§4.1ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Ἀλλὰ ὕδωρ μέν σε γενέσθαι, ὦ Πρωτεῦ, οὐκ ἀπίθανον, ἐνάλιόν γε ὄντα, καὶ δένδρον, ἔτι φορητόν, καὶ εἰς λέοντα δὲ εἰ ἀλλαγείης, ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔξω πίστεως·
ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ But for you to become water, Proteus, is not incredible, since you are a creature of the sea, and a tree, still tolerable; and even if you should change into a lion, nevertheless not even this is beyond belief.
εἰ δὲ καὶ πῦρ γίγνεσθαι δυνατὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ οἰκοῦντά σε, τοῦτο πάνυ θαυμάζω καὶ ἀπιστῶ. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ
Μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ὦ Μενέλαε· γίγνομαι γάρ. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Εἶδον καὶ αὐτός· ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖς—εἰρήσεται γὰρ πρὸς σέ—γοητείαν τινὰ προσάγειν τῷ πράγματι καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξαπατᾶν τῶν ὁρώντων αὐτὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο γιγνόμενος.
But if it is possible for you, who dwell in the sea, to become even fire, this I marvel at exceedingly and disbelieve. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ Do not marvel, Menelaus; for I do become it. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ I saw it myself too; but you seem to me—for it shall be said to you—to apply some wizardry to the matter and to deceive the eyes of those who look, without you yourself becoming any such thing.
§4.2ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ
Καὶ τίς ἂν ἡ ἀπάτη ἐπὶ τῶν οὕτως ἐναργῶν γένοιτο;
ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ And what deception could there be in things so clear?
οὐκ ἀνεῳγμένοις τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδες, εἰς ὅσα μετεποίησα ἐμαυτόν;
Did you not see with open eyes into how many things I transformed myself?
εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμά σοι ψευδὲς εἶναι δοκεῖ, καὶ φαντασία τις πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἱσταμένη, ἐπειδὰν πῦρ γένωμαι, προσένεγκέ μοι, ὦ γενναῖε, τὴν χεῖρα· εἴσῃ γάρ, εἰ ὁρῶμαι μόνον ἢ καὶ τὸ κάειν τότε μοι πρόσεστιν. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Οὐκ ἀσφαλὴς ἡ πεῖρα, ὦ Πρωτεῦ.
But if you disbelieve and the matter seems to you to be false, and some phantom standing before your eyes, whenever I become fire, reach out your hand to me, my noble friend; for you will know whether I am only seen or whether the power of burning is also present in me then. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ The trial is not safe, Proteus.
ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ
Σὺ δέ μοι, ὦ Μενέλαε, δοκεῖς οὐδὲ πολύποδα ἑωρακέναι πώποτε οὐδὲ ἃ πάσχει ὁ ἰχθῦς οὗτος εἰδέναι. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν πολύποδα εἶδον, ἃ δὲ πάσχει, ἡδέως ἂν μάθοιμι παρὰ σοῦ.
ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ But you, Menelaus, seem to me to have never even seen an octopus, nor to know what this fish undergoes. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ Indeed, I have seen the octopus, but what it undergoes, I would gladly learn from you.
§4.3ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ
Ὁποίᾳ ἂν πέτρᾳ προσελθὼν ἁρμόσῃ τὰς κοτύλας καὶ προσφὺς ἔχηται κατὰ τὰς πλεκτάνας, ἐκείνῃ ὅμοιον ἐργάζεται ἑαυτὸν καὶ μεταβάλλει τὴν χροίαν μιμούμενος τὴν πέτραν, ὡς λανθάνειν τοὺς ἁλιέας μὴ διαλλάττων μηδὲ ἐπίσημος ὢν διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ ἐοικὼς τῷ λίθῳ. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Φασὶ ταῦτα· τὸ δὲ σὸν πολλῷ παραδοξότερον, ὦ Πρωτεῦ. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ
Οὐκ οἶδα, ὦ Μενέλαε, ᾥτινι ἂν ἄλλῳ πιστεύσειας τοῖς σεαυτοῦ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀπιστῶν. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ
Εἶδον· ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα τεράστιον, ὁ αὐτὸς πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ.
ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ To whatever rock it approaches and fits its suckers, and clings to with its tentacles, it makes itself like that very rock and changes its color, imitating the stone, so as to escape the notice of the fishermen by not differing from it nor being conspicuous because of this, but resembling the stone. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ They say so; but your case is far more paradoxical, Proteus. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ I do not know, Menelaus, whom else you would trust if you distrust your own eyes. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ I saw it; but the thing is a marvel, the same person being fire and water.