Lucian · The Ship or The Wishes §15-18

The Game of Wishes and Adeimantus's Desire for Gold

Passage 4 of 11 · Greek

Summary

Adeimantus is annoyed at being teased and threatens to return to his ship, but Timolaus proposes a game where the four friends take turns making wishes to the gods on their way back to Athens. Adeimantus goes first, wishing to own the Egyptian ship, all its contents, and for its cargo of wheat to turn into gold darics.

§15ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ Ὁρᾷς;

ADEIMANTUS "See?

διὰ τοῦτο ὤκνουν εἰπεῖν ἃ ἐνενόουν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐν γέλωτι καὶ σκώμματι ποιήσεσθέ μου τὴν εὐχήν.

That's why I hesitated to tell you what I was thinking, knowing that you would make my wish a laughing-stock and a mockery.

ὥστε ἐπιστὰς μικρόν, ἔστ' ἂν ὑμεῖς προχωρήσητε, ἀποπλευσοῦμαι πάλιν ἐπὶ τῆς νεώς.

Therefore, having waited a little, until you pass on ahead, I will sail away back to my ship.

πολὺ γὰρ ἄμεινον τοῖς ναύταις προσλαλεῖν ἢ ὑφ' ὑμῶν καταγελᾶσθαι. ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Μηδαμῶς, ἐπεὶ συνεμβησόμεθά σοι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπιστάντες. ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ Ἀλλὰ ὑφαιρήσω τὴν ἀποβάθραν προεισελθών. ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Οὐκοῦν ἡμεῖς γε προσνηξόμεθα ὑμῖν.

For it is much better to chat with the sailors than to be laughed at by you." LYCINUS "Not at all, for we will also go on board with you, after waiting." ADEIMANTUS "But I will pull up the gangway, going on board first." LYCINUS "Then we will swim to you.

μὴ γὰρ οἴου σοὶ μὲν εἶναι ῥᾴδιον τηλικαῦτα πλοῖα κτᾶσθαι μήτε πριαμένῳ μήτε ναυπηγησαμένῳ, ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ αἰτήσομεν παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐπὶ πολλοὺς σταδίους ἀκμῆτες δύνασθαι νεῖν;

For do you think that it is easy for you to acquire such great ships without either buying or building them, but we cannot ask from the gods the ability to swim for many stadia without getting tired?

καίτοι πρῴην καὶ ἐς Αἴγιναν ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς Ἐνοδίας τελετὴν, οἶσθα, ἐν ἡλίκῳ σκαφιδίῳ πάντες ἅμα οἱ φίλοι τεττάρων ἕκαστος ὀβολῶν διεπλεύσαμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐδυσχέραινες ἡμᾶς συμπλέοντας, νῦν δὲ ἀγανακτεῖς, εἰ συνεμβησόμεθά σοι, καὶ τὴν ἀποβάθραν προεισελθὼν ἀφαιρεῖς;

And yet, the other day to Aegina for the festival of Enodia, you know, in how small a boat we all sailed together, all us friends, for four obols each, and you were not at all annoyed at our sailing together, but now you are angry if we go on board with you, and you pull up the gangway, going on board first?

ὑπερμαζᾷς γάρ, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, καὶ ἐς τὸν κόλπον οὐ πτύεις, οὐδὲ οἶσθα ὅστις ὢν ναυκληρεῖς.

You are indeed being too proud, Adeimantus, and you do not spit into your bosom, nor do you know who you are to be a ship-master.

οὕτως ἐπῆρέ σε ἡ οἰκία ἐν καλῷ τῆς πόλεως οἰκοδομηθεῖσα καὶ τῶν ἀκολούθων τὸ πλῆθος.

Thus has that house built in a fine part of the city and the multitude of attendants puffed you up.

ἀλλ’ ὦγαθέ, πρὸς τῆς Ἴσιδος κἂν τὰ Νειλῷα ταῦτα ταρίχη τὰ λεπτὰ μέμνησο ἡμῖν ἄγειν ἀπ' Αἰγύπτου ἢ μύρον ἀπὸ τοῦ Κανώπου ἢ ἶβιν ἐκ Μέμφιδος, εἰ δὲ ἡ ναῦς ἐδύνατο, καὶ τῶν πυραμίδων μίαν. §16ΤΙΜΟΛΑΟΣ Ἅλις παιδιᾶς, ὦ Λυκῖνε.

But, my good friend, by Isis, remember to bring us from Egypt at least those cheap Nile salted fish, or perfume from Canopus, or an ibis from Memphis, and, if the ship were able, even one of the pyramids." TIMOLAUS "Enough of joking, Lycinus.

ὁρᾷς, ὡς ἐρυθριᾶν Ἀδείμαντον ἐποίησας πολλῷ τῷ γέλωτι ἐπικλύσας τὸ πλοῖον, ὡς ὑπέραντλον εἶναι καὶ μηκέτι ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὸ ἐπιρρέον;

Do you see how you made Adeimantus blush, flooding his ship with so much laughter, so that it is waterlogged and no longer holds out against the inflow?

Καὶ ἐπείπερ ἔτι πολὺ ἡμῖν τὸ λοιπόν ἐστιν πρὸς τὸ ἄστυ, διελόμενοι τετραχῆ τὴν ὁδὸν κατὰ τοὺς ἐπιβάλλοντας ἑκάστῳ σταδίους αἰτῶμεν ἅπερ ἂν δοκῇ παρὰ τῶν θεῶν.

And since we still have a long way to go to the city, dividing the road into four parts according to the stadia falling to each, let us ask from the gods whatever we please.

οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἡμᾶς ὅ τε κάματος λάθοι καὶ ἅμα εὐφρανούμεθα ὥσπερ ἡδίστῳ ὀνείρατι ἑκουσίῳ περιπεσόντες, ἐφ' ὅσον βουλόμεθα, εὖ ποιήσοντι ἡμᾶς· παρ' αὐτῷ γὰρ ἑκάστῳ ἔστω τὸ μέτρον τῆς εὐχῆς, καὶ οἱ θεοὶ πάντα ὑποκείσθωσαν παρέξοντες, εἰ καὶ τῇ φύσει ἀπίθανα ἔσται.

For thus we wouldn't notice the fatigue, and at the same time we would enjoy ourselves, as if having fallen into a most pleasant voluntary dream, for as long as we want, which will do us good; for let the measure of the wish be in each man's hands, and let the gods be assumed to provide everything, even if they are impossible in nature.

τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, ἐπίδειξις ἔσται τὸ πρᾶγμα ὅστις ἂν ἄριστα χρήσαιτο τῷ πλούτῳ καὶ τῇ εὐχῇ, δηλώσει γὰρ οἷος ἂν καὶ πλουτήσας ἐγένετο. §17ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ Καλῶς, ὦ Τιμόλαε, καὶ πείθομαί σοι καὶ ὅταν ὁ καιρὸς καλῇ, εὔξομαι ἅπερ ἂν δοκῇ.

And most of all, the matter will be a demonstration of who would use wealth and wishes best, for it will show what kind of person each would have become even if they grew rich." SAMIPPUS "Excellent, Timolaus, and I agree with you, and when the opportunity calls, I will pray for whatever I please.

εἰ μὲν γὰρ Ἀδείμαντος βούλεται, οὐδὲ ἐρωτᾶν οἶμαι, ὅς γε δὴ ἐν τῇ νηΐ τὸν ἕτερον πόδα ἔχει.

For as for whether Adeimantus wishes, I don't think we even need to ask, since he indeed already has one foot in the ship.

χρὴ δὲ καὶ Λυκίνῳ δοκεῖν. ΛΡΚΙΝΟΣ Ἀλλὰ πλουτῶμεν, εἰ τοῦτο ἄμεινον, μὴ καὶ βασκαίνειν ἐν ταῖς κοιναῖς εὐτυχίαις δοκῶ. ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ Τίς γοῦν πρῶτος ἄρξεται; ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ Σύ, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, εἶτα μετὰ σὲ οὑτοσὶ Σάμιππος, εἶτα Τιμόλαος, ἐγὼ δὲ ὀλίγον ὅσον ἡμιστάδιον τὸ πρὸ τοῦ Διπύλου ἐπιλήψομαι τῇ εὐχῇ, καὶ τοῦτο ὡς οἷόν τε παραδραμών. §18ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ Οὐκοῦν ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲ νῦν ἀποστήσομαι τῆς νεώς, ἀλλ’, ἐπείπερ ἔξεστιν, ἐπιμετρήσω τῇ εὐχῇ.

And Lycinus too must agree." LYCINUS "Well, let us grow rich, if that is better, lest I seem to look with an evil eye upon our common good fortune." ADEIMANTUS "Who then will begin first?" LYCINUS "You, Adeimantus, then after you this Samippus here, then Timolaus, and I, taking a little, about half a stadium before the Dipylon, will lay hold of my wish, and that too while running past as fast as possible." ADEIMANTUS "Then indeed I will not even now stand aloof from the ship, but, since it is permitted, I will measure out my wish fully.

ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς ὁ κερδῷος ἐπινευσάτω ἅπασιν.

And let Hermes the bringer of gain nod assent to all.

ἔστω γὰρ τὸ πλοῖον καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ πάντα ἐμὰ καὶ ὁ φόρτος οἱ ἔμποροι αἱ γυναῖκες οἱ ναῦται καὶ ἄλλο εἴ τι ἥδιστον κτημάτων ἁπάντων. ΣΑΜΙΠΠΟΣ Λέληθας σεαυτὸν ἔχων ἐν τῇ νηΐ.

For let the ship and everything in it be mine, and the cargo, the merchants, the women, the sailors, and anything else that is the sweetest of all possessions." SAMIPPUS "You have escaped your own notice having [something] on the ship." ADEIMANTUS "You mean the boy, Samippus, the one with long hair?

ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ Τὸν παῖδα φής, ὦ Σάμιππε, τὸν κομήτην. κἀκεῖνος οὖν ἔστω ἐμός.

Yes, let him too be mine.

ὁπόσος δὲ ὁ πυρὸς ἔνδον ἐστίν, οὗτος ὁ ἀριθμὸς ἅπας χρυσίον ἐπίσημον γενέσθω, τοσοῦτοι δαρεικοί.

And however much wheat is inside, let this entire amount become coined gold, so many darics."

Notes

p.v.6.p.448ὅτι ἐν γέλωτι καὶ σκώμματι ποιήσεσθέ μου τὴν εὐχήν — The prepositional phrases `ἐν γέλωτι` and `σκώμματι` function as predicative complements to the verb `ποιήσεσθε`, creating the meaning "to turn my wish into laughter and mockery." The preposition `ἐν` is used here to indicate the state or form into which something is made.
p.v.6.p.448ὅστις ὢν ναυκληρεῖς — The participle `ὢν`, agreeing with the relative pronoun `ὅστις`, functions as a predicative complement emphasizing the status or nature of the subject (second person singular), conveying a reproach: "not knowing what kind of person you are to be a ship-master."
p.v.6.p.448ὡς ὑπέραντλον εἶναι — The expression of result introduced by the conjunction `ὡς` with the infinitive `εἶναι`. The semantic subject of the infinitive is expressed in the accusative by the preceding `τὸ πλοῖον` (the ship), showing the metaphorical result: "so that it is waterlogged."
p.v.6.p.448οἷος ἂν καὶ πλουτήσας ἐγένετο — A counterfactual construction in an indirect question, formed by `ἄν` with the past indicative (aorist) `ἐγένετο`. The aorist participle `πλουτήσας` serves as the protasis (equivalent to `εἰ ἐπλούτησας`, "if he had become rich"), meaning "what kind of person he would have become if he indeed had grown rich."
p.v.6.p.452Λέληθας σεαυτὸν ἔχων — An idiomatic construction of the verb `λανθάνω` with the accusative of the reflexive pronoun `σεαυτόν` and the nominative participle `ἔχων`. Since the subject of the main verb (second person singular) and the semantic subject of the participle are identical, the participle is in the nominative rather than the accusative, meaning "you have escaped your own notice having [the boy] on board."

Cite this passage

Lucian, The Ship or The Wishes §15-18. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0062.tlg065.humanitext-grc3:15-18

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