---
title: "Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Matthew Donald Macleod"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 2 of 15
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/2/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod, Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι, section 2. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/2/"
---

# Dialogues of the Courtesans · Ἑταιρικοὶ διάλογοι

*Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod*

Fifteen scenes of the lives and loves of Athenian courtesans.

> Greek: ed. Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg069, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg069.perseus-eng3). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (books, chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## 2. Dialogue 2

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/2/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-courtesans/2/#p-N

[¶0] 1. MYRTIUM: So, Pamphilus, you’re planning to marry the daughter of Philo, the shipowner. I’ve even heard you’re already married. Have all your sworn oaths and tears gone in a moment, have you forgotten your Myrtium, and at a time like this, when I’m eight months gone? All the good I’ve had from your love is that you’ve given me such an enormous belly, and I’ll soon have to bring up a child, and that’s a terrible nuisance for a lady of my kind. For I’m not going to expose the child, particularly if it’s a boy, but I’ll call him Pamphilus, and keep him to console me for my unhappy love, and one day he’ll tell you off for your treachery to his poor mother. I don’t think much of your bride’s looks. I saw her the other day with her mother at the Thesmophoria, though I didn’t know at the time that I’d never see Pamphilus again because of her. I think you’d better have a good look at her too, before it’s too late, and examine her face and her eyes; I wouldn’t like you to be vexed at the marked steel-grey colour of her eyes, or disappointed because they squint inwards. Better still you’ve seen your father-in-law, Philo, and know what his face is like. You won’t need to see the daughter after seeing him!

> Greek: 1. ΜΥΡΤΙΟΝ: Γαμεῖς, ὦ Πάμφιλε, τὴν Φίλωνος τοῦ ναυκλήρου θυγατέρα καὶ ἤδη σε γεγαμηκέναι φασίν; οἱ τοσοῦτοι δὲ ὅρκοι οὓς ὤμοσας καὶ τὰ δάκρυα ἐν ἀκαρεῖ πάντα οἴχεται, καὶ ἐπιλέλησαι Μυρτίου νῦν, καὶ ταῦτα, ὦ Πάμφιλε, ὁπότε κύω μῆνα ὄγδοον ἤδη; τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ μόνον ἐπριάμην τοῦ σοῦ ἔρωτος, ὅτι μου τηλικαύτην πεποίηκας τὴν γαστέρα καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν παιδοτροφεῖν δεήσει, πρᾶγμα ἑταίρᾳ βαρύτατον· οὐ γὰρ ἐκθήσω τὸ τεχθέν, καὶ μάλιστα εἰ ἄρρεν γένοιτο, ἀλλὰ Πάμφιλον ὀνομάσασα ἐγὼ μὲν ἕξω παραμύθιον τοῦ ἔρωτος, σοὶ δὲ ὀνειδιεῖ ποτε ἐκεῖνος, ὡς ἄπιστος γεγένησαι περὶ τὴν ἀθλίαν αὐτοῦ μητέρα. γαμεῖς δ’ οὐ καλὴν παρθένον· εἶδον γὰρ αὐτὴν ἔναγχος ἐν τοῖς Θεσμοφορίοις μετὰ τῆς μητρός, οὐδέπω εἰδυῖα ὅτι δι’ αὐτὴν οὐκέτι ὄψομαι Πάμφιλον. καὶ σὺ δ’ οὖν πρότερον ἰδοῦ αὐτὴν καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἰδέ· μή σε ἀνιάτω, εἰ πάνυ γλαυκοὺς ἔχει αὐτοὺς μηδὲ ὅτι διάστροφοί εἰσι καὶ ἐς ἀλλήλους ὁρῶσι· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸν Φίλωνα ἑώρακας τὸν πατέρα τῆς νύμφης, τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ οἶσθα, ὥστε οὐδὲν ἔτι δεήσει τὴν θυγατέρα ἰδεῖν.

[¶1] 2. PAMPHILUS: How long shall I have to listen to your nonsense about young ladies and your stories of matches with shipowning families? Do I know any bride whether snub-nosed or pretty? Or that Philo of Alopece—I presume you mean him—so much as had a daughter of marriageable age? Anyway, he’s not even on good terms with my father. I remember he was sued by him only the other day for debt. He owed my father a talent, I believe, but refused to pay, and my father had him before the Admiralty Court, and had the greatest difficulty in squeezing it out of him, and didn’t get it all, he kept saying. Even if I had decided to marry, do you think I’d have passed over the daughter of Demeas, who was a General last year, particularly as she was a cousin on my mother’s side, and be marrying Philo’s daughter instead? Wherever did you hear this story? What empty jealous ideas have you invented for yourself, Myrtium, that you lash out so blindly?

> Greek: 2. ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΣ: Ἔτι σου ληρούσης, ὦ Μύρτιον, ἀκούσομαι παρθένους καὶ γάμους ναυκληρικοὺς διεξιούσης; ἐγὼ δὲ ἢ σιμήν τινα ἢ καλὴν νύμφην οἶδα; ἢ ὅτι Φίλων ὁ Ἀλωπεκῆθεν—οἶμαι γὰρ ἐκεῖνον λέγειν σε—θυγατέρα ὅλως εἶχεν ὡραίαν ἤδη γάμου; ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ φίλος ἐστὶν οὗτος τῷ πατρί· μέμνημαι γὰρ ὡς πρῴην ἐδικάσατο περὶ συμβολαίου· τάλαντον, οἶμαι, ὀφείλων γὰρ τῷ πατρὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν ἐκτίνειν, ὁ δὲ παρὰ τοὺς ναυτοδίκας ἀπήγαγεν αὐτόν, καὶ μόλις ἐξέτισεν αὐτό, οὐδ’ ὅλον, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ἔφασκεν. εἰ δὲ καὶ γαμεῖν ἐδέδοκτό μοι, τὴν Δημέου θυγατέρα τὴν τοῦ πέρυσιν ἐστρατηγηκότος ἀφείς, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸς μητρὸς ἀνεψιὰν οὖσαν, τὴν Φίλωνος ἐγάμουν ἄν; σὺ δὲ πόθεν ταῦτα ἤκουσας; ἢ τίνας σεαυτῇ, ὦ Μύρτιον, κενὰς ζηλοτυπίας σκιαμαχοῦσα ἐξεῦρες;

[¶2] 3. MYRTIUM: Then you’re not getting married, Pamphilus?

> Greek: 3. ΜΥΡΤΙΟΝ: Οὐκοῦν οὐ γαμεῖς, ὦ Πάμφιλε;

[¶3] PAMPHILUS: Are you out of your mind, Myrtium, or is it a hang-over? Though I must say we remained quite sober last night.

> Greek: ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΣ: Μέμηνας, ὦ Μύρτιον, ἢ κραιπαλᾷς; καίτοι χθὲς οὐ πάνυ ἐμεθύσθημεν.

[¶4] MYRTIUM: It was Doris here who gave me this nasty shock. I sent her out to buy some wool for the little stranger, and to pray to Artemis to deliver me safely, and she’d met Lesbia, she told me, and—but it’d be better for you yourself, Doris, to tell him what you heard, unless you made all this up. DORIS: Ruin take me, mistress, if I told a single lie. When I got to the town-hall, I met Lesbia who was all smiles and told me that our lover, Pamphilus, was marrying Philo’s daughter. She said that if I didn’t believe her, I was to peep into your alley and see the garlands everywhere, the girl-pipers, the commotion, and the people singing the wedding hymn.

> Greek: ΜΥΡΤΙΟΝ: Ἡ Δωρὶς αὕτη ἐλύπησέ με· πεμφθεῖσα γὰρ ὡς ἔρια ὠνήσαιτό μοι ἐπὶ τὴν γαστέρα καὶ εὔξαιτο τῇ Λοχείᾳ ὡς ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, Λεσβίαν ἔφη ἐντυχοῦσαν αὐτῇ—μᾶλλον δὲ σὺ αὐτῷ, ὦ Δωρί, λέγε ἅπερ ἀκήκοας, εἴ γε μὴ ἐπλάσω ταῦτα. ΔΩΡΙΣ: Ἀλλ' ἐπιτριβείην, ὦ δέσποινα, εἴ τι ἐψευσάμην· ἐπεὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ πρυτανεῖον ἐγενόμην, ἐνέτυχέ μοι ἡ Λεσβία μειδιῶσα καὶ φησίν, Ὁ ἐραστὴς ὑμῶν ὁ Πάμφιλος γαμεῖ τὴν Φίλωνος θυγατέρα· εἰ δὲ ἀπιστοίην, ἠξίου με παρακύψασαν ἐς τὸν στενωπὸν ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν πάντα κατεστεφανωμένα καὶ αὐλητρίδας καὶ θόρυβον καὶ ὑμέναιον ᾄδοντάς τινας.

[¶5] PAMPHILUS: Well, Doris, did you take a peep? DORIS: I certainly did, and I saw everything, just as she said.

> Greek: ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΣ: Τί οὖν; παρέκυψας, ὦ Δωρί; ΔΩΡΙΣ: Καὶ μάλα, καὶ εἶδον ἅπαντα ὡς ἔφη.

[¶6] 4. PAMPHILUS: I understand how you were misled. It wasn’t all lies that Lesbia told you, Doris. What you reported to Myrtium was true. But you were worried without reason, for the wedding wasn’t in our house, but now I recall my mother’s words, when I returned from here yesterday. “My dear Pamphilus”, she said, “Charmides, that young fellow of the same age as you, the son of neighbour Aristaenetus, is getting married at last. He’s showing some sense, but how long are you going to continue keeping a mistress?”Listening to her on and off, I dropped off to sleep. Then I left the house early in the morning, so that I didn’t see anything of what Doris saw later on. If you don’t believe me, Doris, go out again and take a good look, not just at the lane, but at the door to see which one has the garlands. You’ll find it belongs to our neighbours’ house.

> Greek: 4. ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΣ: Μανθάνω τὴν ἀπάτην· οὐ γὰρ πάντα ἡ Λεσβία, ὦ Δωρί, πρὸς σὲ ἐψεύσατο καὶ σὺ τἀληθῆ ἀπήγγελκας Μυρτίῳ. πλὴν μάτην γε ἐταράχθητε· οὔτε γὰρ παρ' ἡμῖν οἱ γάμοι, ἀλλὰ νῦν ἀνεμνήσθην ἀκούσας τῆς μητρός, ὁπότε χθὲς ἀνέστρεψα παρ' ὑμῶν· ἔφη γάρ, Ὦ Πάμφιλε, ὁ μὲν ἡλικιώτης σοι Χαρμίδης τοῦ γείτονος Ἀρισταινέτου υἱὸς γαμεῖ ἤδη καὶ σωφρονεῖ, σὺ δὲ μέχρι τίνος ἑταίρᾳ σύνει; τοιαῦτα παρακούων αὐτῆς ἐς ὕπνον κατηνέχθην· εἶτα ἕωθεν προῆλθον ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκίας, ὥστε οὐδὲν εἶδον ὧν ἡ Δωρὶς ὕστερον εἶδεν. εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς, αὖθις ἀπελθοῦσα, ὦ Δωρί, ἀκριβῶς ἰδὲ μὴ τὸν στενωπόν, ἀλλὰ τὴν θύραν, ποτέρα ἐστὶν ἡ κατεστεφανωμένη· εὑρήσεις γὰρ τὴν τῶν γειτόνων.

[¶7] MYRTIUM: You’ve saved my life, Pamphilus. I’d have hanged myself, if anything like that had happened.

> Greek: ΜΥΡΤΙΟΝ: Ἀπέσωσας, ὦ Πάμφιλε· ἀπηγξάμην γὰρ ἄν, εἴ τι τοιοῦτο ἐγένετο.

[¶8] PAMPHILUS: Such a thing could never have happened. I hope I’ll never be so mad as to forget Myrtium, especially now that she’s going to have my child.

> Greek: ΠΑΜΦΙΛΟΣ: Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἐγένετο, μηδ’ οὕτω μανείην, ὡς ἐκλαθέσθαι Μυρτίου, καὶ ταῦτα ἤδη μοι κυούσης παιδίον.