---
title: "Dialogues of the Gods · Θεῶν διάλογοι"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Matthew Donald Macleod"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 6 of 25
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-gods/6/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod, Dialogues of the Gods · Θεῶν διάλογοι, section 6. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-gods/6/"
---

# Dialogues of the Gods · Θεῶν διάλογοι

*Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod*

The Olympians gossip, quarrel and complain: Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Ganymede and Eros.

> Greek: ed. Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg068, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg068.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.

## 6. Dialogue 6

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-gods/6/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-gods/6/#p-N

[¶0] 1. EROS: Even if I have done something wrong, Zeus, please forgive me, for I’m only a child, and still without sense.

> Greek: 1. ΕΡΩΣ: Ἀλλ' εἰ καί τι ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ζεῦ, σύγγνωθί μοι· παιδίον γάρ εἰμι καὶ ἔτι ἄφρων.

[¶1] ZEUS: You a child, you Eros, who are far older than Iapetus! Just because you have no heard or grey hairs, do you really think you should be considered a babe in arms, you old villain?

> Greek: ΖΕΥΣ: Σὺ παιδίον ὁ Ἔρως, ὃς ἀρχαιότερος εἶ πολὺ Ἰαπετοῦ; ἢ διότι μὴ πώγωνα μηδὲ πολιὰς ἔφυσας, διὰ ταῦτα καὶ βρέφος ἀξιοῖς νομίζεσθαι γέρων καὶ πανοῦργος ὤν;

[¶2] EROS: What great harm have I, old villain as you call me, done you, that you even think of putting me in chains?

> Greek: ΕΡΩΣ: Τί δαί σε μέγα ἠδίκησα ὁ γέρων ὡς φῂς ἐγώ, διότι με καὶ πεδῆσαι διανοῇ;

[¶3] ZEUS: Curse you, do you think it no great harm when you make such a fool of me that you’ve turned me into everything under the sun—satyr, bull, shower of gold, swan, eagle? Yet you’ve never made one woman fall for me in my true colours, and, as far as I know, I’ve not got you to thank for any of my conquests, but I’ve to practise black magic to win the ladies, hiding my true self. They’ve plenty of affection for the bull or the swan, but if they see me as I really am, they’re frightened to death.

> Greek: ΖΕΥΣ: Σκόπει, ὦ κατάρατε, εἰ μικρά, ὃς ἐμοὶ μὲν οὕτως ἐντρυφᾷς, ὥστε οὐδέν ἐστιν ὃ μὴ πεποίηκάς με, σάτυρον, ταῦρον, χρυσόν, κύκνον, ἀετόν· ἐμοῦ δὲ ὅλως οὐδεμίαν ἥντινα ἐρασθῆναι πεποίηκας, οὐδὲ συνῆκα ἡδὺς γυναικὶ διὰ σὲ γεγενημένος, ἀλλά με δεῖ μαγγανεύειν ἐπ' αὐτὰς καὶ κρύπτειν ἐμαυτόν· αἱ δὲ τὸν μὲν ταῦρον ἢ κύκνον φιλοῦσιν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἢν ἴδωσι, τεθνᾶσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους.

[¶4] 2. EROS: That’s only natural. The sight of your face is too much for mortal women like them.

> Greek: 2. ΕΡΩΣ: Εἰκότως· οὐ γὰρ φέρουσιν, ὦ Ζεῦ, θνηταὶ οὖσαι τὴν σὴν πρόσοψιν.

[¶5] ZEUS: How, then, is Apollo so popular with Branchus and Hyacinthus?

> Greek: ΖΕΥΣ: Πῶς οὖν τὸν Ἀπόλλω ὁ Βράγχος καὶ ὁ Ὑάκινθος φιλοῦσιν;

[¶6] EROS: And yet even he had Daphne run from him, for all his flowing locks and beardless face. But if you want them to fall for you, you mustn’t go shaking that shield of yours or carrying your thunderbolt around with you, but make yourself as attractive as you can and tender to behold. Let your hair grow down in curls, do them up with a ribbon like Bacchus, wear a purple robe and golden slippers, and come dancing in to the music of pipes and timbrels, and you’ll find you have more of them running after you than all his Bacchantes put together.

> Greek: ΕΡΩΣ: Ἀλλὰ ἡ Δάφνη κἀκεῖνον ἔφευγε καίτοι κομήτην καὶ ἀγένειον ὄντα. εἰ δ’ ἐθέλεις ἐπέραστος εἶναι, μὴ ἐπίσειε τὴν αἰγίδα μηδὲ τὸν κεραυνὸν φέρε, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἥδιστον ποίει σεαυτὸν, ἁπαλὸν ὀφθῆναι, καθειμένος βοστρύχους, τῇ μίτρᾳ τούτους ἀνειλημμένος, πορφυρίδα ἔχε, ὑποδέου χρυσίδας, ὑπ' αὐλῷ καὶ τυμπάνοις εὔρυθμα βαῖνε, καὶ ὄψει ὅτι πλείους ἀκολουθήσουσί σοι τῶν Διονύσου Μαινάδων.

[¶7] ZEUS: Be off with you. I’d rather they didn’t fall for me, if I’ve to be like that.

> Greek: ΖΕΥΣ: Ἄπαγε· οὐκ ἂν δεξαίμην ἐπέραστος εἶναι τοιοῦτος γενόμενος.

[¶8] EROS: Then give up all ideas of romance, Zeus. That’s a simple enough way out.

> Greek: ΕΡΩΣ: Οὐκοῦν, ὦ Ζεῦ, μηδὲ ἐρᾶν θέλε· ῥᾴδιον γὰρ τοῦτό γε.

[¶9] ZEUS: Oh, no! I want my women, but I want success with them without so much trouble. Promise me just that, and I’ll let you go.

> Greek: ΖΕΥΣ: Οὔκ, ἀλλὰ ἐρᾶν μέν, ἀπραγμονέστερον δὲ αὐτῶν ἐπιτυγχάνειν· ἐπὶ τούτοις αὐτοῖς ἀφίημί σε.