---
title: "Dialogues of the Sea-Gods · Ἐνάλιοι διάλογοι"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Matthew Donald Macleod"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 4 of 15
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-sea-gods/4/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod, Dialogues of the Sea-Gods · Ἐνάλιοι διάλογοι, section 4. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-sea-gods/4/"
---

# Dialogues of the Sea-Gods · Ἐνάλιοι διάλογοι

*Lucian, tr. Matthew Donald Macleod*

Short scenes among the gods of the sea: the Cyclops, Galatea, Andromeda and the dolphin of Arion.

> Greek: ed. Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg067, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Matthew Donald Macleod, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg067.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.

## 4. Dialogue 4

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-sea-gods/4/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-dialogues-of-the-sea-gods/4/#p-N

[¶0] 1. MENELAUS: I’m willing to believe you turn into water, Proteus, since you come from the sea, and I can even put up with your becoming a tree, and even your changing into a lion is not quite beyond the bounds of belief—but that you can actually become fire, although you live in the sea, I find quite amazing and incredible. PROTEUS: Well you mustn’t, Menelaus, for it’s true enough. MENELAUS: I saw it with my own eyes. But I’ll tell you what I think. I think it’s all a trick, and you cheat the eyes of the onlookers, and don’t turn into any of these things.

> Greek: 1. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Ἀλλὰ ὕδωρ μέν σε γενέσθαι, ὦ Πρωτεῦ, οὐκ ἀπίθανον, ἐνάλιόν γε ὄντα, καὶ δένδρον, ἔτι φορητόν, καὶ εἰς λέοντα δὲ εἰ ἀλλαγείης, ὅμως οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἔξω πίστεως· εἰ δὲ καὶ πῦρ γίγνεσθαι δυνατὸν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ οἰκοῦντά σε, τοῦτο πάνυ θαυμάζω καὶ ἀπιστῶ. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ: Μὴ θαυμάσῃς, ὦ Μενέλαε· γίγνομαι γάρ. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Εἶδον καὶ αὐτός· ἀλλά μοι δοκεῖς—εἰρήσεται γὰρ πρὸς σέ—γοητείαν τινὰ προσάγειν τῷ πράγματι καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξαπατᾶν τῶν ὁρώντων αὐτὸς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο γιγνόμενος.

[¶1] 2. PROTEUS: How could there be any deception when everything’s so clearly visible? Weren’t your eyes open when you saw all my changes? If you don’t believe it, and think it’s all a fraud and an optical illusion, just try touching me with your hand, my fine fellow, when I turn myself into fire. That will teach you whether I’m only to be seen with the eyes or can burn as well. MENELAUS: That would be dangerous, Proteus.

> Greek: 2. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ: Καὶ τίς ἂν ἡ ἀπάτη ἐπὶ τῶν οὕτως ἐναργῶν γένοιτο; οὐκ ἀνεῳγμένοις τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς εἶδες, εἰς ὅσα μετεποίησα ἐμαυτόν; εἰ δὲ ἀπιστεῖς καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμά σοι ψευδὲς εἶναι δοκεῖ, καὶ φαντασία τις πρὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἱσταμένη, ἐπειδὰν πῦρ γένωμαι, προσένεγκέ μοι, ὦ γενναῖε, τὴν χεῖρα· εἴσῃ γάρ, εἰ ὁρῶμαι μόνον ἢ καὶ τὸ κάειν τότε μοι πρόσεστιν. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Οὐκ ἀσφαλὴς ἡ πεῖρα, ὦ Πρωτεῦ.

[¶2] PROTEUS: I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen an octopus, Menelaus, or know what happens to that sort of fish? MENELAUS: I have seen one, but please tell me what happens to it.

> Greek: ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ: Σὺ δέ μοι, ὦ Μενέλαε, δοκεῖς οὐδὲ πολύποδα ἑωρακέναι πώποτε οὐδὲ ἃ πάσχει ὁ ἰχθῦς οὗτος εἰδέναι. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν πολύποδα εἶδον, ἃ δὲ πάσχει, ἡδέως ἂν μάθοιμι παρὰ σοῦ.

[¶3] 3. PROTEUS: Whenever it goes to a rock and puts its suckers on it, clinging tight with the full length of its arms, it makes itself just like that rock, changing its colour to match it; thus it escapes the notice of fishermen, by blending with its surroundings, thereby remaining inconspicuous and looking just like the stone. MENELAUS: So people say. But your goings on, Proteus, are much harder to believe.

> Greek: 3. ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ: Ὁποίᾳ ἂν πέτρᾳ προσελθὼν ἁρμόσῃ τὰς κοτύλας καὶ προσφὺς ἔχηται κατὰ τὰς πλεκτάνας, ἐκείνῃ ὅμοιον ἐργάζεται ἑαυτὸν καὶ μεταβάλλει τὴν χροίαν μιμούμενος τὴν πέτραν, ὡς λανθάνειν τοὺς ἁλιέας μὴ διαλλάττων μηδὲ ἐπίσημος ὢν διὰ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ ἐοικὼς τῷ λίθῳ. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Φασὶ ταῦτα· τὸ δὲ σὸν πολλῷ παραδοξότερον, ὦ Πρωτεῦ.

[¶4] PROTEUS: I don’t know what else will convince you, Menelaus, if you won’t believe your own eyes. MENELAUS: I admit I saw it. But it’s quite miraculous for one and the same person to be fire and water.

> Greek: ΠΡΩΤΕΥΣ: Οὐκ οἶδα, ὦ Μενέλαε, ᾥτινι ἂν ἄλλῳ πιστεύσειας τοῖς σεαυτοῦ ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀπιστῶν. ΜΕΝΕΛΑΟΣ: Εἶδον· ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα τεράστιον, ὁ αὐτὸς πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ.