner, but it is necessary first, I think, for this person to become a friend, so that he may share in the libations and the table and the mysteries of this art.
ἐγὼ γοῦν πολλάκις ἤκουσά τινων λεγόντων,
ποταπὸς δὲ οὗτος φίλος ὅστις οὔτε βέβρωκεν οὔτε πέπωκεν μεθʼ ἡμῶν,
δῆλον ὅτι τὸν συμπίνοντα καὶ συνεσθίοντα μόνον πιστὸν φίλον ἡγουμένων.
At any rate, I have often heard some people saying: "What kind of friend is this who has neither eaten nor drunk with us?" clearly because they consider only the one who drinks and eats with them to be a faithful friend.
§23Σίμων
ὅτι γε μὴν ἡ βασιλικωτάτη τῶν τεχνῶν ἔστιν αὕτη, μάθοις ἂν καὶ ἐκ τοῦδε οὐχ ἥκιστα· τὰς μὲν γὰρ λοιπὰς τέχνας οὐ μόνον κακοπαθοῦντες καὶ ἱδροῦντες, ἀλλὰ νὴ Δία καθήμενοι καὶ ἑστῶτες ἐργάζονται ὥσπερ ἀμέλει δοῦλοι τῶν τεχνῶν, ὁ δὲ παράσιτος μεταχειρίζεται τὴν αὑτοῦ τέχνην ὡς βασιλεὺς κατακείμενος.
Simon And indeed, that this is the most kingly of arts, you might learn not least from this: for they practice the other arts not only toiling and sweating, but, by Zeus, sitting or standing, just like slaves of the arts, but the parasite practices his own art reclining like a king.