# Dialexeis 1-9

Maximus of Tyre, Dialexeis, Κ΄ XX (uebn. XXVI vulg. 10), Section 1. Ancient Greek.

Canonical: https://interlinea.aeterna-institute.org/library/greek/maximus-of-tyre/dialexeis/1-9

Σμερδίης, Θρᾷξ ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων, κάλλους μειράκιον βασιλικόν, ὀφθῆναι γαῦρον, ἐκομίσθη δῶρον τυράννῳ Ἴωνι, Πολυκράτει τῷ Σαμίῳ. Ὁ δὲ ἥσθη τῷ δώρῳ, καὶ ἐρᾷ Πολυκράτης Σμερδίου, καὶ αὐτῷ συνερᾷ ὁ Τήϊος ποιητὴς Ἀνακρέων. Καὶ Σμερδίης παρὰ μὲν Πολυκράτους ἔλαβεν χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ ὅσα εἰκὸς ἦν μειράκιον καλὸν παρὰ τυράννου ἐρῶντος· παρὰ δὲ Ἀνακρέοντος ᾠδὰς καὶ ἐπαίνους καὶ ὅσα εἰκὸς ἦν παρὰ ποιητοῦ ἐραστοῦ. Εἰ δή τις παραβάλλοι ἔρωτα ἔρωτι, τυραννικὸν ποιητικῷ, ποτέρῳ ἂν αὐτοῖν φανείη ἐνθεώτερος, καὶ οὐράνιος, καὶ ἄξιος Ἀφροδίτης ἐπονομάζεσθαι, καὶ ἔργον εἶναι ὅσου; Ἐγὼ μὲν οἶμαι κρατεῖν ἂν τὸν Μούσαις καὶ Χάρισιν ἀνακεκραμένον μᾶλλον, ἢ τὸν ἀνάγκῃ καὶ δέει· ὁ μὲν γὰρ αἰχμαλώτῳ ἔοικεν, ἢ μισθοφόρῳ οὐ πάνυ τι εὐτυχεῖ, ὁ δὲ ἐλευθέρῳ καὶ Ἕλληνι.

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Maximus of Tyre, Dialexeis, ed. Hermann Hobein. Text: The Greek Library, from the Perseus Digital Library and other open sources, CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: apostrophes normalised and the text divided into reading sections by Interlinea.
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Source: https://thegreeklibrary.pages.lisn.upsaclay.fr/works/tlg0563.tlg001.local001/.