§17.71Ὣς ἄρα νᾶσος ἔειπεν· ὁ δʼ ὑψόθεν ἔκλαγε φωνᾷ §17.72ἐς τρὶς ἀπὸ νεφέων μέγας αἰετὸς αἴσιος ὄρνις.
Thus then the island spoke; and from on high screamed with a loud voice three times from the clouds, a great eagle, an auspicious bird.
§17.73Ζηνός που τόδε σᾶμα. Διὶ Κρονίωνι μέλοντι
This is surely a sign from Zeus.
§17.74αἰδοῖοι βασιλῆες· ὁ δʼ ἔξοχος, ὅν κε φιλήσῃ §17.75γεινόμενον τὰ πρῶτα· πολὺς δέ οἱ ὄλβος ὀπαδεῖ,
To Zeus, son of Cronus, are dear reverend kings; and he is pre-eminent, whomsoever he loves at his first birth; and much prosperity attends him, and he rules over much land, and over much sea.
§17.76πολλᾶς δὲ κρατέει γαίας, πολλᾶς δὲ θαλάσσας. §17.77μυρίαι ἄπειροί τε καὶ ἔθνεα μυρία φωτῶν §17.78λήιον ἀλδήσκουσιν ὀφελλόμεναι Διὸς ὄμβρῳ· §17.79ἀλλʼ οὔτις τόσα φύει, ὅσα χθαμαλὰ Αἴγυπτος, §17.80Νεῖλος ἀναβλύζων διερὰν ὅτε βώλακα θρύπτει.
Countless continents and countless nations of men nurture their crops, assisted by the rain of Zeus; but none produces as much as low-lying Egypt, when the gushing Nile breaks the wet clod.
§17.81οὐδέ τις ἄστεα τόσσα βροτῶν ἔχει ἔργα δαέντων.
Nor does anyone possess so many cities of men skilled in crafts.
§17.82τρεῖς μέν οἱ πολίων ἑκατοντάδες ἐνδέδμηνται, §17.83τρεῖς δʼ ἄρα χιλιάδες τρισσαῖς ἐπὶ μυριάδεσσι, §17.84δοιαὶ δὲ τριάδες, μετὰ δέ σφισιν ἐννεάδες τρεῖς· §17.85τῶν πάντων Πτολεμαῖος ἀλήνωρ ἐμβασιλεύει.
Three hundred cities are built for him, and three thousand besides three ten-thousands, and twice three, and with them three nines; over all of these heroic Ptolemy rules as king.
And indeed he cuts off for himself a share of Phoenicia and Arabia, of Syria and Libya and the dark Ethiopians.
§17.88Παμφύλοισί τε πᾶσι καὶ αἰχμηταῖς Κιλίκεσσι §17.89σαμαίνει, Λυκίοις τε φιλοπτολέμοισί τε Καρσί, §17.90καὶ νάσοις Κυκλάδεσσιν, ἐπεί οἱ νᾶες ἄρισται §17.91πόντον ἐπιπλώοντι, θάλασσα δὲ πᾶσα καὶ αἶα §17.92καὶ ποταμοὶ κελάδοντες ἀνάσσονται Πτολεμαίῳ.
And over all the Pamphylians and spear-bearing Cilicians he rules, and over Lycians and war-loving Carians, and the Cyclades islands, since he has the best ships to sail the deep, and all the sea and land and roaring rivers are ruled by Ptolemy.
Many are his horsemen, and many his shield-bearing infantry, packed and gathered around him, gleaming with bronze.
§17.95ὄλβῳ μὲν πάντάς κε καταβρίθοι βασιλῆας· §17.96τόσσον ἐπʼ ἆμαρ ἕκαστον ἐς ἀφνεὸν ἔρχεται οἶκον §17.97πάντοθε.
In wealth indeed he would outweigh all kings; so much comes every day to his wealthy house from everywhere.
λαοὶ δʼ ἔργα περιστέλλουσιν ἕκηλοι.
And the people go about their business in peace.
§17.98οὐ γάρ τις δηίων πολυκήτεα Νεῖλον ὑπερβὰς §17.99πεζὸς ἐν ἀλλοτρίαισι βοὰν ἐστάσατο κώμαις, §17.100οὐδέ τις αἰγιαλόνδε θοᾶς ἐξάλατο ναὸς §17.101θωρηχθεὶς ἐπὶ βουσὶν ἀνάρσιος Αἰγυπτίῃσι· §17.102τοῖος ἀνὴρ πλατέεσσιν ἐνίδρυται πεδίοισι §17.103ξανθοκόμας Πτολεμαῖος, ἐπιστάμενος δόρυ πάλλειν, §17.104ᾧ ἐπὶ πάγχυ μέλει πατρώια πάντα φυλάσσειν §17.105οἷʼ ἀγαθῷ βασιλῆι, τὰ δὲ κτεατίζεται αὐτός.
For no enemy, crossing the monster-filled Nile on foot, has raised a battle-cry in villages not his own, nor has any enemy leaped from a swift ship onto the shore, armored to plunder the cattle of Egypt; such a man is established in the broad plains, golden-haired Ptolemy, skilled in wielding the spear, whose heart is set on keeping all that he inherited from his father, as a good king should, and he himself acquires yet more.
§17.106οὐ μὰν ἀχρεῖός γε δόμῳ ἐνὶ πίονι χρυσὸς §17.107μυρμάκων ἅτε πλοῦτος ἀεὶ κέχυται μογεόντων· §17.108ἀλλὰ πολὺν μὲν ἔχοντι θεῶν ἐρικυδέες οἶκοι, §17.109αἰὲν ἀπαρχομένοιο σὺν ἄλλοισιν γεράεσσι, §17.110πολλὸν δʼ ἰφθίμοισι δεδώρηται βασιλεῦσι, §17.111πολλὸν δὲ πτολίεσσι, πολὺν δʼ ἀγαθοῖσιν ἑταίροις.
Indeed, the gold is not accumulated uselessly in his rich house, like the wealth of laboring ants, always piled up; but much of it is held by the glorious temples of the gods, as he always offers first-fruits with other gifts; and much has been gifted to mighty kings, and much to cities, and much to good companions.
§17.112οὐδὲ Διωνύσου τις ἀνὴρ ἱεροὺς κατʼ ἀγῶνας §17.113ἵκετʼ ἐπιστάμενος λιγυρὰν ἀναμέλψαι ἀοιδάν, §17.114ᾧ οὐ δωτίναν ἀντάξιον ὤπασε τέχνας.
Nor did any man come to the sacred contests of Dionysus, skilled in singing a clear song, to whom he did not grant a gift worthy of his art.
And the spokesmen of the Muses sing of Ptolemy in return for his beneficence.
τί δὲ κάλλιον ἀνδρί κεν εἴη §17.117ὀλβίῳ ἢ κλέος ἐσθλὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποισιν ἀρέσθαι;
And what could be more noble for a wealthy man than to win good fame among men?
§17.118τοῦτο καὶ Ἀτρείδαισι μένει· τὰ δὲ μυρία τῆνα, §17.119ὅσσα μέγαν Πριάμοιο δόμον κτεάτισσαν ἑλόντες, §17.120ἀέρι πᾳ κέκρυπται, ὅθεν πάλιν οὐκέτι νόστος· §17.121μοῦνος δὲ προτέρων τε καὶ ὧν ἔτι θερμὰ κονία §17.122στειβομένα καθύπερθε ποδῶν ἐκμάσσεται ἴχνη, §17.123ματρὶ φίλᾳ καὶ πατρὶ θυώδεας εἵσατο ναούς· §17.124ἐν δʼ αὐτοὺς χρυσῷ περικαλλέας ἠδʼ ἐλέφαντι §17.125ἵδρυται πάντεσσιν ἐπιχθονίοισιν ἀρωγούς.
This remains even for the sons of Atreus; but all those countless things, as many as they acquired when they took the great house of Priam, are hidden somewhere in the mist, whence there is no longer any return; but he alone, both of those of old and of those whose warm dust still trampled underfoot receives the print of their steps, established fragrant temples for his dear mother and father; and in them he established their statues, beautiful with gold and ivory, to be helpers to all men on earth.
§17.126πολλὰ δὲ πιανθέντα βοῶν ὅγε μηρία καίει §17.127μησὶ περιπλομένοισιν ἐρευθομένων ἐπὶ βωμῶν, §17.128αὐτός τʼ ἰφθίμα τʼ ἄλοχος, τᾶς οὔτις ἀρείων §17.129νυμφίον ἐν μεγάροισι γυνὰ περιβάλλετʼ ἀγοστῷ, §17.130ἐκ θυμοῦ στέργοισα κασίγνητόν τε πόσιν τε.
And many fat thighs of oxen he burns as the months roll round, on the reddened altars, both himself and his noble wife, than whom no better woman clasps her husband in her arms within the palace, loving from her heart her brother and her husband.
§17.131ὧδε καὶ ἀθανάτων ἱερὸς γάμος ἐξετελέσθη, §17.132οὓς τέκετο κρείουσα Ῥέα βασιλῆας Ὀλύμπου· §17.133ἓν δὲ λέχος στόρνυσιν ἰαύειν Ζηνὶ καὶ Ἥρῃ §17.134χεῖρας φοιβήσασα μύροις ἔτι παρθένος Ἶρις.
In this way also the sacred marriage of the immortals was accomplished, whom ruling Rhea bore as the kings of Olympus; and one bed virgin Iris spreads for Zeus and Hera to sleep in, having purified her hands with perfumes, she who is still a virgin.
§17.135χαῖρε ἄναξ Πτολεμαῖε· σέθεν δʼ ἐγὼ ἶσα καὶ ἄλλων §17.136μνάσομαι ἡμιθέων, δοκέω δʼ ἔπος οὐκ ἀπόβλητον §17.137φθέγξομαι ἐσσομένοις· ἀρετήν γε μὲν ἐκ Διὸς αἰτεῦ.
Farewell, king Ptolemy; and of you, equally with other demigods, will make mention; and I think I shall speak a word not to be cast away to those of the future; but as for excellence, seek it from Zeus.