§4Πτολεμαῖος γοῦν ὁ Λάγου δύο καινὰ ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἄγων, κάμηλόν τε Βακτριανὴν παμμέλαιναν καὶ δίχρωμον ἄνθρωπον, ὡς τὸ μὲν ἡμίτομον αὐτοῦ ἀκριβῶς μέλαν εἶναι, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον ἐς ὑπερβολὴν λευκόν, ἐπ' ἴσης δὲ μεμερισμένον, ἐς τὸ θέατρον συναγαγὼν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἐπεδείκνυτο αὐτοῖς ἄλλα τε πολλὰ θεάματα καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον καὶ ταῦτα, τὴν κάμηλον καὶ τὸν ἡμίλευκον ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ᾤετο ἐκπλήξειν τῷ θεάματι.
At any rate, Ptolemy the son of Lagus, bringing two novelties to Egypt—a completely black Bactrian camel, and a two-colored man, of whom one half was precisely black and the other exceedingly white, divided equally—gathered the Egyptians into the theater and exhibited to them many other spectacles, and finally these also, the camel and the half-white man, and he thought he would amaze them with the sight.
οἱ δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὴν κάμηλον ἐφοβήθησαν καὶ ὀλίγου δεῖν ἔφυγον ἀναθορόντες, καίτοι χρυσῷ πᾶσα ἐκεκόσμητο καὶ ἁλουργίδι ἐπέστρωτο καὶ ὁ χαλινὸς ἦν λιθοκόλλητος, Δαρείου τινὸς ἢ Καμβύσου ἢ Κύρου αὐτοῦ κειμήλιον.
But they, on the one hand, were terrified of the camel and almost jumped up and fled, although she was decorated all over with gold and covered with a purple cloth, and her bridle was studded with precious stones, a treasure once belonging to some Darius, or Cambyses, or Cyrus himself.
πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἱ μεν πολλοὶ ἐγέλων, οἱ δέ τινες ὡς ἐπὶ τέρατι ἐμυσάττοντο.
On the other hand, at the man, most of them laughed, while some shrank back in disgust as if at a monster.
ὥστε ὁ Πτολεμαῖος συνεὶς ὅτι οὐκ εὐδοκιμεῖ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς οὐδὲ θαυμάζεται ὑπὸ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἡ καινότης, ἀλλὰ πρὸ αὐτῆς τὸ εὔρυθμον καὶ τὸ εὔμορφον κρίνουσι, μετέστησεν αὐτὰ καὶ οὐκέτι διὰ τιμῆς ἦγεν ὡς πρὸ τοῦ.
So Ptolemy, realizing that novelty was not in good repute among them nor admired by the Egyptians, but that they judged rhythm and beauty before it, removed them and no longer held them in honor as before.
ἀλλ’ ἡ μὲν κάμηλος ἀπέθανεν ἀμελουμένη, τὸν ἄνθρωπον δὲ τὸν διττὸν Θέσπιδι τῷ αὐλητῇ ἐδωρήσατο καλῶς αὐλήσαντι παρὰ τὸν πότον.
Indeed, the camel died of neglect, while the dual-colored man he presented to Thespis the flute-player, who had played beautifully during the drinking.
§5Δέδοικα δὲ μὴ καὶ τοὐμὸν κάμηλος ἐν Αἰγυπτίοις ᾖ, οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι τὸν χαλινὸν ἔτι αὐτῆς θαυμάζωσι καὶ τὴν ἁλουργίδα, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τὸ ἐκ δυοῖν τοῖν καλλίστοιν συγκεῖσθαι, διαλόγου καὶ κωμῳδίας, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀπόχρη εἰς εὐμορφίαν, εἰ μὴ καὶ ἡ μῖξις ἐναρμόνιος καὶ κατὰ τὸ σύμμετρον γίγνοιτο.
I fear lest my work too should be a camel among the Egyptians, and that people might admire only her bridle and the purple cloth, since not even to be composed of the two most beautiful elements—dialogue and comedy—is sufficient for beauty, unless the mixture also becomes harmonious and in due proportion.
ἔστι γοῦν ἐκ δύο καλῶν ἀλλόκοτον τὴν ξυνθήκην εἶναι, οἷον ἐκεῖνο τὸ προχειρότατον, ὁ ἱπποκένταυρος· οὐ γὰρ ἂν φαίης ἐπέραστόν τι ζῷον τουτὶ γενέσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑβριστότατον, εἰ χρὴ πιστεύειν τοῖς ζωγράφοις ἐπιδεικνυμένοις τὰς παροινίας καὶ σφαγὰς αὐτῶν.
At any rate, from two beautiful things, the composition can be monstrous, like that most obvious example, the centaur; for you would not say that this creature became lovable, but rather extremely violent, if one must believe the painters who depict their drunken outrages and slaughters.
τί οὖν;
What then?
οὐχὶ καὶ ἔμπαλιν γένοιτ' ἂν εὔμορφόν τι ἐκ δυοῖν τοῖν ἀρίστοιν ξυντεθέν, ὥσπερ ἐξ οἴνου καὶ μέλιτος τὸ ξυναμφότερον ἥδιστον;
Could not indeed, on the contrary, something beautiful be composed of two excellent things, just as from wine and honey the mixture of both is most sweet?
φημὶ ἔγωγε.
I say so.
οὐ μὴν περί γε τῶν ἐμῶν ἔχω διατείνεσθαι ὡς τοιούτων ὄντων, ἀλλὰ δέδια μὴ τὸ ἑκατέρου κάλλος ἡ μῖξις συνέφθειρεν.
However, I cannot maintain concerning my own works that they are of such a kind, but I fear lest the mixture has destroyed the beauty of each.
§6Οὐ πάνυ γοῦν συνήθη καὶ φίλα ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἦν ὁ διάλογος καὶ ἡ κωμῳδία, εἴ γε ὁ μὲν οἴκοι καθ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ νὴ Δία ἐν τοῖς περιπάτοις μετ' ὀλίγων τὰς διατριβὰς ἐποιεῖτο, ἡ δὲ παραδοῦσα τῷ Διονύσῳ ἑαυτὴν θεάτρῳ ὡμίλει καὶ ξυνέπαιζε καὶ ἐγελωτοποίει καὶ ἐπέσκωπτε καὶ ἐν ῥυθμῷ ἔβαινε πρὸς αὐλὸν ἐνίοτε καὶ τὸ ὅλον ἀναπαίστοις μέτροις ἐποχουμένη τὰ πολλά.
For indeed, dialogue and comedy were not at all familiar or friendly from the beginning, if indeed the one spent his time at home by himself and, by Zeus, in the walks with a few companions, while the other, having surrendered herself to Dionysus, associated with the theater, played, made laughter, jested, and stepped in rhythm to the flute sometimes, and on the whole was carried along for the most part by anapestic meters.
τοὺς δὲ τοῦ διαλόγου ἑταίρους ἐχλεύαζε φροντιστὰς καὶ μετεωρολέσχας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προσαγορεύουσα.
And she mocked the companions of dialogue, calling them thinkers and star-gazers and suchlike.
καὶ μίαν ταύτην προαίρεσιν ἐπεποίητο ἐκείνους ἐπισκώπτειν καὶ τὴν Διονυσιακὴν ἐλευθερίαν καταχεῖν αὐτῶν, ἄρτι μὲν ἀεροβατοῦντας δεικνύουσα καὶ νεφέλαις ξυνόντας, ἄρτι δὲ ψυλλῶν πηδήματα διαμετροῦντας, ὡς δῆθεν τὰ ἀέρια λεπτολογουμένους.
And she made it her single purpose to mock them and pour Dionysian freedom over them, now showing them walking on air and keeping company with clouds, now measuring the leaps of fleas, as if they were forsooth hair-splitting over matters of the air.
ὁ διάλογος δὲ σεμνοτάτας ἐποιεῖτο τὰς συνουσίας φύσεώς τε πέρι καὶ ἀρετῆς φιλοσοφῶν.
But dialogue held most solemn gatherings, philosophizing about nature and virtue.
ὥστε, τὸ τῶν μουσικῶν τοῦτο, δὶς διὰ πασῶν εἶναι τὴν ἁρμονίαν, ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀξυτάτου ἐς τὸ βαρύτατον.
So that, as the musicians say, the harmony was two octaves apart, from the highest pitch to the lowest.
καὶ ὅμως ἐτολμήσαμεν ἡμεῖς τὰ οὕτως ἔχοντα πρὸς ἄλληλα ξυναγαγεῖν καὶ ξυναρμόσαι οὐ πάνυ πειθόμενα οὐδὲ εὐμαρῶς ἀνεχόμενα τὴν κοινωνίαν.
And yet we dared to bring together and harmonize things so disposed toward each other, which were not at all cooperative nor easily tolerating partnership.
§7Δέδια τοίνυν μὴ αὖθις ὅμοιόν τι τῷ Προμηθεῖ τῷ σῷ πεποιηκὼς φαίνωμαι τὸ θῆλυ τῷ ἄρρενι ἐγκαταμίξας καὶ δἰ αὐτὸ δίκην ὑπόσχω.
Therefore, I fear lest I should appear to have done something similar again to your Prometheus, by mixing the female with the male, and for this very reason pay the penalty.
μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ κατ' ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτος ἂν φανείην, ἐξαπατῶν ἴσως τοὺς ἀκούοντας καὶ ὀστᾶ παραθεὶς αὐτοῖς κεκαλυμμένα τῇ πιμελῇ, γέλωτα κωμικὸν ὑπὸ σεμνότητι φιλοσόφῳ.
Or rather, in another respect also I might appear to be such a person, perhaps deceiving the listeners and serving them bones covered with fat—namely, comic laughter under philosophical solemnity.
τὸ γὰρ τῆς κλεπτικῆς—καὶ γὰρ κλεπτικῆς ὁ θεός—ἄπαγε.
For as for theft—and indeed that god is a god of theft—heaven forbid!
τοῦτο μόνον οὐκ ἂν εἴποις ἐνεῖναι τοῖς ἡμετέροις.
You would not say that this alone is in my works.
ἢ παρὰ τοῦ γὰρ ἂν ἐκλέπτομεν;
For from whom would we steal?
εἰ μὴ ἄρα τις ἐμὲ διέλαθεν τοιούτους ἱπποκάμπους καὶ τραγελάφους καὶ αὐτὸς συντεθεικώς.
Unless indeed someone has escaped my notice by having himself also composed such hippocamps and goat-stags.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ τί ἂν πάθοιμι;
Nevertheless, what can I do?
ἐμμενετέον γὰρ οἷς ἅπαξ προειλόμην· ἐπεὶ τό γε μεταβουλεύεσθαι Ἐπιμηθέως ἔργον, οὐ Προμηθέως ἐστίν.
For I must abide by what I have once chosen; since changing one's mind is the work of Epimetheus, not of Prometheus.