(14) ἐφ´ ᾧ καὶ ξυνετίθει λόγον Αἴσωπος τοιοῦτον, ὡς τὰ ὄρνεα ξυνῆλθε πρὸς τὴν 
γλαῦκα καὶ ἐδεῖτο τῆς μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκοδομημάτων σκέπης ἀπανίστασθαι, πρὸς 
δὲ τὰ δένδρα τὴν καλιάν, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτά, καὶ τοὺς τούτων μεταπήγνυσθαι 
κλῶνας, ἀφ´ ὧν καὶ ᾄδειν ἔστιν εὐσημότερον· καὶ δὴ καὶ πρὸς δρῦν ταυτηνὶ ἄρτι 
φυομένην, ἐπειδὰν  πρὸς ὥραν ἀφίκηται, ἑτοίμως ἔχειν ἱζάνειν καὶ τῆς χλοερᾶς
 κόμης ἀπόνασθαι. ἀλλ´ οὖν τήν γε γλαῦκα μὴ τοῦτο τοῖς ὀρνέοις ποιεῖν 
παραινεῖν μηδὲ φυτοῦ βλάστῃ ἐφήδεσθαι ’ἰξὸν πεφυκότος φέρειν, πτηνοῖς 
ὄλεθρον‘. 

[72,15] τὰ δὲ μήτε τῆς ξυμβουλῆς ἀπεδέχετο τὴν γλαῦκα,  τοὐναντίον δὲ ἔχαιρε 
τῇ δρυῒ φυομένῃ, ἐπειδή τε ἱκανὴ ἦν, καθίσαντα ἐπ´ αὐτὴν ᾖδεν. γενομένου δὲ 
τοῦ ἰξοῦ ῥᾳδίως  ἤδη ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁλισκόμενα μετανόουν καὶ τὴν γλαῦκα
 ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τῇ ξυμβουλῇ.

(14) Indeed, this is why Aesop composed a fable which I will relate. The birds came 
together to call upon the owl, and they begged her to withdraw from the 
shelter afforded by the human habitations and to transfer her nest to the trees, just 
like themselves, and to their branches, " whence," they declared, " it is actually 
possible to sing a clearer note." And in fact, as the fable has it, they stood ready to 
settle upon an oak, which was then just starting to grow, as soon as it should reach 
its prime, and to enjoy its green foliage. However, the story continues, the owl 
advised the birds not to do this and not to exult in the shoot of a plant whose nature 
it is to bear mistletoe, a bane to feathered folk. 

[72,15] But the birds not only did not applaud the owl for her advice, but, quite the 
reverse, they took delight in the oak as it grew, and when it was of proper size they 
alighted on it and sang. But because the mistletoe had grown on it, they now were 
easily captured by the men and repented of their conduct and admired the owl for 
her advice.

Trad. anglaise : J.W. COHOON - H. Lamar CROSBY, Dio Chrysostom.  
Vol. V. London, Heinemann, 1951