Zenobius 6.28
About an ass's shadow
English
Proverb
About an ass's shadow
Explanation
Menander mentions it in his Encheiridion. They say that Demosthenes the orator, when speaking in defence of one in danger, the judges not bearing with him, said: "Listen, gentlemen, to a pleasant story. A young man once hired an ass from Athens to Megara. At midday, halting and unloading, he sheltered under the ass's shadow. Driven out by the ass-driver, he was knocked about, saying he had hired the shadow too. The ass-driver disputing and saying he had hired the ass, both went into court." Saying this, Demosthenes was getting down from the platform. The judges asking to learn the trial's outcome, he said, mounting the platform again: "About an ass's shadow you are eager to hear, gentlemen, but for a man in danger of his life, you cannot endure even his voice?" Others say he hired the ass from Athens to Delphi. Whence, they say, Demosthenes too speaks of the shadow at Delphi, as does Plato, and many others. Archippus too has a comedy The Ass's Shadow. It is set down for those quarrelling about nothing useful.
Greek
Proverb
Ὑπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς
Explanation
μέμνηται ταύτης ἐν τῷ Ἔγχειριδίῳ Μένανδρος.
Λέγουσι δὲ ὅτι Δημοσθένης ὁ ῥήτωρ ἀπολογούμενος ὑπέρ τινος κινδυνεύοντος, οὐκ ἀνεχομένων τῶν δικαστῶν, εἶπεν· Ἀκούσατε, ὦ ἄνδρες, διηγήματος τερπνοῦ· Νεανίσκος ποτὲ ὄνον ἐμισθώσατο Ἀθήνηθεν Μέγαράδε· μεσημβρίας δὲ καταλαβούσης, καταλύσας τὸν γόμον, ὑπῆλθε τὴν σκιὰν τοῦ ὄνου. Ἐκβαλλόμενος δέ ὑπὸ τοῦ ὀνηλάτου, πρὸς βίαν διεφέρετο, μεμισθῶσθαι καὶ τὴν σκιὰν λέγων· ἀντιλέγοντος δὲ τοῦ ὀνηλάτου καὶ φάσκοντος τὸν ὄνον μεμισθωκέναι, εἰς δικαστήριον εἰςῆλθον ἀμφότεροι. Εἰπὼν δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Δημοσθένης κατέβαινεν ἐκ τοῦ βήματος. Ἀξιούντων δὲ τῶν δικαστῶν τῆς δίκης τὸ τέλος μαθεῖν, εἶπεν ἀναβὰς πάλιν ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος· Ὑπὲρ μὲν ὄνου σκιᾶς ἀκούειν, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἐπιθυμεῖτε· ἀνθρώπου δὲ κινδυνεύοντος ὑπὲρ ψυχῆς οὐδὲ τῆς φωνῆς ἀνέχεσθε;
Ἄλλοι δὲ λέγουσιν, ὅτι Ἀθήνηθεν εἰς Δελφοὺς τὸν ὄνον ἐμισθώσατο. Ὅθεν, φασὶ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Δημοσθένης περὶ τῆς ἐν Δελφοῖς σκιᾶς φησὶ, καὶ ὁ Πλάτων δὲ, καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί. Καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ δὲ κωμῳδία γέγονεν, Ὄνου σκιά. Τάττεται δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ μηδενὸς χρησίμου φιλοτιμουμένων.
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0098.tlg001.1st1K-grc1:6.28