§work#2Μουσώνιος
Ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνός γε, ὦ Μενέκρατες, οὔτε θαυμασίως ἔχει τοῦ φθέγματος, οὔτʼ αὖ γελοίως, ἡ γὰρ φύσις αὐτὸν ἀμέμπτως τε καὶ μέσως ἥρμοκε·
Musonius But he, Menecrates, has a voice that is neither wonderful nor, on the other hand, ridiculous, for nature has tuned him blamelessly and moderately.
φθέγγεται δὲ κοῖλον μὲν φύσει καὶ βαρὺ ἐγκειμένης αὐτῷ τῆς φάρυγγος, μέλη δʼ οὕτω κατεσκευασμένης βομβώδη πως ʽἠχεἶ, οἱ δέ γε τόνοι τῶν φθόγγων ἐπιλεαίνουσι τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ μὴ θαρρεῖ μὲν δὴ ἑαυτῷ, χρωμάτων δὲ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ μελοποιίᾳ εὐαγώγῳ καὶ κιθαρῳδίᾳ εὐσταλεῖ καὶ τῷ, οὗ καιρός, βαδίσαι καὶ στῆναι καὶ μεταστῆναι καὶ τὸ νεῦμα ἐξομοιῶσαι τοῖς μέλεσιν αἰσχύνην ἔχοντος μόνου τοῦ βασιλέα δοκεῖν ἀκριβοῦν ταῦτα.
He speaks with a naturally hollow and deep tone, because his throat is set deep, and his throat being so constructed, the melodies sound in a buzzing way; yet the pitches of the sounds smooth this over. Since indeed he does not trust in himself, but relies on the kindness of variations, easily guiding melody-making, well-ordered lyre-playing, and walking, standing, and moving at the right moment, and matching his gestures to the melodies—with the sole shame being that a king should seem to perfect these things.
εἰ δὲ μιμοῖτο τοὺς κρείττονας, φεῦ γέλωτος, ὡς πολὺς τῶν θεωμένων ἐκπίπτει καίτοι μυρίων φόβων ἐπηρτημένων, εἴ τις ἐπʼ αὐτῷ γελῶν εἴη, νεύει μὲν γὰρ τοῦ μετρίου πλέον ξυνάγων τὸ πνεῦμα, ἐπʼ ἄκρων δὲ διίσταται τῶν ποδῶν ἀνακλώμενος, ὥσπερ οἱ ἐπὶ τοῦ τροχοῦ, φύσει δʼ ἐρυθρὸς ὢν ἐρευθεῖ μᾶλλον πιμπραμένου αὐτῷ τοῦ προσώπου, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ὀλίγον καὶ οὐκ ἀποχρῶν που δή.
But if he should imitate his betters, oh what a laugh! How completely he falls out of favor with the spectators, even though ten thousand fears hang over anyone who might laugh at him; for he nods more than is proper, compressing his breath, and stands on the tips of his feet, bending backward like those on the wheel, and being naturally red-faced, he blushes even more as his face swells, while his breath is short and surely insufficient.
Μενεκράτης
οἱ δʼ ἐν ἀγῶνι πρὸς αὐτὸν πῶς ὑφίενται, ὦ Μουσώνιε;
Menecrates And how do his competitors yield to him in the contest, Musonius?
τέχνῃ γάρ που χαρίζονται.
For surely they gratify him by art.
Μουσώνιος
τέχνῃ μέν, ὥσπερ οἱ ὑποπαλαίοντες· ἀλλʼ ἐνθυμήθητι, ὦ Μενέκρατες, τὸν τῆς τραγῳδίας ὑποκριτήν, ὡς Ἰσθμοῖ ἀπέθανεν· εἰσὶ γὰρ κίνδυνοι καὶ περὶ τὰς τέχνας, ἢν ἐπιτείνωσιν οἱ τεχνάζοντες.
Musonius By art, indeed, like those who wrestle underneath; but remember, Menecrates, the tragic actor, how he died at the Isthmus; for there are dangers even in the arts, if those who practice them exert themselves too much.
Μενεκράτης
καὶ τί τοῦτο, Μουσώνιε;
Menecrates And what is this, Musonius?
σφόδρα γὰρ ἀνήκοος τοῦ λόγου.
For I am utterly unheard of the story.
Μουσώνιος
ἄκουε δὴ λόγου ἀτόπου μέν, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς δὲ Ἑλλήνων πεπραγμένου·
Musonius Listen then to a story that is indeed strange, yet enacted before the eyes of the Greeks.
Ἰσθμοῖ γὰρ νόμου κειμένου μήτε κωμῳδίαν ἀγωνίζεσθαι μήτε τραγῳδίαν ἐδόκει Νέρωνι τραγῳδοὺς νικᾶν, καὶ παρῆλθον ἐς τὴν ἀγωνίαν ταύτην πλείους μέν, ὁ δʼ Ἠπειρώτης ἄριστα φωνῆς ἔχων, εὐδοκιμῶν δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ καὶ θαυμαζόμενος λαμπροτέρᾳ τοῦ εἰωθότος ἐπλάττετο καὶ τοῦ στεφάνου ἐρᾶν καὶ μηδʼ ἀνήσειν πρότερον ἢ δέκα τάλαντα δοῦναί οἱ Νέρωνα ὑπὲρ τῆς νίκης, ὁ δʼ ἠγρίαινέ τε καὶ μανικῶς εἶχε, καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ ἠκροᾶτο ὑπὸ τῇ σκηνῇ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ δὴ τἀγῶνι, βοώντων τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπὶ τῷ Ἠπειρώτῃ πέμπει τὸν γραμματέα κελεύων ὑφεῖναι ἑαυτῷ τοῦτον, τοῦ δὲ ὑπεραίροντος τὸ φθέγμα καὶ δημοτικῶς ἐρίζοντος ἐσπέμπει Νέρων ἐπʼ ὀκριβάντων τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ὑποκριτὰς οἷον προσήκοντάς τι τῷ πράγματι, καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ δέλτους ἐλεφαντίνας ʽἔχοντες καἲ διθύρους.
For though there was a law established at the Isthmus that neither comedy nor tragedy should be contested, Nero decided to conquer tragic actors, and indeed many entered this contest, but an Epirote, who had the best voice and was famous and admired for it, fashioned himself with a more brilliant voice than usual and desired the crown, declaring he would not yield until Nero should give him ten talents for the victory. But Nero grew wild and acted like a madman, for indeed he was listening under the stage during the very contest; and when the Greeks shouted in applause for the Epirote, he sent his secretary, ordering him to yield to him; but when the man raised his voice even higher and competed in a popular manner, Nero sent onto the stage his own actors, as if they had some business with the matter.
. . προβεβλημένοι αὐτάς, ὥσπερ ἐγχειρίδια καὶ τὸν Ἠπειρώτην ἀναστήσαντες πρὸς τὸν ἀγχοῦ κίονα κατέαξαν αὐτοῦ τὴν φάρυγγα παίοντες ὀρθαῖς ταῖς δέλτοις.
For indeed they held double-leaved ivory tablets and held them out like daggers, and having pinned the Epirote against the nearby column, they broke his throat by striking it with the edges of the tablets.
Μενεκράτης
τραγῳδίαν δὲ ἐνίκα, Μουσώνιε, μιαρὸν οὕτω πάθος ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐργασάμενος;
Menecrates And did he win the tragedy, Musonius, after committing such an abominable outrage before the eyes of the Greeks?
Μουσώνιος
παιδιὰ ταῦτα νεανίᾳ τῷ μητροκτονήσαντι· εἰ δὲ τραγῳδίας ὑποκριτὴν ἀπέκτεινεν ἐκτεμὼν αὐτοῦ τὸ φθέγμα, τί χρὴ θαυμάζειν;
Musonius These things are mere child's play for a youth who killed his mother; if he killed a tragic actor by cutting off his voice, why should one wonder?
καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ τὸ Πυθικὸν στόμιον, παρʼ οὗ αἱ ὀμφαὶ ἀνέπνεον, ἀποφράττειν ὥρμησεν, ὡς μηδὲ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι φωνὴ εἴη, καίτοι τοῦ Πυθίου καταλέξαντος αὐτὸν ἐς τοὺς Ὀρέστας τε καὶ Ἀλκμαίωνας, οἷς τὸ μητροκτονῆσαι καὶ λόγον τινὰ εὐκλείας ἔδωκεν, ἐπειδὴ πατράσιν ἐτιμώρησαν, ὁ δὲ μηδαμῶς εἰπεῖν ἔχων, ὅτῳ ἐτιμώρησεν, ὑβρίσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ᾤετο πρᾳότερα τῶν ἀληθῶν ἀκούων.
For indeed he even set out to block up the Pythian chasm from which the divine voices breathed, so that not even Apollo might have a voice, even though the Pythian god had classed him among the likes of Orestes and Alcmaeon, to whom matricide also gave some repute of glory since they avenged their fathers; but since he could in no way say whom he had avenged, he thought he had been insulted by the god, though hearing words gentler than the truth.
ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ λόγων, τίς ἡ προσιοῦσα ναῦς;
But, in the midst of our talk, what is this approaching ship?
ὡς ἐπάγειν τι ἀγαθὸν ἔοικεν· ἐστεφάνωνται γὰρ τὰς κεφαλάς, ὥσπερ χορὸς εὔφημος, καὶ τις ἐκ τῆς πρῴρας προτείνει τὴν χεῖρα παρακελευόμενος ἡμῖν θαρρεῖν τε καὶ χαίρειν βοᾷ τε, εἰ μὴ παρακούω, Νέρωνα οἴχεσθαι.
It seems to bring some good news; for they have crowned their heads, like an auspicious chorus, and someone from the prow stretches out his hand, bidding us to take heart and rejoice, and shouts, if my ears do not deceive me, that Nero is gone!
Μενεκράτης
βοᾷ γάρ, Μουσώνιε, καὶ σαφέστερόν γε, ὅσῳ τῆς γῆς ἅπτεται·
Menecrates Yes, he is shouting indeed, Musonius, and more clearly too, as he touches land.
εὖ γε, ὦ θεοί.
Well done, O gods!
Μουσώνιος
ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐπευχώμεθα· ἐπὶ γὰρ τοῖς κειμένοις οὔ φασι δεῖν.
Musonius But let us not exult over him; for they say one must not boast over the fallen.