Texte grec :
| [4] ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΙΝΔΟΥ ΑΓΑΛΜΑ.
Παρὰ κρήνην Ἰνδὸς εἱστήκει ἀνάθημα ταῖς
Νύμφαις ἱδρυθείς. ἦν δὲ ὁ Ἰνδὸς λίθος μελαινόμενος καὶ
πρὸς τὴν ἐκ φύσεως τοῦ γένους αὐτομολῶν
χρόαν, εἶχε δὲ εὐθαλῆ μὲν καὶ οὔλην τὴν χαίτην οὐκ
ἀκράτῳ τῷ μέλανι λάμπουσαν, ἀλλ´ ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων
πρὸς κόχλου Τυρίας ἄνθος ἐρίζουσαν· οἷον γὰρ εὐπαθοῦσα
καὶ νοτιζομένη ταῖς προσοίκοις Νύμφαις ἡ θρὶξ
ἐκ ῥιζῶν ἀνιοῦσα μελάντερος πρὸς τοῖς ἄκροις ἐπόρφυρεν.
ὀφθαλμοί γε μὴν οὐ συνῇδον τῷ λίθῳ,
κατὰ γὰρ τὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων κόρας περιέθει λευκότης
κατ´ ἐκεῖνο τὸ μέρος τῆς πέτρας μεταπιπτούσης εἰς
λευκότητα, καθ´ ὃ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ φύσεως ἡ χρόα
λευκαίνεται. μέθη δὲ αὐτὸν ἐξίστη καὶ τὸ μεμεθυσμένον
οὐ κατεμήνυσεν ἡ τοῦ λίθου χρόα - οὐ γὰρ
ἦν αὐτῷ μηχάνημα τὰς παρειὰς φοινῖξαι σκέποντος τοῦ
μέλανος τὴν μέθην - , ἐκ δὲ τοῦ σχήματος κατηγόρει
τὸ πάθος· παράφορός τε γὰρ καὶ κωμάζων εἱστήκει οὐ
δυνάμενος ἐρείδειν τὼ πόδε, ἀλλ´ ὑπότρομός τε καὶ
ὑπὸ τὴν γῆν ὀκλάζων. ὁ δὲ λίθος ὑπὸ τοῦ
πάθους ἐῴκει πληγέντι καὶ οἱονεὶ σπαίρει τὸν ἀπὸ
τῆς μέθης ἐμφανίζων σεισμόν. εἶχε δὲ ἁβρὸν οὐδὲν
τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ τὸ εἴδωλον οὐδ´ εἰς τὴν κατὰ χρόαν ἐξήσκητο
χάριν, ἀλλ´ εἰς μόνων τῶν μελῶν συμβολὴν διήρθρωτο.
ἀσκεπὴς δὲ ἦν καὶ γυμνὸς ὡς ἂν τῶν Ἰνδικῶν σωμάτων
πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἀκμῆς φλογῶδες εἰωθότων ἀπανδρίζεσθαι.
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Traduction française :
| [4] ON THE STATUE OF AN INDIAN.
By a spring stood an Indian, set up as a dedication
to the Nymphs. The Indian was of a marble
verging on black and shifting of its own accord to the
colour given by nature to his race ; and it had thick,
woolly hair, shining with a hue not exactly black,
but at the tips vying with the brilliancy of Tyrian
shellfish ; for the hair, as if it were well cared for
and moistened by the neighbouring Nymphs, was
rather black where it rose from the roots but grew
purple near the tips. The eyes, however, were not
of a colour to match the marble for whiteness
encircled the pupils of the eyes, since the marble
changed to whiteness at that point where the
natural colour of the Indian becomes white.
Drunkenness was overcoming him, and yet the
colour of the marble did not betray his drunkenness
—for the artist had no means by which to
redden the cheeks, the black colour being proof
against this effect of drink—but this condition was
indicated by the attitude ; for he stood reeling and
jovial, not able to plant his feet steadily, but trembling
and tending to sag to the ground. The
marble resembled a man overcome by this condition,
and it all but quivers as it indicates the trembling
that comes from drunkenness. There was nothing
delicate about the statue of the Indian, nor yet was it
carefully wrought to match the charm of its colour,
but it was perfected only as regards the composition
of its limbs. It was unclothed and nude, on the
ground that the bodies of Indians are wont to
endure manfully the fiery heat of the midday sun.
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