Herod of Attica
Ah, this glory of Herod of Attica, what a glory it is.
Alexander of Seleucia, one of our good sophists,
arriving in Athens to speak,
finds the city deserted, because Herod
is in the countryside. And all the young people
followed him there to hear him.
So, Alexander the Sophist
writes Herod a letter,
and begs him to send the Greeks back.
However, the witty Herod answers at once,
“I am also coming along with the Greeks.”
How many boys are now in Alexandria
in Antioch, or in Beirut
(tomorrow’s orators that Hellenism has trained),
when they gather at the best tables
where sometimes the talk is of refined sophistry,
and sometimes of their splendid love lives,
turn suddenly absent-mindedly silent.
They leave their glasses untouched in front of them,
and contemplate Herod’s good fortune.
Has another sophist achieved so much?
Whatever he wishes, whatever he does,
the Greeks (the Greeks!) follow him,
without judgment or debate.
They don’t even choose anymore; they follow.
