Arguing about the shadow of a donkey

Phraseologism appeared in the ancient Greek language and became widespread by the III century BC. e. There were various versions of the Greek original, among them: “I gave you a donkey for hire, not its shadow” ( dr. Greek “τὸν ὄνον σοι ἐμίσθωσα, οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν σκιὰν αὐτοῦ” in the collection Fabulae Aesopicae Collectae ^[2] ) “For the shadow of a donkey” ( dr. Greek “Ὑπὲρ ὄνου σκιᾶς” , this short form of phraseology is contained in the late compilation of ancient Greek proverbs Gregory II, Patriarch of Constantinople , who lived in the XIII century ^[3] ), “fight for the shadow of a donkey” ( other Greek “περὴ ὄνου σκιᾶς μάχεσθαι” by Aristophanes in the comedy “Wasps” ^[4] ), “shadow of a donkey” ( other Greek “ὄνου σκιά " At Plato ).

The most complete Greek text explaining the meaning and origin of phraseologism is found in a small essay by the ancient Greek paremiologist of the 2nd century Zenobius "Ἐπιτομὴ ἐκ τῶν Ταρραίου καὶ Διδύμου παροιμιῶν συντεθεῖσα κατὰ στοιχεῖον." He mentions further that this phraseology was quoted at different times by Plato and Menander in the comedy “Dagger”, and Archippus had a whole comedy on the subject itself. This fragment in the original and Russian translation:

They say that the speaker Demosthenes , speaking as a defender, when the judges were absent-minded and inattentive, said: listen, men, an interesting story. A young man hired a donkey from Athens to Megara . When it was noon, he dismounted and sat down to rest in the shadow that the donkey cast. The driver objected that he had leased only the donkey, and not its shadow. The dispute turned into a lawsuit. Then Demosthenes fell silent, and when the judges asked him to finish the story, he said bitterly: “You are ready to listen to the fable about the donkey’s shadow, but you don’t want to hear the important thing.”

Greek original

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 δὲ 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, φασί, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Δημοσθένης περὶ τῆς ἐν Δελφοῖς σκιᾶς φησί, καὶ ὁ Πλάτων δέ, καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί. Καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ δὲ κωμῳδία γέγονεν, Ὄνου σκιά. Τάττεται δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν περὶ μηδενὸς χρησίμου φιλοτιμουμένων.

- Ζηνόβιος. Ἐπιτομὴ ἐκ τῶν Ταρραίου καὶ Διδύμου παροιμιῶν συντεθεῖσα κατὰ στοιχεῖον ^[5]

A story close to this can be found in the biography of Demosthenes from the Biographies of Ten Speakers in Pseudo-Plutarch :

When the Athenians once did not give him a word at the meeting, he announced that he would tell them a fable. After silence was established, he began like this: “A young man hired a donkey in the summer to go to Megara. Around noon, when the sun was baking, and he and the donkey owner wanted to sit in the shadow of the donkey, each of them drove the other away - the owner claimed that he gave the young man only the donkey, but not his shadow, and he replied that since he hired donkey, it can also dispose of what emanates from him. " Having said that, Demosthenes pretended to be leaving. But the Athenians then wanted to hear the story, called him and asked to continue. He replied to them: “How is it that you so want to hear the story about the shadow of a donkey, and refuse to listen to issues of greater importance?”

Greek original

λέγειν δέ ποτε κωλυόμενος ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων ἐν ἐκκλεσίᾳ, βραχὺ ἔφη βούλεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰπεῖν. τῶν δὲ σιωπησάντων, νεανίας, εἶπε, θέρους ὥρᾳ ἐμισθώσατο ἐξ ἄστεος ὄνον Μεγάραδε · μεσούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ σφοδρῶς φλέγοντος τοῦ ἡλίου ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν ἐβούλετο ὑποδύεσθαι ὑπὸ τὴν σκιάν · εἴργον δὲ ἀλλήλους, ὁ μὲν μεμισθωκέναι τὸν ὄνον οὐ τὴν σκιὰν λέγων, ὁ δὲ μεμισθωμένος τὴν πᾶσαν ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπῄει. τῶν δὲ Ἀθηναίων ἐπισχόντων καὶ δεομένων πέρας ἐπιθεῖναι τῷ λόγῳ, εἶθ 'ὑπὲρ μὲν ὄνου σκιᾶς, ἒφη, βούλεσθε ἀκούειν, λέγοντος δὲ ὑπὲρ μὲν σπουδαίων πραγμάτων οὐ βούλεσθε.

- Pseudo-Plutarch. Biographies of ten speakers (Moralia, 848A / B) ^[6]

The poetic interpretation of phraseology by Babriy has reached our time; it almost does not differ from the interpretation of Zanobiy. Valery Babry lived in the II century BC. e. in the East of the Roman Empire, presumably in the territory of modern Syria .

Another version of the origin of phraseology about the donkey’s shadow is presented in book IX (chapters 40–42), “ Metamorphosis, ” by a Roman writer of the 2nd century AD e. Apulia on behalf of the donkey himself. Researchers suggest (notes by Simon Markish to the Russian translation of Mikhail Kuzmin ) that the author actually mixed two different, but close in meaning Greek proverbs. The first is " because of the donkey's gaze ." It was used in cases where insignificant reasons caused serious consequences. The second is to say (argue) “about the shadow of a donkey,” that is, “to be interested in trifles, to argue over trifles,” which is characteristic of the tradition of Zenobius and Babria ^[8] .

In the version of Apuleius, a gardener quarreled with a Roman soldier and hid from him in the house of his friend. The donkey, which belonged to the gardener, was bent down and dragged up the stairs to the second floor of the house, and the gardener in the house hid in a basket, closing it with a lid. Roman soldiers began to bicker in the courtyard with the owner. The donkey, attracted by the noise that the soldiers made in search of a fugitive, approached the window; one of the soldiers, looking to the side, saw his shadow, which the donkey cast through the window, and guessed that the fugitive was hiding somewhere in this house. Thus, due to the shadow of the donkey, the gardener was exposed and captured ^[9] .

In Western Europe, phraseology is most prevalent in the Latin translation. In the Latin version, it is used in the book of the British conservative politician Benjamin Disraeli "Sibyl" (1845) ^[10] .

In the fourth book, “The History of Aberdeen” the German poet and critic Christoph Martin Wieland describes the trial of the shadow of a donkey, which was based on Greek phraseology and the story of Zenobius. The action takes place in the city of Abdera , whose citizens were considered naive simpletons in Greece. A dispute arose over the shadow of a donkey, the parties turn to court. A significant part of the narrative is occupied by the description of the meeting of the Grand Council, at which the case is examined. Representatives of both sides are speaking. Passions reach the limit and the participants in the process cease to control their thoughts and emotions, a simple matter becomes insoluble. When a donkey accidentally appears on a city street, the crowd rushes at him and kills. Only after this the case is completed. The decision is made to erect a monument to the donkey, which should serve as a reminder to everyone how the state can die due to an insignificant event ^[11] .

Freedom imitation of "Aberdetes" Wiland - a comedy of the German poet and translator Ludwig Fulda (1862-1939). The play was created in 1921 ^[12] . German sculptor Peter Lenk (born 1947) created a statue illustrating this story of Wieland. It is located in the market square in Biberach an der Ries . The statue represents the figure of a donkey, which depicts people arguing and fighting in a bas-relief . Among them are Helmut Kohl , Angela Merkel , representatives of the administration and clergy of the city of Biberach. The sculpture was installed in 2000 ^{[13] [14]} .

The Swiss writer and playwright Friedrich Dürenmatt composed the radio play The Process Because of the Shadow of a Donkey on this subject (1951, published 1956). In the Abdera there is a quarrel between the dentist and the donkey driver. The first takes from the second donkey and takes refuge in its shadow, the driver requires an additional fee. The disputants go to court, their case causes a stir of city residents and splits the city into the Donkey party and the Shadow party. The case ends with the destruction of the city, and the culprit of what happened - the donkey - remains safe and sound ^[15] . In the USSR in 1988, a radio performance was staged on this play (directed by A. Bormak), in which the artists were involved: Lev Durov , Grigory Lampe , Leonid Kanevsky ^[16] . The performance was repeatedly performed on the provincial theater stage: at the Black Sea Fleet Theater named after B. Lavrenyov in Sevastopol (2016, directed by Sergey Vakhterov) ^[17] , Serpukhov Music and Drama City Theater (2015, directed by Pyotr Tsepenyuk) ^[18] . In 1981, the play on this play was staged by the Educational Theater in Leningrad (directed by Mark Rehels), but there was only one show to the public ^[19] .

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