Texte grec :
| [4,15] ἐτύγχανε γὰρ ἀλεαινόμενος πρὸς τὸν ἥλιον. ὁ οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος
εὐθὺς ἠγάσθη τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὸ θάρσος καὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν, ὅτι
οὐ κατεπλάγη ἐπιστάντος αὐτῷ. καὶ γάρ πως πεφύκασιν οἱ μὲν
θαρραλέοι τοὺς θαρραλέους φιλεῖν, οἱ δὲ δειλοὶ τοὺς μὲν ὑφορῶνται
καὶ μισοῦσιν ὡς ἐχθρούς, τοὺς δὲ ἀγεννεῖς προσίενται καὶ ἀγαπῶσιν.
ὅθεν τοῖς μὲν ἀλήθεια καὶ παρρησία πάντων ἐστὶν ἥδιστον,
τοῖς δὲ κολακεία καὶ ψεῦδος, καὶ ἀκούουσιν ἡδέως οἱ μὲν τῶν πρὸς
(16) χάριν ὁμιλούντων, οἱ δὲ τῶν πρὸς ἀλήθειαν. ὁ οὖν Διογένης ὀλίγον
ἐπισχὼν ἤρετο αὐτὸν ὅστις εἴη καὶ τί βουλόμενος ἥκοι πρὸς αὐτόν,
ἤ, ἔφη, τῶν ἐμῶν τι ληψόμενος; Ἦ γάρ, ἔφη, χρήματα ἔστι σοι
καὶ ἔχεις ὅτου ἂν μεταδοίης; Πολλά γε, εἶπε, καὶ πολλοῦ ἄξια, ὧν
σὺ οὐκ οἶδα εἴ ποτε δυνήσῃ μεταλαβεῖν. οὐ μέντοι ‘ἄορας οὐδὲ
λέβητας’ οὐδὲ κρατῆρας οὐδὲ κλίνας καὶ τραπέζας τυγχάνω κεκτημένος,
(17) ὥς τινές φασι κεκτῆσθαι Δαρεῖον ἐν Πέρσαις. Τί δέ, ἔφη,
οὐκ οἶσθα Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν βασιλέα; Τό γε ὄνομα, εἶπεν, ἀκούω
πολλῶν λεγόντων, ὡς κολοιῶν περιπετομένων, αὐτὸν δὲ οὐ γιγνώσκω·
(18) οὐ γάρ εἰμι ἔμπειρος αὐτοῦ τῆς διανοίας. Ἀλλὰ νῦν, ἔφη, γνώσῃ
καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν· ἥκω γὰρ ἐπ´ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ἐμαυτόν τε παρέξων
σοι καταμαθεῖν καὶ σὲ ὀψόμενος. Ἀλλὰ χαλεπῶς, ἔφη, με ἂν ἴδοις,
ὥσπερ τὸ φῶς οἱ τὰ ὄμματα ἀσθενεῖς. τόδε δέ μοι εἰπέ, σὺ ἐκεῖνος
εἶ Ἀλέξανδρος, ὃν λέγουσιν ὑποβολιμαῖον; καὶ ὃς ἀκούσας ἠρυθρίασε
μὲν καὶ ὠργίσθη, κατέσχε δ´ ἑαυτόν· μετενόει δέ, ὅτι εἰς
λόγους ἠξίωσεν ἐλθεῖν ἀνδρὶ σκαιῷ τε καὶ ἀλαζόνι, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐνόμιζεν.
(19) ὁ οὖν Διογένης καταμαθὼν αὐτὸν τεταραγμένον, ἐβουλήθη
μεταβαλεῖν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν, ὥσπερ οἱ παῖδες τοὺς ἀστραγάλους.
εἰπόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ, Πόθεν δέ σοι ἐπῆλθεν ἡμᾶς ὑποβολιμαίους
εἰπεῖν; Ὁπόθεν, ἔφη, καὶ τὴν μητέρα σου ἀκούω ταῦτα περὶ σοῦ
λέγειν. ἢ οὐκ Ὀλυμπιάς ἐστιν ἡ εἰποῦσα ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ Φιλίππου
τυγχάνεις γεγονώς, ἀλλ´ ἐκ δράκοντος ἢ Ἄμμωνος ἢ οὐκ οἶδα ὅτου
ποτὲ θεῶν ἢ ἀνθρώπων ἢ θηρίων; καίτοι οὕτως ὑποβολιμαῖος ἂν εἴης.
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Traduction française :
| [4,15] Now Alexander was at once delighted with the man's
boldness and composure in not being awestruck in his
presence. For it is somehow natural for the courageous to
love the courageous, while cowards eye them with
misgiving and hate them as enemies, but welcome
the base and like them. And so to the one class
truth and frankness are the most agreeable things
in the world, to the other, flattery and deceit.
The latter lend a willing ear to those who in their
intercourse seek to please, the former, to those who
have regard for the truth.
(16) Then after a brief pause Diogenes asked the king
who he was and what object he had in coming to him.
"Was it," he said, "to take some of my property ? "
"Why, have you any property ? " replied the other ;
"do you own anything that you might share with
one ? " "Much indeed," he replied, " and very
valuable, in which I do not at all feel sure that you
will ever be able to have a share. Yet it is not
glaives or cauldrons or mixing-bowls or couches
and tables such as Darius is retorted by some
writers to possess in Persia that I happen to own."
"What," retorted the other, " do you not know
Alexander the king? " "I hear many speak his
name, to be sure," said he, "like so many jackdaws
flitting about, but the man I know not, for I am not
acquainted with his mind." "But now," came the
answer, "you shall know his mind also, since I have
come for the very purpose of letting you know me
thoroughly and of seeing you." "Well, it would
be hard for you to see me," rejoined the other,
"just as it is for men with weak eyes to see the
light. But tell me this : are you the Alexander
whom they call a bastard ?" At this the king
flushed and showed anger, but he controlled himself
and regretted that he had deigned to enter into
conversation with a man who was both rude and
an imposter, as he thought. Diogenes, however,
marking his embarrassment, would fain change his
throw just like men playing at dice. So when the
king said, "What gave you the idea of calling me a
bastard ? " he replied, "What gave it ? Why, I hear
that your own mother says this of you. Or is it not
Olympias who said that Philip is not your father,
as it happens, but a dragon or Ammon or some god
or other or demigod or wild animal ? And yet in that
case you would certainly be a bastard."
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