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Μεταμόρφωσις ἀνθρώποις μεμυθολόγηται· μεταμορφοῦνται δὲ παρ ὑμῖν καὶ οἱ θεοί.Δένδρον ἡ Ῥέα γίνεται, δράκων δὲ ὁ Ζεὺς διὰ τὴν Φερσέφατταν, αἴγειροι αἱ τοῦ Φαέθοντος ἀδελφαί, καὶ ἡ Λητὼ ζῶον εὐτελές, δι ἣν Ὀρτυγία Δῆλος ἡ νῦν κέκληται. Θεὸς εἰπέ μοι κύκνος γίνεται, καὶ τὴν ἀετοῦ μορφὴν ἀναλαμβάνει, καὶ δι οἰνοχοΐαν τοῦ Γανυμήδους τῇ παιδεραστίᾳ σεμνύνεται; Τί μοι σέβειν θεοὺς δωρολήπτας, καὶ ὀργιζομένους ἂν μὴ λάβωσιν; Ἐχέτωσαν οὗτοι τὴν εἱμαρμένην· τοὺς πλανήτας προσκυνεῖν οὐ βούλομαι. Τίς ἐστιν ὁ Βερενίκης πλόκαμος; Ποῦ δὲ οἱ ἀστέρες αὐτῆς πρὶν τὴν προειρημένην ἀποθανεῖν; Πῶς δὲ ὁ τεθνεὼς Ἀντίνοος μειράκιον ἐν τῇ σελήνῃ ὡραῖον καθίδρυται; Τίς ὁ ἀναβιβάσας αὐτόν, εἰ μή τις καὶ τοῦτον, ὡς τοὺς βασιλέας μισθοῦ δι ἐπιορκίας τις, τοὺς θεοὺς καταγελῶν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνεληλυθέναι φήσας πεπίστευται, κατὰ τὸ ὅμοιον θεολογήσας τιμῆς καὶ δωρεᾶς ἠξίωται; Τί μοι τὸν θεον σεσυλήκατε; Τί δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν ποίησιν ἀτιμάζετε; Θύεις πρόβατον, τὸδ αὐτὸ προσκυνεῖς· ταῦρός ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα σφάττεις αὐτοῦ. Ζῶον πονηρὸν ὁ ἐνγόνασι ἐκθλίβει· καὶ τὸν ἀνθρωποποιὸν Προμηθία καταφαγών ἀετὸς τετίμηται.Καλὸς ὁ κύκνος, ὅτι μοιχὸς ἦν· καλοὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἑτεροήμεροι Διόσκουροι, τῶν Λευκιππίδων οἱ ἁρπασταί. Κρείττων ἡ Ἑλένη, τὸν μὲν καρήξανθον Μενέλαον καταλιποῦσα, τῷ δὲ μιτρηφόρῳ καὶ πολυχρύσῳ Πάριδι κατακολουθοῦσα. Λίκαιος καὶ Σώφρων, ὁ τὴν ἐκπορνεύσασαν εἰς Ἠλύσια πεδία μετατεθεικώς. Ἀλλ οὐδὲ ἡ Τυνδαρὶς ἀπηθανάτισται· καὶ σοφῶς ὁ Εὐριπίδης ὑπὸ Ὀρέστου τῆς προειρημένης γυναικὸς τὴν ἀναίρεσιν παρεισήγαγε
關於人的變形，本是神話所傳；但在你們當中，連諸神也變形。瑞亞變成一棵樹，宙斯為了珀耳塞福涅變成一條蛇；法厄同的姊妹們變成白楊樹，勒托變成一隻卑微的動物，如今稱為提洛的地方就因她得名俄耳堤癸亞。請告訴我，神竟變作天鵝、化為鷹形，又因伽倪墨得斯為其斟酒而以孌童之事自誇嗎？我為何要敬奉那些受賄、不得便發怒的神呢？讓這些有他們的命運罷；我可不願敬拜那些行星。貝勒尼基的髮綹算什麼？在前述那婦人死前，她那些星辰在哪裡呢？那已死的安提諾烏斯，又怎能作為俊美少年被安置在月中呢？是誰把他升上去的呢？除非有人——他譏笑諸神，正如那為金錢藉假誓而把君王升格之人——當他聲稱此人也升了天，便有人信他，他既如此照樣編造神學，便被視為配得尊榮與獻禮。你們為何把神從我這裡奪去？為何輕慢祂的創造？你獻一隻羊，卻又敬拜同樣的羊；天上有一頭牛，你卻宰殺牠的形像。那跪者壓制著一隻惡物；那吞吃造人者普羅米修斯的鷹，竟也受了尊崇。天鵝因是個姦夫便算美好；那隔日輪流而活的狄俄斯庫里——劫掠琉基波斯之女的兩人——也算美好。海倫更勝一籌，她撇下那赤褐髮的墨涅拉俄斯，跟隨那戴頭巾、滿身黃金的帕里斯去了。把那行淫的婦人遷到至福樂土的，也算是公義有節的了。然而廷達瑞俄斯之女終究未得不朽；歐里庇得斯明智地安排了俄瑞斯忒斯殺死前述那婦人。
Metamorphosis is told in fables about men; but among you even the gods are transformed. Rhea becomes a tree, and Zeus a serpent for the sake of Persephone; the sisters of Phaethon become poplars, and Leto a paltry animal, on whose account the place now called Delos was named Ortygia. Tell me, does a god become a swan, and take on the form of an eagle, and pride himself on his pederasty by reason of Ganymede's wine-pouring? Why should I revere gods who take bribes and grow angry if they do not receive? Let these have fate; the planets I will not worship. What is the lock of Berenice? And where were her stars before the aforesaid woman died? And how is the dead Antinous set up as a fair youth in the moon? Who is it that raised him up—unless it be that someone, deriding the gods as one who for hire by perjury raises up kings, was believed when he claimed that this one too had ascended into heaven, and, theologizing in like manner, was deemed worthy of honor and gift? Why have you plundered God from me? Why do you dishonor his creation? You sacrifice a sheep, and the same you worship; there is a bull in heaven, and you slay his image. The Kneeler crushes an evil creature; and the eagle that devoured the man-fashioner Prometheus has been honored. The swan is fair, because it was an adulterer; and fair too are the Dioscuri who live on alternate days, the ravishers of the daughters of Leucippus. Better is Helen, who left the auburn-haired Menelaus and followed after the turbaned and gold-laden Paris. Just and temperate too is the man who translated her, the woman who played the harlot, to the Elysian fields. But neither has the daughter of Tyndareus been immortalized; and wisely did Euripides bring in the slaying of the aforesaid woman by Orestes.