[4]
καὶ δυνησόμεθα, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, δύ᾽ ὄντες ἀναθέσθαι ἀράμενοι τὸ Πήλιον ἢ τὴν Ὄσσαν;
Ἑρμῆς
διὰ τί δ᾽ οὐκ ἄν, ὦ Χάρων; ἢ ἀξιοῖς ἡμᾶς ἀγεννεστέρους εἶναι τοῖν βρεφυλλίοιν ἐκείνοιν, καὶ ταῦτα θεοὺς ὑπάρχοντας;
Χάρων
οὔκ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πρᾶγμα δοκεῖ μοι ἀπίθανόν τινα
τὴν μεγαλουργίαν ἔχειν.
[p. 404]
Ἑρμῆς
εἰκότως: ἰδιώτης γὰρ εἶ, ὦ Χάρων, καὶ ἥκιστα ποιητικός: ὁ δὲ γεννάδας Ὅμηρος ἀπὸ δυοῖν στίχοιν αὐτίκα ἡμῖν ἀμβατὸν ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανόν,
οὕτω ῥᾳδίως συνθεὶς τὰ ὄρη. καὶ θαυμάζω εἴ σοι
ταῦτα τεράστια εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸν Ἄτλαντα δηλαδὴ εἰδότι, ὃς τὸν πόλον αὐτὸν εἷς ὢν φέρει ἀνέχων ἡμᾶς ἅπαντας. ἀκούεις δέ γε ἴσως καὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πέρι τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, ὡς διαδέξαιτό ποτε αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος τὸν Ἄτλαντα, καὶ ἀναπαύσειε πρὸς ὀλίγον τοῦ ἄχθους ὑποθεὶς ἑαυτὸν τῷ
φορτίῳ.
Χάρων
ἀκούω καὶ ταῦτα εἰ δὲ ἀληθῆ ἔστιν, σὺ ἄν, ὦ Ἑρμῆ, καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ εἰδείητε.
Ἑρμῆς
ἀληθέστατα, ὦ Χάρων. ἢ τίνος γὰρ ἕνεκα σοφοὶ ἄνδρες ἐψεύδοντο ἄν; ὥστε ἀναμοχλεύωμεν τὴν Ὄσσαν πρῶτον, ὥσπερ ἡμῖν ὑφηγεῖται τὸ ἔπος καὶ ὁ ἀρχιτέκτων Ὅμηρος,
αὐτὰρ ἐπ᾽ Ὄσσῃ Πήλιον εἰνοσίφυλλον.
ὁρᾷς ὅπως ῥᾳδίως ἅμα καὶ ποιητικῶς ἐξειργασάμεθα; φέρ᾽ οὖν ἀναβὰς ἴδω, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ἱκανὰ
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Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1915. 2.
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