Dialogues of the Gods: Dialogue 15 (original) (raw)
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The Works of Lucian
Ὕπνον ἀπαγγελῶ κἀκείνοις ἅπερ ὁ Ζεὺς ἐπέστειλε, τὴν μὲν σχολῇ προβαίνειν, τὸν δὲ Ὕπνον1μὴ ἀνεῖναι2τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἀγνοήσωσι μακρὰν οὕτω τὴν νύκτα γεγενημένην.
15 (13)
ΔΙΟΣ, ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΗΡΑΚΛΕΟΥΣ
ΖΕΥΣ
1. Παύσασθε, ὦ Ἀσκληπιὲ καὶ Ἡράκλεις, ἐρίζοντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὥσπερ ἄνθρωποι· ἀπρεπῆ γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ ἀλλότρια τοῦ συμποσίου τῶν θεῶν.
ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ
Ἀλλὰ θέλεις, ὦ Ζεῦ, τουτονὶ τὸν φαρμακέα προκατακλίνεσθαί μου;
ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΣ
Νὴ Δία· καὶ γάρ ἀμείνων εἰμί.
ΗΡΑΚΛΗΣ
236Κατὰ τί, ὦ ἐμβρόντητε; ἢ ὅτι σε ὁ Ζεὺς ἐκεραύνωσεν ἃ μὴ θέμις ποιοῦντα, νῦν δὲ κατ᾿ ἔλεον αὖθις ἀθανασίας μετείληφας;
ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΣ
Ἐπιλέλησαι γὰρ καὶ σύ, ὦ Ἡράκλεις, ἐν τῇ Οἴτῃ καταφλεγείς, ὅτι μοι ὀνειδίζεις τὸ πῦρ;
312
Dialogues of the Gods
and pass on Zeus’ instructions to them too, telling her to take her time, and Sleep not to leave men, so that they may not know the night’s been so long.
15 (13)
Zeus, Asclepius and Heracles
Zeus
Stop quarrelling, you two; you’re just like a couple of men. It’s quite improper and out of place at the table of the gods.
Heracles
But, Zeus, do you really mean this medicine man to have a place above me?
Asclepius
He does, by Zeus, for I’m your better.
Heracles
How, you crackbrain? Because Zeus blasted you with his thunderbolt for your impious doings,1and you’ve now received immortality because he relented and pitied you?
Asclepius
You must have forgotten, Heracles, how you too were scorched to death on Oeta,2 that you taunt me with getting burned.
- 1In resurrecting men from the dead (cf. Pindar, Pythians, 3, 54). According to Lucian, The Dance 45, one of these was Tyndareus, while other authorities (see Apollodorus, 3.10.3) mention Capaneus, Lycurgus, Hippolytus, Hy- menaeus and Glaucus. The version of Diodorus (4.71.1-3) is that Asclepius’ skill so lowered the death-rate that Hades accused him before Zeus of trespassing on his preserves, and Zeus in anger struck him down with the thunderbolt.
- 2For the suicide of Heracles on Mount Oeta see theTrachiniae of Sophocles.
313
DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.lucian-dialogues_gods.1961