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Lucian · Dialogues of The Sea-Gods §3.1-3.2

Alpheus' Love and Poseidon's Encouragement

Passage 3 of 15 · Greek

Summary

The sea-god Poseidon stops the river-god Alpheus, who flows through the sea without mixing, and upon learning that Alpheus is in love with the Sicilian spring Arethusa, encourages him and sends him on his way.

§3.1ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Τί τοῦτο, ὦ Ἀλφειέ;
ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ What is this, Alpheus?
μόνος τῶν ἄλλων ἐμπεσὼν ἐς τὸ πέλαγος οὔτε ἀναμίγνυσαι τῇ ἅλμῃ, ὡς νόμος ποταμοῖς ἅπασιν, οὔτε ἀναπαύεις σεαυτὸν διαχυθείς, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης συνεστὼς καὶ γλυκὺ φυλάττων τὸ ῥεῖθρον, ἀμιγὴς ἔτι καὶ καθαρὸς ἐπείγῃ οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπου βύθιος ὑποδὺς καθάπερ οἱ λάροι καὶ ἐρωδιοί;
Alone of the others, having fallen into the sea, you neither mix with the brine, as is the law for all rivers, nor do you rest yourself by being dispersed, but holding together through the sea and keeping your stream sweet, still unmixed and pure, you hasten I know not where, having dived into the deep just like gulls and herons?
καὶ ἔοικας ἀνακύψειν που καὶ αὖθις ἀναφανεῖν σεαυτόν. ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ Ἐρωτικόν τι τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστιν, ὦ Πόσειδον, ὥστε μὴ ἔλεγχε· ἠράσθης δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πολλάκις.
And you seem likely to emerge somewhere and show yourself again. ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ It is a matter of love, Poseidon, so do not cross-examine me; for you yourself have also been in love many times.
ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Γυναικός, ὦ Ἀλφειέ, ἢ νύμφης ἐρᾷς ἢ καὶ τῶν Νηρεΐδων ἁλίας;
ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Are you in love with a woman, Alpheus, or a nymph, or even one of the sea Nereids?
ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ πηγῆς, ὦ Πόσειδον. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Ἡ δὲ ποῦ σοι γῆς αὕτη ῥεῖ; ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ Νησιῶτίς ἐστι Σικελή· Ἀρέθουσαν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζουσιν.
ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ No, but with a spring, Poseidon. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ And where on earth does this flow for you? ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ It is a Sicilian islander; they call her Arethusa.
§3.2ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Οἶδα οὐκ ἄμορφον, ὦ Ἀλφειέ, τὴν Ἀρέθουσαν, ἀλλὰ διαυγής ἐστι καὶ διὰ καθαροῦ ἀναβλύζει καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπιπρέπει ταῖς ψηφῖσιν ὅλον ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν φαινόμενον ἀργυροειδές.
ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ I know Arethusa is not unbeautiful, Alpheus; indeed, she is translucent and gushes through pure ground, and her water shines over the pebbles, appearing entirely silvery above them.
ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ Ὡς ἀληθῶς οἶσθα τὴν πηγήν, ὦ Πόσειδον·
ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ How truly you know the spring, Poseidon!
παρ' ἐκείνην οὖν ἀπέρχομαι. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Ἀλλ' ἄπιθι μὲν καὶ εὐτύχει ἐν τῷ ἔρωτι· ἐκεῖνο δέ μοι εἰπέ, ποῦ τὴν Ἀρέθουσαν εἶδες αὐτὸς μὲν Ἀρκὰς ὤν, ἡ δὲ ἐν Συρακούσαις ἐστίν; ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ Ἐπειγόμενόν με κατέχεις, ὦ Πόσειδον, περίεργα ἐρωτῶν. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Εὖ λέγεις· χώρει παρὰ τὴν ἀγαπωμένην, καὶ ἀναδὺς ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης συναναμίγνυσο τῇ πηγῇ καὶ ἓν ὕδωρ γίγνεσθε.
It is to her side, therefore, that I am departing. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ Well, go then, and may you be fortunate in your love; but tell me this, where did you see Arethusa, since you yourself are Arcadian, while she is in Syracuse? ΑΛΦΕΙΟΣ You hold me back when I am in a hurry, Poseidon, asking inquisitive questions. ΠΟΣΕΙΔΩΝ You are right; go to your beloved, and emerging from the sea, mix together with the spring and become one water.

Notes

  1. §3.1διαχυθείς — Aorist passive participle of διαχέω (to disperse, scatter), expressing manner or means ('by being dispersed'), modifying ἀναπαύεις σεαυτόν (you rest yourself).
  2. §3.1ποῦ γῆς — An idiomatic expression consisting of the adverb of place ποῦ (where) and the partitive genitive γῆς (of the earth), meaning 'where on earth'.
  3. §3.2αὐτὸς μὲν Ἀρκὰς ὤν — The participle ὤν functions concessively ('although you yourself are Arcadian'), contrasted via μὲν ... δὲ with the clause ἥ δὲ ἐν Συρακούσαις ἐστίν ('while she is in Syracuse'), highlighting the geographical distance between Arcadia (Alpheus' origin) and Syracuse (Arethusa's location).
  4. §3.2γίγνεσθε — Second-person plural present imperative of γίγνομαι. Although Poseidon addresses Alpheus individually, he uses the plural to encompass both Alpheus and Arethusa, anticipating their union into a single body of water.

Cite this passage

Lucian, Dialogues of The Sea-Gods §3.1-3.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0062.tlg067.humanitext-grc3:3.1-3.2

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