Texte grec :
| [8] ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΥ ΑΓΑΛΜΑ.
Δαιδάλῳ μὲν ἐξῆν, εἰ δεῖ τῷ περὶ Κρήτην
πιστεύειν θαύματι, κινούμενα μηχανᾶσθαι τὰ ποιήματα
καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρωπίνην αἴσθησιν ἐκβιάζεσθαι τὸν
χρυσόν, αἱ δὲ δὴ Πραξιτέλειοι χεῖρες ζωτικὰ διόλου
κατεσκεύαζον τὰ τεχνήματα. ἄλσος ἦν καὶ Διόνυσος
εἱστήκει ἠιθέου σχῆμα μιμούμενος οὕτω μὲν
ἁπαλός, ὡς πρὸς σάρκα μεταρρυθμίζεσθαι τὸν χαλκόν,
οὕτω δὲ ὑγρὸν καὶ κεχαλασμένον ἔχων τὸ σῶμα, ὡς
ἐξ ἑτέρας ὕλης, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλκοῦ πεφυκώς, ὃς χαλκὸς
μὲν ὢν ἠρυθραίνετο, ζωῆς δὲ μετουσίαν οὐκ ἔχων
ἐβούλετο τὴν ἰδέαν δεικνύναι, ἁψαμένῳ δέ σοι πρὸς
τὴν ἀκμὴν ὑπεξίστατο, καὶ ὄντως μὲν ἦν ὁ χαλκὸς
στεγανός, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τέχνης μαλαττόμενος εἰς σάρκα
ἀπεδίδρασκε τῆς χειρὸς τὴν αἴσθησιν. ἦν δὲ ἀνθηρός,
ἁβρότητος γέμων, ἱμέρῳ ῥεόμενος, οἷον αὐτὸν
Εὐριπίδης ἐν Βάκχαις εἰδοποιήσας ἐξέφηνε, κισσὸς
δ´ αὐτὸν ἔστεφε περιθέων ἐν κύκλῳ - ὡς κισσὸς ἦν ὁ
χαλκὸς εἰς κλῶνας καμπτόμενος καὶ τῶν βοστρύχων
τοὺς ἑλικτῆρας ἐκ μετώπου κεχυμένους ἀναστέλλων -
γέλωτος δὲ ἔμπλεως, ὃ δὴ καὶ παντὸς ἦν ἐπέκεινα
θαύματος, ἡδονῆς ἀφιέναι τὴν ὕλην τεκμήρια καὶ τὴν
παθῶν δήλωσιν ὑποκρίνεσθαι τὸν χαλκόν. νεβρὶς
δὲ αὐτὸν ἔσκεπεν οὐχ οἵαν εἴωθεν ὁ Διόνυσος ἐξάπτεσθαι,
ἀλλ´ εἰς τὴν τῆς δορᾶς μίμησιν ὁ χαλκὸς
μετεβάλλετο, εἱστήκει δὲ τὴν λαιὰν ἐπερείδων τῷ
θύρσῳ, ὁ δὲ θύρσος ἠπάτα τὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ ἐκ
χαλκοῦ πεποιημένος χλοερόν τι καὶ τεθηλὸς ἀποστίλβειν
ἐδοξάζετο πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀμειβόμενος τὴν ὕλην.
ὄμμα δὲ ἦν πυρὶ διαυγὲς μανικὸν ἰδεῖν· καὶ γὰρ
τὸ βακχεύσιμον ὁ χαλκὸς ἐνεδείκνυτο καὶ ἐπιθειάζειν
ἐδόκει, ὥσπερ οἶμαι τοῦ Πραξιτέλους καὶ τὸν βακχεῖον
οἶστρον ἐγκαταμῖξαι δυνηθέντος.
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Traduction française :
| [8] ON THE STATUE OF DIONYSUS.
Daedalus, if one is to place credence in the Cretan
marvel, had the power to construct statues endowed
with motion and to compel gold to feel human
sensations, but in truth the hands of Praxiteles
wrought works of art that were altogether alive.
There was a grove, and in it stood Dionysus in the
form of a young man, so delicate that the bronze
was transformed into flesh, with a body so supple
and relaxed that it seemed to consist
of some diffèrent material instead of
bronze : for though it was really
bronze, it nevertheless blushed, and
though it had no part in life, it
sought to show the appearance of
life and would yield to the very
finger-tip if you touched it, for though
it was really compact bronze, it was
so softened into flesh by art that it
shrank from the contact of the hand.
It had the bloom of youth, it was
full of daintiness, it melted with
desire, as indeed Euripides represented
him when he fashioned his
image in the Bacchae. A wreath of ivy encircled
the head—since the bronze was in truth
ivy, bent as it was into sprays and holding up the
curly locks which fell in profusion from his forehead.
And it was full of laughter, nay, it wholly passed the
bounds of wonder in that the material gave out
evidence of joy and the bronze feigned to represent
the emotions. A fawn-skin clothed the statue, not
such as Dionysus was accustomed to wear, but the
bronze was transformed to imitate the
pelt ; and he stood resting his left
hand on a thyrsus, and the thyrsus
deceived the beholder's vision; for
while it was wrought of bronze it
seemed to glisten with the greenness l
of young growth, as though it were
actually transformed into the plant
itself. The eye was gleaming with
fire, in appearance the eye of a man
in a frenzy ; for the bronze exhibited
the Bacchic madness and seemed to
be divinely inspired, just as, I think,
Praxiteles had the power to infuse
into the statue also the Bacchic ecstasy.
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