Humanitext Reader

Lucian · Dialogues of The Courtesans §12.3-12.5

Resolution of Lysias's Misunderstanding and Reconciliation

Passage 13 of 17 · Greek

Summary

The truth behind Lysias's return is revealed. It turns out he had witnessed Ioessa sleeping with another "young man" (who was actually Pythias wearing a wig) and had acted out of mistaken jealousy, leading to their reconciliation.

§12.3ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Οὐχὶ ταύτης ἕνεκεν, ὦ Πυθιάς, ἐπανελήλυθα, ἣν οὐδὲ προσβλέψαιμι ἔτι τοιαύτην οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ διὰ σέ, ὡς μὴ καταγιγνώσκῃς ἐμοῦ καὶ λέγῃς, Ἄτεγκτος ὁ Λυσίας ἐστίν. ΠΥΘΙΑΣ Ἀμέλει καὶ ἔλεγον, ὦ Λυσία.
LYSIAS: I have not returned on her account, Pythias, whom I would not even look at anymore, being such as she is, but on your account, so that you may not condemn me and say, "Lysias is heartless." PYTHIAS: Indeed, I was saying so, Lysias.
ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Φέρειν οὖν ἐθέλεις, ὦ Πυθιάς, Ἰόεσσαν ταύτην τὴν νῦν δακρύουσαν αὐτὸν ἐπιστάντα αὐτῇ ποτε μετὰ νεανίου καθευδούσῃ ἐμοῦ ἀποστάσῃ;
LYSIAS: Would you, then, Pythias, have me tolerate this Ioessa, who now weeps, when I myself once came upon her sleeping with a young man, having deserted me?
ΠΥΘΙΑΣ Λυσία, τὸ μὲν ὅλον ἑταίρα ἐστί.
PYTHIAS: Lysias, in general, she is a courtesan.
πῶς δ’ οὖν κατέλαβες αὐτοὺς συγκαθεύδοντας;
But how, then, did you catch them sleeping together?
ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Ἕκτην σχεδὸν ταύτην ἡμέραν, νὴ Δί', ἕκτην γε, δευτέρᾳ ἱσταμένου· τὸ τήμερον δὲ ἑβδόμη ἐστίν.
LYSIAS: It was nearly six days ago, by Zeus, yes, six days, on the second day of the month; and today is the seventh.
ὁ πατὴρ εἰδὼς ὡς πάλαι ἐρῴην ταυτησὶ τῆς χρηστῆς, ἐνέκλεισέ με παραγγείλας τῷ θυρωρῷ μὴ ἀνοίγειν· ἐγὼ δέ, οὐ γὰρ ἔφερον μὴ οὐχὶ συνεῖναι αὐτῇ, τὸν Δρόμωνα ἐκέλευσα παρακύψαντα παρὰ τὸν θριγκὸν τῆς αὐλῆς, ᾗ ταπεινότατον ἦν, ἀναδέξασθαί με ἐπὶ τὸν νῶτον· ῥᾷον γὰρ οὕτως ἀναβήσεσθαι ἔμελλον.
My father, knowing that I had long been in love with this "excellent" woman, locked me in, ordering the doorkeeper not to open; but I, for I could not bear not being with her, ordered Dromon to lean over by the wall of the courtyard, where it was lowest, and take me upon his back; for in this way I was going to climb over more easily.
τί ἂν μακρὰ λέγοιμι;
Why should I make a long story of it?
ὑπερέβην, ἦκον, τὴν αὔλειον εὗρον ἀποκεκλεισμένην ἐπιμελῶς· μέσαι γὰρ νύκτες ἦσαν.
I climbed over, I came, and found the outer door carefully locked; for it was midnight.
οὐκ ἔκοψα δ’ οὖν, ἀλλ’ ἐπάρας ἠρέμα τὴν θύραν, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἄλλοτ' ἐπεποιήκειν αὐτό, παραγαγὼν τὸν στροφέα παρεισῆλθον ἀψοφητί.
I did not knock, however, but gently lifting the door—as indeed I had done on other occasions too—and sliding back the hinge, I entered without a sound.
ἐκάθευδον δὲ πάντες, εἶτα ἐπαφώμενος τοῦ τοίχου ἐφίσταμαι τῇ κλίνῃ.
Everyone was sleeping, then feeling my way along the wall, I stood by the bed.
§12.4ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Τί ἐρεῖς, ὦ Δάματερ;
IOESSA: What will you say, by Demeter?
ἀγωνιῶ γάρ.
For I am in agony.
ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐχ ἑώρων τὸ ἆσθμα ἕν, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ᾤμην τὴν Λυδὴν αὐτῇ συγκαθεύδειν· τὸ δ’ οὐκ ἦν, ὦ Πυθιάς, ἀλλ’ ἐφαψάμενος εὗρον ἀγένειόν τινα πάνυ ἁπαλόν, ἐν χρῷ κεκαρμένον, μύρων καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποπνέοντα.
LYSIAS: And when I did not perceive a single breathing, at first I thought the Lydian girl was sleeping with her; but that was not so, Pythias, but on touching, I found someone beardless, very smooth, closely shorn, and himself smelling sweet of perfumes.
τοῦτο ἰδὼν εἰ μὲν καὶ ξίφος ἔχων ἦλθον, οὐκ ἂν ὤκνησα, εὖ ἴστε.
Seeing this, if I had indeed come with a sword, I would not have hesitated, be well assured.
τί γελᾶτε, ὦ Πυθιάς;
Why do you laugh, Pythias?
γέλωτος ἄξια δοκῶ σοι διηγεῖσθαι;
Do I seem to you to be telling a laughing matter?
ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Τοῦτό σε, ὦ Λυσία, λελύπηκεν;
IOESSA: Is this what pained you, Lysias?
ἡ Πυθιὰς αὕτη μοι συνεκάθευδε.
It was Pythias here sleeping with me.
ΠΥΘΙΑΣ Μὴ λέγε, ὦ Ἰόεσσα, πρὸς αὐτόν.
PYTHIAS: Do not tell him, Ioessa.
ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Τί μὴ λέγω;
IOESSA: Why should I not tell?
Πυθιὰς ἦν, φίλτατε, μετακληθεῖσα ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ὡς ἅμα καθεύδοιμεν· ἐλυπούμην γὰρ σὲ μὴ ἔχουσα.
It was Pythias, my dearest, summoned by me so that we might sleep together; for I was grieving because I did not have you.
§12.5ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Πυθιὰς ὁ ἐν χρῷ κεκαρμένος;
LYSIAS: Pythias, the one shorn to the skin?
εἶτα δι’ ἕκτης ἡμέρας ἀνεκόμησε τοσαύτην κόμην;
And then within six days has she grown so much hair again?
ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου ἐξυρήσατο, ὦ Λυσία· ὑπέρρεον γὰρ αὐτῇ αἱ τρίχες.
IOESSA: She had her head shaved because of an illness, Lysias; for her hair was falling out.
νῦν δὲ καὶ τὴν πηνήκην ἐπέθετο.
And now she has put on a wig.
δεῖξον, ὦ Πυθιάς, δεῖξον οὕτως ὄν, πεῖσον αὐτόν.
Show him, Pythias, show him that it is so, convince him.
ἰδοὺ τὸ μειράκιον ὁ μοιχὸς ὃν ἐζηλοτύπεις.
Look, there is the young man, the adulterer you were jealous of!
ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Οὐκ ἐχρῆν οὖν, ὦ Ἰόεσσα, καὶ ταῦτα ἐρῶντα ἐφαψάμενον αὐτόν;
LYSIAS: Was it not natural then, Ioessa, even so, for a lover, having touched him, to be angry?
ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Οὐκοῦν σὺ μὲν ἤδη πέπεισαι·
IOESSA: Well then, you are now convinced.
βούλει δὲ ἀντιλυπήσω σε καὶ αὐτή;
But do you want me in turn to pain you?
ὀργίζομαι δικαίως ἐν τῷ μέρει.
I have a right to be angry on my part.
ΛΥΣΙΑΣ Μηδαμῶς, ἀλλὰ πίνωμεν ἤδη, καὶ Πυθιὰς μεθ' ἡμῶν·
LYSIAS: By no means!
ἄξιον γὰρ αὐτὴν παρεῖναι ταῖς σπονδαῖς.
Rather, let us drink now, and Pythias with us; for she deserves to be present at our treaty of peace.
ΙΟΕΣΣΑ Παρέσται.
IOESSA: She shall be present.
οἷα πέπονθα διὰ σέ, ὦ γενναιότατε νεανίσκων Πυθίας.
What things I have suffered because of you, Pythias, most noble of young men!
ΠΥΘΙΑΣ Ἀλλὰ καὶ διήλλαξα ὑμᾶς ὁ αὐτός, ὥστε μή μοι χαλέπαινε.
PYTHIAS: But I also reconciled you, the very same person, so do not be angry with me.
πλὴν τὸ δεῖνα, ὅρα, ὦ Λυσία, μή τινι εἴπῃς τὸ περὶ τῆς κόμης.
Except, look here, Lysias, mind you do not tell anyone about the hair!

Notes

  1. 12.3προσβλέψαιμι — Potential optative without the particle ἄν. Although the potential optative regularly requires ἄν in classical Attic prose, Imperial-era Greek prose writers like Lucian occasionally omit it to express a very strong, subjective disinclination or potentiality ("whom I would not even look at").
  2. 12.3μὴ οὐχὶ συνεῖναι — Double negative infinitive after a negated verb of negative import (οὐ γὰρ ἔφερον, "for I could not bear"). When verbs of hindering, forbidding, or enduring are themselves negated, the dependent infinitive is regularly introduced with μὴ οὐ(χὶ) to reinforce the negative sense.
  3. 12.5καὶ ταῦτα ἐρῶντα ἐφαψάμενον — A highly elliptical construction using accusative participles. The impersonal verb ἐχρῆν ("it was proper/natural") governs an unexpressed subject in the accusative (representing "a lover") and an omitted infinitive (such as "to be angry"), which are modified by the participles ἐρῶντα ("being in love") and ἐφαψάμενον ("having touched"). The phrase καὶ ταῦτα idiomatically means "especially" or "even under these circumstances."
  4. 12.5ὦ γενναιότατε νεανίσκων Πυθίας — A sarcastic use of the masculine vocative adjective (ὦ γενναιότατε) and partitive genitive (νεανίσκων). Ioessa mockingly addresses Pythias, who is a woman, in the masculine gender ("most noble of young men"), teasing Lysias for his absurd jealousy in mistaking the wig-wearing Pythias for a male rival.

Cite this passage

Lucian, Dialogues of The Courtesans §12.3-12.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0062.tlg069.humanitext-grc3:12.3-12.5

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