[1] ΕΙΣ ΣΑΤΥΡΟΝ. Ἄντρον ἦν τι περὶ Θήβας τὰς Αἰγυπτίας προσεικασμένον σύριγγι εἰς ἕλικας αὐτοφυῶς ἐν κύκλῳ περὶ τοὺς τῆς γῆς ἑλιττόμενον πυθμένας· οὐ γὰρ ἐπ´ εὐθείας ἀνοιγόμενον εἰς εὐθυπόρους αὐλῶνας ἐσχίζετο, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπώρειον περιτρέχον καμπὴν ὑπογείους ἕλικας ἐξέτεινεν εἰς δυσεύρετον πλάνην ἐκπῖπτον. ἵδρυτο δὲ ἐν αὐτῷ Σατύρου τι σχῆμα τεχνηθὲν ἐκ λίθου. εἱστήκει μὲν ἐπί τινος κρηπῖδος εἰς χορείαν εὐτρεπίζων τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς βάσεως τὸν ταρσὸν τὸν ὄπισθεν ἐξαίρων μετεχειρίζετο καὶ αὐλὸν καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἠχὴν πρῶτος ἐξανίστατο· τῇ μὲν γὰρ ἀκοῇ μέλος οὐ προσῆπτεν αὐλοῦντος οὐδὲ ἦν ὁ αὐλὸς ἔμφωνος, τὸ δὲ τῶν αὐλούντων πάθος διὰ τῆς τέχνης εἰς τὴν πέτραν εἰσῆκτο. εἶδες ἂν ὑπανισταμένας καὶ φλέβας ὡς ἂν ἔκ τινος γεμιζομένας πνεύματος καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπήχησιν τοῦ αὐλοῦ τὴν πνοὴν ἐκ στέρνων τὸν Σάτυρον ἀνασπῶντα καὶ ἐνεργεῖν ἐθέλον τὸ εἴδωλον καὶ εἰς ἀγωνίαν τὸν λίθον πίπτοντα - εἶναι γὰρ ἔπειθε καὶ πνοῆς ἐξουσίαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔμφυτον καὶ ἄσθματος ἔνδειξιν ἐγειρομένην οἴκοθεν - καὶ τῶν ἀμηχάνων πόρον. οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἁβρότητος μετέχον τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλ´ ἡ τῶν μελῶν στερρότης τὴν ὥραν ἔκλεπτεν εἰς ἄρθρων συμμετρίαν ἀνδρικῶν τὴν ἰδέαν τραχύνουσα. καλῇ μὲν γὰρ κόρῃ χρῶτες μαλθακοὶ πρόσφοροι καὶ μέλη θρυπτόμενα, Σατύρου δὲ αὐχμηρὸν τὸ εἶδος ὡς ἂν ὀρείου δαίμονος καὶ Διονύσῳ σκιρτῶντος. κισσὸς δὲ αὐτὸν ἐστεφάνου οὐκ ἐκ λειμῶνος δρεψαμένης τὸν καρπὸν τῆς τέχνης, ἀλλ´ ὁ λίθος ἀπὸ στερρότητος εἰς κλῶνας χυθεὶς περιέθει τὴν κόμην εἰς συμβολὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς αὐχενίους τένοντας ἐκ μετώπων προσέρπων. παρειστήκει δὲ ὁ Πὰν γανύμενος τῇ αὐλητικῇ καὶ ἐναγκαλισάμενος τὴν Ἠχώ, ὥσπερ οἶμαι δεδιώς, μή τινα φθόγγον ἔμμουσον ὁ αὐλὸς κινήσας ἀντηχεῖν ἀναπείσῃ τῷ Σατύρῳ τὴν Νύμφην. τοῦτο θεασάμενοι τὸ εἴδωλον καὶ τὸν Αἰθιόπων λίθον ἔμφωνον Μέμνονος ἐπιστεύομεν γενέσθαι, ὃς προσιούσης μὲν τῆς Ἡμέρας ἐπὶ ταῖς παρουσίαις ἐφαιδρύνετο, ἀπιούσης δὲ ἀνίᾳ βαλλόμενος πένθιμον ἐπέστενεν καὶ μόνος ἐκ λίθων ἡδονῆς καὶ λύπης παρουσίᾳ διοικούμενος τῆς οἰκείας ἀπέστη κωφότητος εἰς ἐξουσίαν φωνῆς τὴν ἀναισθησίαν ἐκνικήσας.

[1] ON A SATYR. THERE was a certain cave near Thebes in Egypt which resembled a shepherd's pipe, since as it followed its winding course in the depths of the earth it formed a natural spiral ; for it did not take a straight course at the opening and then branch off into straight-running corridors, but winding about under the mountain it made a huge spiral, ending in a most difficult maze. In it was set up an image of a Satyr wrought in marble. He stood on a base in the attitude of one making ready to dance, and lifting the sole of his right foot backward he not only held a flute in bis hand but also was being the first to leap up at its sound ; though in reality the flute's note was not reaching the player's ear, nor yet was the flute endowed with voice, but the physical effect which flute-players experience had been transferred to the stone by the skill of the artist. You could have seen the veins standing out as though they were filled with a sort of breath, the Satyr drawing the air from bis lungs to bring notes from the flute, the statue eager to be in action, and the stone entering upon strenuous activity—for it persuaded you that the power to blow the flute was actually inherent in it, and that the indication of breathing was the result of its own inner powers —finding a way to accomplish the impossible. The body had no trace of delicacy, but the hardness of the members had stolen away their beauty, making the form rugged with the symmetry of manly limbs. For though soft skin and dainty limbs befit a beautiful girl, the appearance of a Satyr is unkempt, as of a mountain spirit that leaps in honour of Dionysus. The statue was wreathed with ivy, though the sculptor's art did not cull real berries from a meadow, nay, rather, it was the stone which for all its hardness spread out into sprays and encircled the hair, creeping back from the forehead till the ends met at the sinews of the neck. Pan stood beside him, delighting in the music of the flute and embracing Echo, in fear, I suppose, lest the flute set in motion some musical sound and induce the Nymph to make an echoing response to the Satyr. When we saw this statue we could well believe that the Ethiopian stone statue of Memnon also became vocal, the Memnon, who when Day came was filled with joy by her presence, and, overcome by distress when she departed, groaned with grief—the only stone figure that has been moved by the presence of joy and sadness to depart from its natural dumbness, so far overcoming its insensibility as to gain the power of speech.