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[14]
Ὀρφεὺς δὲ καὶ Ἀμφίων, οἵπερ ἐπαγωγότατοι ἐγένοντο τῶν ἀκροατῶν, ὡς καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα ἐπικαλέσασθαι πρὸς τὸ μέλος, αὐτοὶ ἄν, οἶμαι, εἴ γε ἤκουσαν, καταλιπόντες ἂν τὰς κιθάρας παρεστήκεσαν σιωπῇ ἀκροώμενοι. τὸ γὰρ τῆς τε ἁρμονίας
τὸ ἀκριβέστατον διαφυλάττειν, ὡς μὴ παραβαίνειν τι τοῦ ῥυθμοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ εὐκαίρῳ τῇ ἄρσει καὶ θέσει διαμεμετρῆσθαι τὸ ᾆσμα καὶ συνῳδὸν εἶναι τὴν κιθάραν καὶ ὁμοχρονεῖν τῇ γλώττῃ τὸ πλῆκτρον, καὶ τὸ εὐαφὲς τῶν δακτύλων καὶ τὸ
εὐκαμπὲς τῶν μελῶν, πόθεν ἂν ταῦτα ὑπῆρχε τῷ Θρᾳκὶ ἐκείνῳ καὶ τῷ ἀνὰ τὸν Κιθαιρῶνα μεταξὺ βουκολοῦντι καὶ κιθαρίζειν μελετῶντι;
ὥστε ἤν ποτε, ὦ Λυκῖνε, καὶ ᾀδούσης ἀκούῃς
αὐτῆς, οὐκέτι τὸ τῶν Γοργόνων ἐκεῖνο ἔσῃ μόνον
πεπονθώς, λίθος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γενόμενος, ἀλλὰ
[p. 282] καὶ τὸ τῶν Σειρήνων εἴσῃ ὁποῖόν τι ἦν παρεστήξῃ γὰρ εὖ οἶδα κεκηλημένος, πατρίδος καὶ οἰκείων ἐπιλαθόμενος. καὶ ἢν κηρῷ ἐπιφράξῃ
τὰ ὦτα, καὶ διὰ τοῦ κηροῦ διαδύσεταί σοι τὸ μέλος. τοιοῦτόν τι ἄκουσμά ἐστι, Τερψιχόρης τινὸς ἢ Μελπομένης ἢ Καλλιόπης αὐτῆς παίδευμα, μυρία τὰ θέλγητρα καὶ παντοῖα ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχον. ἑνί τε λόγῳ συνελὼν φαίην ἄν, τοιαύτης μοι τῆς ᾠδῆς ἀκούειν νόμιζε, οἵαν εἰκὸς εἶναι τὴν διὰ τοιούτων χειλῶν, δι᾽ ἐκείνων δὲ τῶν ὀδόντων ἐξιοῦσαν. ἑώρακας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἥν φημι, ὥστε ἀκηκοέναι νόμιζε.
Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1925. 4.
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