| At ego tibi sermone isto Milesio varias fabulas conseram auresque tuas benivolas lepido susurro permulceam — modo si papyrum Aegyptiam argutia¹ Nilotici calami inscriptam non spreveris inspicere — , figuras fortunasque hominum in alias imagines conversas et in se rursus mutuo nexu refectas ut mireris.² Exordior. “Quis ille?” Paucis accipe. Hymettos Attica et Isthmos Ephyrea et Taenaros Spartiatica, glebae felices aeternum libris felicioribus conditae, mea vetus prosapia est; ibi linguam Atthidem primis pueritiae stipendiis merui. Mox in urbe Latia advena studiorum Quiritium indigenam sermonem aerumnabili labore nullo magistro praeeunte aggressus excolui. En ecce praefamur veniam, siquid exotici ac forensis sermonis rudis locutor offendero. Iam haec equidem ipsa vocis immutatio desultoriae scientiae stilo quem accessimus respondet.³ Fabulam Graecanicam incipimus. Lector intende: laetaberis. |
I will provide you with various tales of the Milesian manner and charm your benevolent ears with sweet whispers, if you would only not deign to look at this cleverly written Egyptian manuscript, written with the reed of the Nile. You will be amazed at the figures and fates of man, turned into other forms, and turned back with a mutual connection as well. I begin. You will ask: “who are you?”. I shall explain briefly. The happy lands of the Hymettos of Attica, the Isthmus of Corinth and of cape Taenaros of Sparta, forever recorded in even happier books, form my ancient lineage. It is here that I learned the Greek language during my youth. Thereafter, in the Latin city, I learned with great effort and without any teacher showing me the way the native language of the Romans. That’s why I ask for forgiveness in advance, in case I offend anyone with my exotic and public way of talking, being an unpolished speaker. Actually, it is this very change of my tongue that corresponds so well to the changeable and precarious style that I have adopted. We begin a Greek tale. Reader beware: you shall enjoy it. |
