W/W: The Women from Lesbos, Lucian, Dialog. Meret. 5.1

TRIGGER WARNING:  misgendered pronouns, invasive questions

Clonarium: nova quaedam de te audimus Leana, Lesbiam videlicet Megillam divitem illam, amare te, perinde ut virum, et coire vos, nescio quid mutuo vobis facientes. Quid istud? erubuisti? sed dic mihi, verane ista sunt?

Leaena: Vera Clonarium: pudet autem dicere. Alienum enim quiddam est.

Clonarium: At per Cererem, quid hoc negotiis aut quid sibi vult mulier? Quid autem etiam agitis, quando coitis? Vides, haudquaquam amas me, neque enim celares me talia.
Leaena: Amo equidem te, quantum ullam aliam. Mulier autem illa, virilis supra modum est.
Clonarium: Non intelligo, quidnam etiam dicas, nisi si tribas quaepiam est. Tales enim in Lesbo perhibent mulieres esse, quae a viris quidem pati illud nolint, cum mulieribus autem ipsae, perinde ac viri solent, congrediantur.
Leaena. Tale quippiam est.

Κλωνάριον

καινὰ περὶ σοῦ ἀκούομεν, ὦ Λέαινα, τὴν Λεσβίαν Μέγιλλαν τὴν πλουσίαν ἐρᾶν σου ὥσπερ ἄνδρα καὶ συνεῖναι ὑμᾶς οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅ τι ποιούσας μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων. τί τοῦτο; ἠρυθρίασας; ἀλλ᾽ εἰπὲ εἰ ἀληθῆ ταῦτά ἐστιν.

Λέαινα

ἀληθῆ, ὦ Κλωνάριον: αἰσχύνομαι δέ, ἀλλόκοτον γάρ τί ἐστι.

Κλωνάριον

πρὸς τῆς κουροτρόφου τί τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἢ τί βούλεται ἡ γυνή; τί δὲ καὶ πράττετε, ὅταν συνῆτε; ὁρᾷς; οὐ φιλεῖς με: οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἀπεκρύπτου τὰ τοιαῦτα.

Λέαινα

φιλῶ μέν σε, εἰ καί τινα ἄλλην. ἡ γυνὴ δὲ δεινῶς ἀνδρική ἐστιν.

Κλωνάριον

οὐ μανθάνω ὅ τι καὶ λέγεις, εἰ μή τις ἑταιρίστρια τυγχάνει οὖσα: τοιαύτας γάρ ἐν Λέσβῳ λέγουσι γυναῖκας ἀρρενωπούς, ὑπ᾽ ἀνδρῶν μὲν οὐκ ἐθελούσας αὐτὸ πάσχειν, γυναιξὶ δὲ αὐτὰς πλησιαζούσας ὥσπερ ἄνδρας. 

Λέαινα
τοιοῦτόν τι.

--Lucian, Dialogi Meretricum 5.2-3, Translated from the Greek by Michaelis Vascosanus

Clonarium and Leaena Discuss Leaena's New Lover:

Clonarium: Leaena, what’s this I hear about you and this rich Lesbian girl named Megilla? Is it true that she loves you like a man, that you are dating each other, and doing God knows what else? What is going on? What, are you blushing? Tell me, is it true or what?

Leaena: It’s true, Clonarium, but it’s odd to talk about it. It’s a very strange situation.

Clonarium:  By God, what’s going on? What does the woman want? What are you two doing together, when you go out? If you loved me, you wouldn’t hide such things from me.

Leaena: I love you more than any other woman. But I love her, too, but as a man.

Clonarium: I don’t understand whatever it is that you’re saying. Is she a lesbian? Is that it? They say that there are such women in Lesbos, who don’t want to be with men, but instead want to be with women, and date women like men.

Leaena: Exactly.

LUCIAN	MAP:
Name:  Lucianus Samosatensis Date:  125 – 180 CE Works: Dialogue of the Courtesans*                True History, etc.	REGION  4
BIO:	Timeline:
Lucian was a Turkish-born Roman satirist who wrote in ancient Greek. His works are a mixture of sarcasm, wit, and biting social criticism. He is without a doubt one of the most popular authors of the later Roman empire.	ROMAN GREECE