Arion and The Dolphin

Ἀρίων ὁ κιθαρῳδός, τὸν πολὺν τοῦ χρόνου διατρίβων παρὰ Περιάνδρῳ τῷ Κορίνθου τυράννῳ, ἐπεθύμησε πλευσαι εἰς Ἰταλίαν τε καὶ Σικελίαν.

The Cithara player Arion, after spending a long time at the court of Periander, the tyrant of Corinth, desired to sail to Italy and Sicily.

ἐργασάμενος δὲ χρήματα μεγάλα, ἠθέλησεν ὀπίσω εἰς Κόρινθον ἀφικέσθαι.

When he had made a large amount of money by working, he wanted to return back to Corinth.

ὡρματο μέν νυν ἐκ Τάραντος, πιστεύων δὲ οὐδαμοῖς μᾶλλον ἢ Κορινθίοις, ἐμισθώσατο πλοῖον ἀνδρῶν Κορινθίων.

Indeed he had now set out from Tarentum, trusting in nobody other than Corinthians, and had hired a ship of Corinthian men.

οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ πελάγει ἐπεβούλευον, τὸν Ἀρίονα ἐκβαλόντες, ἔχειν τὰ χρήματα.

But at sea they began to plot to throw Arion overboard and to have his money.

ὁ δέ, συνεὶς τοῦτο, ἐλίσσετο, χρήματα μὲν αὐτοῖς προϊείς, ψυχὴν δὲ παραιτούμενος.

But when he realised this, he started to plead, handing over his money to them and begging for his life.

οὔκουν δὴ ἔπειθεν, ἀλλ' ἐκέλευον αὐτὸν οἱ πορθμεῖς ἢ διαχρῆσθαι ἑαυτόν, ὡς ταφῆς ἐν γῇ τύχοι, ἢ ἐκπηδᾶν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν τὴν ταχίστην.

However, he certainly did not persuade them, but the sailor ordered him either to kill himself as to gain a tomb on land, or to leap very speedily into the sea.

ἀπειληθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἀρίων εἰς ἀπορίαν, παρητήσατο αὐτοὺς περιιδεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ σκευῇ πάση στάντα ἐν τοῖς ἑδωλίοις ἆσαι

Forced into a state of helplessness, Arion begged them to allow him after taking up position in all his finery to sing on the stern seats.

ᾄσας δὲ ὑπεδέχετο ἑαυτὸν κατεργάσεσθαι.

After he had sang he promised that he would do away with himself.

οἱ δὲ, εἰσῆλθε γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡδονὴ εἰ μέλλοιεν ἀκούσεσθαι τοῦ ἀρίστου ἀνθρώπων ἀοιδοῦ, ἀνεχώρησαν ἐκ τῆς πρύμνης εἰς μέσην ναῦν.

But they, because joy came over them if they were about to hear the best singer of mankind, moved away from the stern to the middle of the ship.

ὁ δέ, ἐνδύς τε πᾶσαν τὴν σκευὴν καὶ λαβὼν τὴν κιθάραν, στὰς ἐν τοῖς ἑδωλίοις διεξῆλθε νόμον τὸν ὄρθιον·

He, clothed in all his finery and taking up his cithara, stood on the stern seats and performed a high pitched song.

τελευτῶντος δὲ τοῦ νόμου ἔρριψεν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἑαυτὸν ὡς εἶχε σὺν τῇ σκευῇ πάσῃ.

As the song was coming to an end he hurled himself into the sea just as he was along with all his finery.

καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπέπλεον εἰς Κόρινθον· τὸν δὲ Ἀρίονα δελφίς, ὡς λέγουσι, ὑπολαβὼν ἐξήνεγκεν ἐπὶ Ταίναρον.

And whilst they sailed away to Corinth, a dolphin, so they say, took Arion up and carried him away to Taenarum

ἀποβὰς δὲ ἐχώρει εἰς Κόρινθον σὺν τῇ σκευῇ, καὶ ἀφικόμενος ἀφηγεῖτο πὰν τὸ γεγονός.

After he got off he made his way to Corinth with his finery, and when he had arrived he recounted all that had happened.

Περίανδρος δὲ ὑπὸ ἀπιστίας Ἀρίονα μὲν ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχεν οὐδαμῇ μεθιείς, ἀνακῶς δὲ εἶχε τῶν πορθμέων.

Periander, in disbelief, kept Arion under guard and did not let him go anywhere, but he watched carefully for the sailors.

ὡς δὲ ἄρα παρῆσαν, κληθέντας αὐτοὺς ἤρετο εἴ τι λέγοιεν περὶ Ἀρίονος.

When they were actually present, they were summoned and he asked them if they had anything to say about Arion.

φαμένων δὲ ἐκείνων ὡς εἴη τε σῶς περὶ Ἰταλίαν καὶ λίποιεν εὖ πράττοντα ἐν Τάραντι, ἐπεφάνη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἀρίων, ὥσπερ ἔχων ἐξεπήδησε.

When the men said that he was safe wandering around Italy and that they had left him faring well in Tarentum, Arion was revealed to them just as he was when he leapt overboard.

καὶ οἱ δὲ ἐκπλαγέντες οὐκ εἶχον ἔτι ἐλεγχόμενοι ἀρνεῖσθαι.

They were thunderstruck and were not able, when cross examined further, to deny.