Texte grec :
| [9,10] ὅμως δὲ οἵ
τε ἀθλοθέται τῶν Ἰσθμίων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσοι ἔντιμοι καὶ δυνατοὶ
σφόδρα ἠποροῦντο καὶ συνεστέλλοντο, κατ´ ἐκεῖνον ὁπότε γένοιντο,
καὶ πάντες οὗτοι σιγῇ παρῄεσαν ὑποβλέποντες αὐτόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ
ἐστεφανώσατο τῆς πίτυος, πέμψαντες οἱ Κορίνθιοι τῶν ὑπηρετῶν
τινας ἐκέλευον ἀποθέσθαι τὸν στέφανον καὶ μηδὲν παράνομον ποιεῖν.
(9,11) ὁ δὲ ἤρετο αὐτοὺς διὰ τί παράνομόν ἐστιν αὐτὸν ἐστεφανῶσθαι
τῆς πίτυος, ἄλλους δὲ οὐ παράνομον. εἶπεν οὖν τις
αὐτῶν, Ὅτι οὐ νενίκηκας, ὦ Διόγενες. ὁ δέ, Πολλούς γε, εἶπεν,
ἀνταγωνιστὰς καὶ μεγάλους, οὐχ οἷα ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ ἀνδράποδα τὰ
(9,12) νῦν ἐνταῦθα παλαίοντα καὶ δισκεύοντα καὶ τρέχοντα, τῷ παντὶ δὲ
χαλεπωτέρους, πενίαν καὶ φυγὴν καὶ ἀδοξίαν, ἔτι δὲ ὀργήν τε καὶ
λύπην καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ φόβον καὶ τὸ πάντων ἀμαχώτατον θηρίον,
ὕπουλον καὶ μαλθακόν, ἡδονήν· ᾗ οὐδεὶς οὔτε τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὔτε
τῶν βαρβάρων ἀξιοῖ μάχεσθαι καὶ περιεῖναι τῇ ψυχῇ κρατήσας,
ἀλλὰ πάντες ἥττηνται καὶ ἀπειρήκασι πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον,
Πέρσαι καὶ Μῆδοι καὶ Σύροι καὶ Μακεδόνες καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ
Λακεδαιμόνιοι, πλὴν ἐμοῦ.
(9,13) πότερον ὑμῖν ἄξιος δοκῶ τῆς πίτυος,
ἢ λαβόντες αὐτὴν δώσετε τῷ πλείστων κρεῶν γέμοντι; ταῦτα οὖν
ἀπαγγέλλετε τοῖς πέμψασι καὶ ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρανομοῦσιν· οὐ γὰρ
νικήσαντες οὐδένα ἀγῶνα περιέρχονται στεφάνους ἔχοντες· {καὶ ὅτι
ἐνδοξότερα πεποίηκε τὰ Ἴσθμια κατακρατήσας αὐτὸς τὸν στέφανον,
καὶ ὅτι οὐ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ ταῖς αἰξὶ δηλαδὴ περιμάχητον
αὐτὸν εἶναι δεῖ.}
(9,14) μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἰδών τινα ἐκ τοῦ σταδίου
βαδίζοντα μετὰ πολλοῦ πλήθους καὶ μηδὲ ἐπιβαίνοντα τῆς γῆς,
ἀλλὰ ὑψηλὸν φερόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου, τοὺς δέ τινας ἐπακολουθοῦντας
καὶ βοῶντας, ἄλλους δὲ πηδῶντας ὑπὸ χαρᾶς καὶ τὰς
χεῖρας αἴροντας πρὸς τὸν οὐρανόν, τοὺς δὲ ἐπιβάλλοντας αὐτῷ
στεφάνους καὶ ταινίας, ὅτε ἐδυνήθη προσελθεῖν ἤρετο τίς ἐστιν ὁ
θόρυβος ὁ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τί συνέβη.
(9,15) ὁ δὲ ἔφη, Νικῶμεν, {Διόγενες,}
βέλτιστε ἀνδρῶν, τὸ στάδιον. Τοῦτο δὲ τί ἐστιν; εἶπεν· οὐ γὰρ δὴ
φρονιμώτερος γέγονας οὐδὲ μικρὸν, ὅτι ἔφθασας τοὺς συντρέχοντας,
οὐδὲ σωφρονέστερος νῦν ἢ πρότερον οὐδὲ δειλὸς ἧττον, οὐδ´ ἔλαττον
ἀλγεῖς οὐδ´ ἐλαττόνων δεήσῃ τὸ λοιπὸν οὐδὲ ἀλυπότερον βιώσῃ.
(9,16) Μὰ Δία, εἶπεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ταχύτατός εἰμι πάντων.
Ἀλλ´ οὐ τῶν λαγῶν, ἔφη ὁ Διογένης, οὐδὲ τῶν ἐλάφων· καίτοι
ταῦτα τὰ θηρία πάντων ἐστὶ {τάχιστα καὶ} δειλότατα, καὶ τοὺς
ἀνθρώπους καὶ τοὺς κύνας καὶ τοὺς ἀετοὺς φοβεῖται, καὶ ζῇ βίον
ἄθλιον. οὐκ οἶσθα, ἔφη, ὅτι τὸ τάχος δειλίας σημεῖόν ἐστι; τοῖς
γὰρ αὐτοῖς ζῴοις συμβέβηκε ταχίστοις τε εἶναι καὶ ἀνανδροτάτοις.
(9,17) ὁ γοῦν Ἡρακλῆς διὰ τὸ βραδύτερος εἶναι πολλῶν καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι
κατὰ πόδας αἱρεῖν τοὺς κακούργους, διὰ τοῦτο ἐφόρει τόξα καὶ
τούτοις ἐχρῆτο ἐπὶ τοὺς φεύγοντας. καὶ ὅς, Ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἀχιλλέα,
ἔφη, ταχὺν ὄντα, φησὶν ὁ ποιητὴς ἀνδρειότατον εἶναι. Καὶ πῶς,
ἔφη, οἶσθα ὅτι ταχὺς ἦν ὁ Ἀχιλλεύς; τὸν μὲν γὰρ Ἕκτορα ἑλεῖν
οὐκ ἐδύνατο κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ὅλην διώκων.
(9,18) οὐκ αἰσχύνῃ, ἔφη, ἐπὶ πράγματι σεμνυνόμενος,
ἐν ᾧ τῶν φαυλοτάτων θηρίων χείρων
πέφυκας; οἶμαι γάρ σε μηδὲ ἀλώπεκα δύνασθαι φθάσαι. πόσον
δέ τι καὶ ἔφθασας; Παρ´ ὀλίγον, εἶπεν, ὦ Διόγενες. τοῦτο γάρ
τοι καὶ τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐγένετο τῆς νίκης. Ὥστε, ἔφη, παρ´ ἓν
βῆμα εὐδαίμων γέγονας. Ἅπαντες γὰρ οἱ κράτιστοι ἦμεν οἱ τρέχοντες.
Οἱ δὲ κόρυδοι οὐ πολλῷ τινι θᾶττον ὑμῶν διέρχονται τὸ
στάδιον; Πτηνοὶ γάρ εἰσιν, εἶπεν.
(9,19) Οὐκοῦν, ἔφη ὁ Διογένης, εἴπερ τὸ
ταχύτατον εἶναι κράτιστόν ἐστι, πολὺ βέλτιον κόρυδον εἶναι σχεδὸν
ἢ ἄνθρωπον· ὥστε τὰς ἀηδόνας οὐδέν τι δεῖ οἰκτίρειν οὐδὲ τοὺς
ἔποπας, ὅτι ὄρνιθες ἐγένοντο ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ μύθου
λέλεκται. Ἀλλ´ ἐγώ, ἔφη, ἄνθρωπος ὢν ἀνθρώπων ταχύτατός
εἰμι. τί δέ; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μύρμηξιν, εἶπεν, εἰκὸς ἄλλον ἄλλου
ταχύτερον εἶναι; μὴ οὖν θαυμάζουσιν αὐτόν; ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι γελοῖον
εἶναι, εἴ τις ἐθαύμαζε μύρμηκα ἐπὶ τάχει;
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Traduction française :
| [9,10] Generally the managers of the Isthmian games and other honourable and
influential men were sorely troubled and held themselves aloof whenever they came
his way, and passed on, all of them, in silence and with scowling glances. But when he
went so far as to put the crown of pine upon his head, the Corinthians sent some of
their servants to bid him lay aside the crown and do nothing unlawful. 11 He, however,
asked them why it was unlawful for him to wear the crown of pine and not so for
others. Whereupon one of them said, "Because you have won no victory, Diogenes."
To which he replied, "Many and mighty antagonists have I vanquished, not like these
slaves who are now wrestling here, hurling the discus and running, 12 but more
difficult in every way — I mean poverty, exile, and disrepute; yes, and anger, pain,
desire, fear, and the most redoubtable beast of all, treacherous and cowardly, I mean
pleasure, which no Greek or barbarian can claim he fights and conquers by the
strength of his soul, but all alike have succumbed to her and have failed in this
contest — Persians, Medes, Syrians, Macedonians, Athenians, Lacedaemonians — all,
that is, save myself. 13 Is it I, then, think you, that am worthy of the pine, or will you
take and bestow it upon the one who is stuffed with the most meat? Take this answer,
then, to those who sent you and say that it is they who break the (p411) law; for they go
about wearing crowns and yet have won in no contest; and add that I have lent a great
lustre to the Isthmian games by having myself taken the crown, which ought to be a
thing for goats, forsooth, to fight over, not for men."
14 And on a later occasion when he saw a person leaving the race-track surrounded by
a great mob and not even walking on the earth, but carried shoulder high by the
throng, with some following after and shouting, others leaping for joy and lifting their
hands towards heaven, and still others throwing garlands and ribbons upon him, he
asked, when he was able to get near, what was the meaning of the tumult about him,
and what had happened. 15 The victor replied, "I have won the two hundred yards
dash for men, Diogenes." "And what does that amount to?" he inquired; "for you
certainly have not become one whit more intelligent for having outstripped your
competitors, nor more temperate than you were, nor less cowardly, nor are you less
discontented, nor will your wants be less in the future or your life freer from grief and
pain." 16 "No, by heavens," said he, "but I am the fastest on foot of all the Greeks."
"But not faster than rabbits," said Diogenes, "nor deer; and yet these animals, the
swiftest of all, are also the most cowardly. They are afraid of men and dogs and eagles
and lead a wretched life. Do you not know," he added, "that speed is a mark of
cowardice? It is in the order of things that the swiftest animals are likewise the most
timid. 17 Heracles, for instance, (p413) on account of being slower than many and unable
to catch evil-doers by running, used to carry a bow and arrows and to employ them
against those who ran from him." "But," was the reply, "the poet states that Achilles,
who was very swift-footed, was, nevertheless, very brave." "And how," exclaimed
Diogenes, "do you know that Achilles was swift-footed? For he was unable to overtake
Hector although he pursued him all day.
18 "Are you not ashamed," he continued, "to take pride in an accomplishment in
which you are naturally outclassed by the meanest beasts? I do not believe that you
can outstrip even a fox. And by how much did you beat the man after all?" "By just a
little, Diogenes," said he; "for you know that is what made the victory so marvellous."
"So," replied Diogenes, "you are fortunate by just one stride." "Yes, for all of us who
ran were first-rate runners." "How much more quickly, however, does a crested lark
get over the course than you?" "Ah, but it has wings," he said. 19 "Well," replied
Diogenes, "if the swiftest thing is the best, it is much better, perhaps, to be a lark than
to be a man. So then we need not pity the nightingale or the hoopoe because they
were changed from human beings into birds according to the myth." "But," replied
he, "I, a man, am the fleetest of men." "What of it? Is it not probable that among ants
too," Diogenes rejoined, "one is swifter than another? Yet they do not admire it, do
they? Or would it not seem absurd to you if one admired (p415) an ant for its speed?
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