1.1 | Dickinson College Commentaries

Ὥσπερ τοῖς ἀθλητικοῖς καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν ἀσχολουμένοις οὐ τῆς εὐεξίας μόνον οὐδὲ τῶν γυμνασίων φροντίς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς κατὰ καιρὸν γινομένης ἀνέσεως - μέρος γοῦν τῆς ἀσκήσεως τὸ μέγιστον αὐτὴν ὑπολαμβάνουσιν - οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐσπουδακόσιν ἡγοῦμαι προσήκειν μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν τῶν σπουδαιοτέρων ἀνάγνωσιν ἀνιέναι τε τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἔπειτα κάματον ἀκμαιοτέραν παρασκευάζειν.

notes

Just as athletes seek appropriate rest for the body, so too readers should profit from intermittent light reading, especially if it is clever as well as entertaining. Such is offered here, an amusing collection of fictions which, unlike such authors as Iambulus and Ktesias, makes no pretense to truth.

ὥσπερ...οὕτω δὴ καὶ: "just as...so also." Lucian begins with an elaborate comparison between athletes and scholars.

τοῖς ἀθλητικοῖς καὶ...ἀσχολουμένοις: "to athletes and to those occupied with...."

οὐ μόνον φροντίς ἐστιν...ἀλλὰ καὶ: "not only is it a care...but also."

φροντίς ἐστιν: governs the genitives εὐεξίας, γυμνασίων, and ἀνέσεως, (S. 1328, 1356; G. 511c).

κατὰ καιρὸν γινομένης: "happening in season."

γινομένης = γιγνομένης (S. 89).

αὐτὴν ὑπολαμβάνουσιν: "this (i.e., ἀνέσις) they suppose to be…"

ἡγοῦμαι προσήκειν: "I think it fitting to...." The thought is completed by ἀνιέναι τε καὶ παρασκευάζειν.

ἀνιέναι: pres. act. infin. of ἀνίημι "relax," from the same stem as ἀνέσις, "relaxation."

τοῖς ἐσπουδακόσιν: perf. act. part. masc. dat. pl. of σπουδάζω, "for those who have labored," (S. 2052; G. 582).

τῶν σπουδαιοτέρων: "of more serious works," philosophy and the like.

πρὸς τὸν ἔπειτα κάματον: “for subsequent labor," (S. 1153e).

vocabulary

VERB LIST

ἀθλητικός, -ή, -όν: athletic

ἐπιμέλεια, -ας, ἡ: care, attention

ἀσχολέομαι: (Med.) to be occupied or busy with (περί τι).

εὐεξία, ἡ: good health, conditioning

γυμνάσια, τά: bodily exercises

φροντίς, -ίδος, ἡ: thought, care, heed, attention

ἄνεσις, -εως, ἡ: rest, relaxation

γοῦν: at least then, at any rate, any way

ἄσκησις, -εως, ἡ: training, practice, exercise

ὑπολαμβάνω: assume, suppose, believe

σπουδάζω: to pay serious attention to, to work hard at, be earnest about

προσήκω: be fitting

σπουδαῖος, -α, -ον: earnest, serious

ἀνάγνωσις, -εως, ἡ: reading

ἀνίημι: let go, relax

διάνοια, ἡ: mind

κάματος, ὁ: toil, labor

ἀκμαῖος, -α, -ον: vigorous

παρασκευάζω: to make or render so and so, with a part. or adj.

Suggested Citation