§40ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ
καὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ τόδε πῶς οὐ ταπεινόν, ὅτι καὶ νοσεῖς τὰ ὅμοια τοῖς ἰδιώταις καὶ ὁ πυρετὸς οὐ διαγιγνώσκει σε βασιλέα ὄντα οὐδ’ ὁ θάνατος δέδιε τοὺς δορυφόρους, ἀλλ’ ἐπιστάς, ὁπόταν αὐτῷ δοκῇ, ἄγει οἰμώζοντα οὐκ αἰδούμενος τὸ διάδημα;
LYCINUS "And indeed, how is this not also miserable, that you also fall ill in the same way as private citizens, and fever does not distinguish that you are a king, nor does death fear bodyguards, but standing over you, whenever it pleases him, leads you away wailing, having no respect for the diadem?
σὺ δὲ ὁ οὕτως ὑψηλὸς καταπεσὼν ἀνάσπαστος ἐκ τοῦ βασιλείου θρόνου τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἄπει τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἰσότιμος ἐλαυνόμενος ἐν τῇ ἀγέλῃ τῶν νεκρῶν, χῶμα ὑψηλὸν ὑπὲρ γῆς καὶ στήλην μακρὰν ἢ πυραμίδα εὔγραμμον τὰς γωνίας ἀπολιπών, ἐκπρόθεσμα καὶ ἀνεπαίσθητα φιλοτιμήματα.
And you, who were so high, having fallen, dragged down from your royal throne, will go the very same way as the crowd, driven as an equal in the herd of the dead, leaving behind a high mound of earth above the ground and a tall stele or a pyramid with well-lined corners—unseasonable and imperceptible objects of ambition.
εἰκόνες δὲ ἐκεῖναι καὶ νεῴ, οὓς ἀνιστᾶσιν αἱ πόλεις θεραπεύουσαι, καὶ τὸ μέγα ὄνομα πάντα κατ' ὀλίγον ὑπορρεῖ καὶ ἄπεισιν ἀμελούμενα.
Those statues and temples which the cities set up to flatter you, and that great name, all flow away little by little and depart, neglected.
ἢν δὲ καὶ ὅτι μάλιστα ἐπὶ πλεῖστον παραμείνῃ, τίς ἔτι ἀπόλαυσις ἀναισθήτῳ αὐτῷ γενομένῳ;
And even if they should remain as long as possible, what enjoyment is there still for one who has himself become insensible?
ὁρᾷς οἷα μὲν ἔτι ζῶν ἕξεις πράγματα δεδιὼς καὶ φροντίζων καὶ κάμνων, οἷα δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν ἔσται; §41ΛΥΚΙΝΟΣ
Ἀλλ' ἤδη σὸν αἰτεῖν, ὦ Τιμόλαε, καὶ ὅπως ὑπερβαλῇ τούτους, ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἄνδρα συνετὸν καὶ πράγμασιν χρῆσθαι εἰδότα. ΤΙΜΟΛΑΟΣ
Σκόπει γοῦν, ὦ Λυκῖνε, εἴ τι ἐπιλήψιμον εὔξομαι καὶ ὅ τι ἂν εὐθῦναί τις δυνηθείη.
Do you see what kind of troubles you will have while still alive, fearing and worrying and laboring, and what kind of things will follow even after your departure?" LYCINUS "But now it is your turn to make a wish, Timolaus, and see to it that you surpass these men, as is fitting for a sensible man who knows how to manage affairs." TIMOLAUS "Watch then, Lycinus, whether I pray for anything blameworthy and something that anyone could correct.
χρυσὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ θησαυροὺς καὶ μεδίμνους νομίσματος ἢ βασιλείας καὶ πολέμους καὶ δείματα ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρχῆς, εἰκότως διέβαλες, οὐκ αἰτήσομαι.
Gold, indeed, and treasures, and bushels of coin, or empires, and wars and fears for the sake of rule, you have rightly condemned; these I shall not ask for.
ἀβέβαια γὰρ ταῦτά γε καὶ πολλὰς τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ἔχοντα καὶ πλέον τοῦ ἡδέος τὸ ἀνιαρὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἦν.
For these things are unstable, and contain many plots, and the painful in them was more than the pleasant.
§42ΤΙΜΟΛΑΟΣ
ἐγὼ δὲ βούλομαι τὸν Ἑρμῆν ἐντυχόντα μοι δοῦναι δακτυλίους τινὰς τοιούτους τὴν δύναμιν, ἕνα μὲν ὥστε ἀεὶ ἐρρῶσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν τὸ σῶμα καὶ ἄτρωτον εἶναι καὶ ἀπαθῆ, ἕτερον δὲ ὡς μὴ ὁρᾶσθαι τὸν περιθέμενον, οἷος ἦν ὁ τοῦ Γύγου, τὸν δέ τινα ὡς ἰσχύειν ὑπὲρ ἄνδρας μυρίους καὶ ὅ τι ἂν ἄχθος ἅμα μυρίοι κινῆσαι μόλις δύναιντο, τοῦτο ἐμὲ ῥᾳδίως μόνον ἀνατίθεσθαι, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πέτεσθαι πολὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἀρθέντα, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο εἶναί μοι δακτύλιόν τινα.
TIMOLAUS But I want Hermes, meeting me, to give me some rings of such power: one so as always to be strong and healthy in body, and to be invulnerable and free from pain; another so that the wearer is not seen, of the kind that Gyges' was; another so as to be stronger than ten thousand men, and whatever burden ten thousand men together could scarcely move, that I alone should easily lift; and further, to fly, raised far up from the earth, and to have some ring for this purpose.
καὶ μὴν καὶ ἐς ὕπνον κατασπᾶν ὁπόσους ἂν ἐθέλω καὶ ἅπασαν θύραν προσιόντι μοι ἀνοίγεσθαι χαλωμένου τοῦ κλείθρου καὶ τοῦ μοχλοῦ ἀφαιρουμένου, ταῦτα ἀμφότερα εἷς δακτύλιος δυνάσθω.
And moreover, to cast into sleep as many as I wish, and that every door should open to me as I approach, the lock loosening and the bolt being removed—let one ring be capable of both of these things.
§43ΤΙΜΟΛΑΟΣ
τὸ δὲ μέγιστον ἄλλος τις ἔστω ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὁ ἥδιστος, ὡς ἐράσμιον εἶναί με περιθέμενον παισὶ τοῖς ὡραίοις καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ δήμοις ὅλοις καὶ μηδένα εἶναι ἀνέραστον καὶ ὅτῳ μὴ ποθεινότατος ἐγὼ καὶ ἀνὰ στόμα, ὥστε πολλὰς γυναῖκας οὐ φερούσας τὸν ἔρωτα καὶ ἀναρτᾶν ἑαυτὰς καὶ τὰ μειράκια ἐπιμεμηνέναι μοι καὶ εὐδαίμονα εἶναι δοκεῖν, εἴ τινα καὶ μόνον προσβλέψαιμι αὐτῶν, εἰ δ’ ὑπερορῴην, κἀκεῖνα ὑπὸ λύπης ἀπολλύσθω, καὶ ὅλως ὑπὲρ τὸν Ὑάκινθον ἢ Ὕλαν ἢ Φάωνα τὸν Χῖον εἶναί με.
TIMOLAUS And the greatest of all, let there be another one sweetest of all, so that by putting it on I may be beloved by beautiful boys, by women, and by whole peoples, and that there should be no one unloving, and to whom I am not most desired and on everyone's lips; so that many women, unable to bear their love, even hang themselves, and the young men are madly in love with me, and think themselves happy if I should even merely look at any of them, and if I should overlook them, they even perish from grief, and in short, that I may be beyond Hyacinthus or Hylas or Phaon the Chian."