[5,0] ΛΙΒΥΚΟΣ ΜΥΘΟΣ. (5,1) {Μῦθον Λιβυκὸν ἐκπονεῖν καὶ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατατρίβειν τὴν περὶ λόγους φιλοπονίαν οὐκ εὐτυχὲς μέν, οὐ γὰρ οὖν τῶν πρὸς ζῆλον τοῖς ἐπιεικεστάτοις ἀνθρώπων ἀπονευόντων, ἀλλ´ ὅμως οὐκ ἀφεκτέον ὀλιγωρίᾳ τῆς περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀδολεσχίας.} τάχα γὰρ ἄν ποτε καὶ ἡμῖν χρείαν οὐ φαύλην παράσχοι ἑλκόμενά πῃ πρὸς τὸ δέον καὶ παραβαλλόμενα τοῖς οὖσι καὶ ἀληθέσιν. (5,2) ἡ δὲ τοιαύτη δύναμις καὶ ἐπιχείρησις ὁμοία μοι δοκεῖ τῇ τῶν γεωργῶν ἐμπειρίᾳ περὶ τὰ φυτά, ἐάνπερ ἱκανῶς γίγνηται· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ ἐνίοτε τοῖς ἀκάρποις καὶ ἀγρίοις ἐνθέντες καὶ ἐμφυτεύσαντες τὰ ἥμερα καὶ καρποφόρα χρήσιμον ἀντ´ ἀχρήστου καὶ ὠφέλιμον ἀντὶ ἀνωφελοῦς ἀπέδειξαν τὸ φυτόν. (5,3) οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῖς ἀνωφελέσι μυθεύμασι λόγος ἐμβληθεὶς χρήσιμος καὶ συμφέρων οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνα εἴασεν εἶναι μάτην λεγόμενα. τυχὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι συντιθέντες αὐτὰ πρός τι τοιοῦτον συνέθεσαν, αἰνιττόμενοι καὶ μεταφέροντες τοῖς δυναμένοις ὀρθῶς ὑπολαμβάνειν. (5,4) τόδε μὲν δὴ προοίμιον, ὡς ἔφη τις, τοῦ νόμου. {τὸ} λοιπὸν δ´ ἂν εἴη αὐτὸν τὸν νόμον {ἢ τὸν μῦθον} λέγειν τε καὶ ᾄδειν, ὁποίῳ μάλιστα ἀφομοιοῦμεν εἰκάσματι τὰς ἐπιθυμίας. (5,5) λέγεται γὰρ πάλαι ποτὲ θηρίων εἶναί τι γένος χαλεπὸν καὶ ἄγριον, πλεῖστον καὶ μάλιστα γιγνόμενον ἐν τοῖς ἀοικήτοις τῆς Λιβύης. ἥδε γὰρ ἡ χώρα καὶ νῦν ἔτι δοκεῖ παντοδαπὰς φέρειν ζῴων φύσεις, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἄλλων θηρίων. (5,6) ἐν οἷς εἶναι καὶ τοῦτο τὸ γένος, ὑπὲρ οὗ νῦν ὁ λόγος, σύνθετον τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἰδέαν σχεδὸν ἐκ τῶν πλεῖστον διαφερόντων, παντελῶς ἄτοπον. πλανᾶσθαι δὲ αὐτὸ μέχρι τῆσδε τῆς θαλάττης ἐπὶ τὴν Σύρτιν τροφῆς ἕνεκα. (5,7) θηρᾶν μὲν γὰρ καὶ τἄλλα θηρία, τούς τε λέοντας καὶ παρδάλεις {ὡς ἐκεῖνα} τάς τε ἐλάφους καὶ τοὺς ἀγρίους ὄνους καὶ τὰ πρόβατα, μάλιστα δὲ ἥδεσθαι τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄγρᾳ. ὧν δὴ καὶ ἕνεκεν ἐγγὺς ἀφικνεῖσθαι τῶν οἰκουμένων μέχρι τῆς Σύρτεως. (5,8) ἔστι δὲ ἡ Σύρτις κόλπος θαλάττης εἰσέχων ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς χώρας καὶ τριῶν ἡμερῶν, φασί, πλοῦς ἀκωλύτως πλέουσι. (5,9) τοῖς δὲ κατενεχθεῖσιν οὐκ εἶναι τὸν ἔκπλουν δυνατόν· βραχέα γὰρ καὶ διθάλαττα καὶ ταινίαι μακραὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ διήκουσαι παντάπασιν ἄπορον καὶ δύσκολον παρέχουσι τὸ πέλαγος. οὐ γάρ ἐστι κατ´ ἐκεῖνα τὸ τῆς θαλάττης ἀγγεῖον καθαρόν, κοῖλος δὲ καὶ ψαμμώδης ὁ τόπος ὢν ἐκδέχεται τὸ πέλαγος, οὐδὲν ἔχων στερεόν.

[5,0] The Fifth Discourse: A Libyan Myth. (5,1) To develop a Libyan myth and to fritter away one's industry upon such a subject is not a promising undertaking, — indeed not, since these themes do not incline the most able men to imitation. Nevertheless, we must not refrain because of their contempt from dallying with such themes. For perhaps we ourselves should derive no small benefit if the myth in some way were given the right turn and became a parable of the real and the true. 2 Now when one employs his powers to such an end, he suggests to me the farmer's treatment of plant-life, when it is successful. Sometimes by grafting cultivated and fruit-bearing scions on wild and barren stocks and making them grow there, he changes a useless and unprofitable plant into a useful and profitable one. 3 And in just the same way, when some useful and edifying moral is engrafted on an unprofitable legend, the latter is saved from being a mere idle tale. Perhaps, too, those who composed these tales in the first place composed them for some such purpose, using allegory and metaphor for such as had the power to interpret them aright. 4 So much by way of prelude to my ode, as someone has said. It still remains to recite (p239) and sing the ode itself, that is, the myth which tells to what we may best liken the human passions. 5 Once upon a time, so runs the story, there was a dangerous and savage species of animal whose main haunt was in the uninhabited regions of Libya. For that country even to this day seems to produce all sorts of living creatures, reptiles as well as other kinds. 6 Now among them was the species with which this story has to deal. It had a body that, in general, was a composite thing of the most incongruous parts, an utter monstrosity, and it used to roam as far as the Mediterranean and the Syrtis in search of food. 7 For it hunted both the beasts of prey such as the lion and the panther, even as those hunt the deer and the wild asses and the sheep, but took the most delight in catching men; and this is why it used to come near the settlements even as far as the Syrtis. 8 The Syrtis is an arm of the Mediterranean extending far inland, a three days' voyage, they say, for a boat unhindered in its course. But those who have once sailed into it find egress impossible; 9 for shoals, cross-currents, and long sand-bars extending a great distance out make the sea utterly impassable or troublesome. For the bed of the sea in these parts is not clean, but as the bottom is porous and sandy it lets the sea seep in, there being no solidity to it.