THE OLIVE GROVE
The champions of ancient Olympia
countryman Hail wayfarer, what brings you here?
wayfarer I'm on the way to Olympia, countryman. Is the way that leads to the sanctuary still long?
c . The Altis is just a few stades away, but I suggest you not to resume the march. The chariot of the Sun is in fact slowly finishing its course, soon it will be dark and the bandits will not miss the opportunity to cause damage to unwary travelers. My farm is also welcoming for an unexpected guest, Ill offer you a place for the night.
w. Thank you, countryman; welcoming is th e best word to describe your beautiful farm.
c. You look tired, have you been traveling for a long time, foreigner?
w. From this morning. I left Elis, I reached the Alpheus river and I'm following its course that will lead me straight to Olympia.
c. Your tiredness is then more than justified. Why didn't you prefer to travel on horseback?
w. As a good pilgrim I have vowed to Zeus to reach his temple exclusively with the strength of my legs. The burden of fatigue is felt less when traveling to such a destinat ion.
c. Your devotion to the gods is commendable, here youll find a well-deserved refreshment. Come, follow me to the wide courtyard, I consider it the most enchanting place in the olive grove.
w. Enchanting it will surely be, countryman, your olive trees have something divine! The flowering trees of this avenue release a sweet scent, spring seems to take a look on your land. The white, yellow, red and pink of the flowers around here blend beautifully with the green of the olive grove; not even Apelles could have found pigments so colorful for his works of art. The nightingales seem to appreciate al l this, their melodious song surrounds a truly idyllic setting.
c. I also have fruit trees here, if you like you can pick sweet figs and juicy apples, the country climate is good for ripening.
w. Youre too generous, countryman, the gods must have sent you!
c. Theyre the ones you have to thank, foreigner, I do my best to make them propitious. As you could see Demeter graciously grants me her copious fruits.
w. The olive grove extends up to the Alpheus, youll produce a good amount of oil !
c. Yes, enough to satisfy all buyers. I sell part of the oil in the city and in port, while another part is in great demand by the athletes of Olympia who come here personally. Without any doubt this is of excellent quality, but for those who participate in the Games it has something special, they say that this olive grove already existed at the time of the first Olympic Games.
w. I won't even leave from here without the juice of your green olives, countryman. The other crops, I imagine, are your personal exploitation.
c. That's right, I also breed some animals in the nearby fence to make sure I always have eggs and fresh milk. Its a really golden age trade, foreigner, because the man who works without wrong against the immortals can be considered happy and prosperous ( Hesiod , Works and Days, 826-827).
w. You recite the ancient poets, a great wisdom is hidden inside you; perhaps once you weren't just a farmer.
c. You arent wrong, my young guest. Your clothes suggest that you come from Italy, whats your homeland exactly?
w. Taras is my city.
c. An ancient rivalry flows in our blood, Spartan!
w. I deduce that youre Athenian, countryman! Let's put aside the fatal disagreements of our ancestors and tell me your past, if you like.
c. Im originally from Ath ens, from the deme of Alopece as the wise Socrates. Since I was young I had attended the Academy, but it wasn't exactly for me, my real predilection was the study of poetry and history; in the lodgings I brought many of the writings I owned in Athens, in m y property in the Kerameikos. There I had the role of proxenos for Argos citiziens, also thanks to the fact that my wife had several relatives in that city, and now that Im an olive grower the Argives living in Athens can turn to my son for any matter, he inherited my task.
w. I had immediately noticed your nobility of soul and your culture. What prompted you to radically change your life?
c. I have always dreamed the rural reality of the countryside, where time is simply marked by the changing of the seas ons, immersed in tranquility and away from the problems of the city, with its political troubles, the trials and sycophants that wallow in: these don't miss me at all!
w. All I can do is to agree. And how long have you been doing the olive grower?
c. I set tled on the banks of Alpheus in the spring of the year when Leonidas of Rhodes won for the first time at the Olympics. I saw this magnificent farm a short time earlier during a trip in Elis, I had the necessary drachmas and I took immediately the opportuni ty. Moreover, Ive always loved watching the Panhellenic Games, by living here Ive caught two birds with one stone! By the way, foreigner, you said that you were headed for Olympia, whats the purpose of your trip?
w. Especially business, countryman, I'm a merchant. I started sailing a little over a month ago and thanks to the clemency of Poseidon I crossed the Ionian Sea landing without worries first in Corcyra and then in Zakynthos, while I arrived a week ago in the port of Kyllene and I stayed in Elis t hese days; Ive concluded some good agreements and now I go to Olympia to watch the upcoming Games. I also have the desire to fully admire the wonders of the sanctuary of Zeus, however I imagine that Ill be able to take advantage of this excellent meeting point to take the opportunity to make further important business.
