§30οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ πάντα καταμέμφονται καὶ πάντα τὰ παρὰ τὰς ἐλπίδας αὐτοῖς συμβεβηκότα ἐξ ἐπηρείας τύχης καὶ δαιμόνων γενέσθαι νομίζουσι.
But the many blame everything and believe that all things that befall them contrary to their expectations have occurred through the malice of fortune and daemons.
διὸ καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὀδύρονται, στένοντες καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀτυχίαν αἰτιώμενοι.
Therefore, they also mourn over everything, groaning and accusing their own misfortune.
πρὸς οὓς ὑποτυχὼν ἄν τις εἴποι
"
θεὸς δέ σοι πῆμʼ οὐδὲν ἀλλʼ αὐτὸς σὺ σοί
"
καὶ ἡ διὰ τὴν ἀπαιδευσίαν ἄνοια καὶ παραφροσύνη.
To whom someone might say in reply: "God is no bane to you, but you yourself to yourself," and also the folly and madness due to lack of education.
διὰ ταύτην γοῦν τὴν διηπατημένην καὶ ψευδῆ δόξαν πάντα καταμέμφονται θάνατον.
Indeed, on account of this deceived and false opinion, they blame every death.
ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἀποδημίᾳ τις ὢν ἀποθάνῃ, στένουσιν ἐπιλέγοντες
"
δύσμορος, οὐδʼ ἄρα τῷ γε πατὴρ καὶ πότνια
μήτηρ
ὄσσε καθαιρήσουσιν
"
ἐὰν δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκείας πατρίδος παρόντων τῶν γονέων, ὀδύρονται ὡς ἐξαρπασθέντος ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τὴν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὀδύνην αὐτοῖς ἀφέντος.
For if anyone dies while being abroad, they mourn, adding: "Ill-fated one, neither then shall his father and revered mother close his eyes." But if he dies in his own homeland with his parents present, they lament as if he were snatched from their hands and left to them the pain before their eyes.
ἐὰν δʼ ἄφωνος μηδὲν προσειπὼν περὶ μηδενός, κλαίοντες λέγουσιν
"
οὐδέ τί μοι εἶπας πυκινὸν ἔπος, οὗ τέ κεν αἰεί
μεμνῄμην
"
ἐὰν προσομιλήσας τι, τοῦτʼ ἀεὶ πρόχειρον ἔχουσιν ὥσπερ ὑπέκκαυμα τῆς λύπης.
And if, voiceless, having said nothing about anything, they say weeping: "Nor did you speak to me any prudent word, which I would always remember." If he did converse with them, they always have this ready as a sort of fuel for their grief.
ἐὰν ταχέως, ὀδύρονται λέγοντες
ἀνηρπάσθη. ἐὰν μακρῶς, μέμφονται ὅτι καταφθινήσας καὶ τιμωρηθεὶς ἀπέθανε.
If quickly, they lament saying: "He was snatched away." If slowly, they blame because he died wasting away and punished.
πᾶσα πρόφασις ἱκανὴ πρὸς τὸ τὰς λύπας καὶ τοὺς θρήνους συνεγείρειν.
Every pretext is sufficient for stirring up griefs and lamentations.
ταῦτα δʼ ἐκίνησαν οἱ ποιηταί, καὶ μάλιστα τούτων ὁ πρῶτος Ὅμηρος λέγων
"
ὡς δὲ πατὴρ οὗ παιδὸς ὀδύρεται ὀστέα καίων,
νυμφίου, ὅς τε θανὼν δειλοὺς ἀκάχησε τοκῆας
ἄρρητον δὲ τοκεῦσι γόον καὶ πένθος ἔθηκε
"
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὔπω δῆλον εἰ δικαίως ὀδύρεται, ἀλλʼ ὅρα τὸ ἑξῆς
"
μοῦνος τηλύγετος πολλοῖσιν ἐπὶ κτεάτεσσι. " §31τίς γὰρ οἶδεν, εἰ ὁ θεὸς πατρικῶς κηδόμενος τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους καὶ προορώμενος τὰ μέλλοντα συμβήσεσθαι προεξάγει τινὰς ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν ἀώρους;
And the poets moved these feelings, and especially the first of them, Homer, saying: "And as a father mourns, burning the bones of his son, a bridegroom, who by dying grieved his wretched parents and brought unspeakable groaning and grief to his parents," and in these things indeed it is not yet clear whether he mourns justly, but look at what follows: "An only child, late-born, over many possessions." For who knows if God, caring parentally for the human race and foreseeing the things that are to happen, leads some out of life untimely?
ὅθεν οὐδὲν φευκτὸν νομιστέον αὐτοὺς πάσχειν
"(
δεινὸν γὰρ οὐδὲν τῶν ἀναγκαίων βροτοῖς
"
οὔτε τῶν κατὰ προηγούμενον λόγον συμβαινόντων οὔτε τῶν κατʼ ἐπακολούθησιν) καὶ ὅτι οἱ πλεῖστοι θάνατοι πρὸ ἄλλων δυσχερῶν μειζόνων γίγνονται, καὶ ὅτι τοῖς μὲν οὐδὲ γενέσθαι συνέφερε, τοῖς δʼ ἅμα τῷ γενέσθαι ἀποθανεῖν, τοῖς δὲ προελθοῦσιν ἐπὶ μικρὸν τοῖς δʼ ἀκμάζουσι.
Hence one must not think that they suffer anything to be avoided: "for nothing of necessary things is terrible to mortals," neither of those things happening according to primary reason nor of those by consequence; and that most deaths happen before other greater troubles, and that for some it was not even expedient to be born, and for others to die as soon as they were born, and for others having advanced a little, and for others in their prime.
πρὸς πάντας δὴ τούτους τοὺς θανάτους ἐλαφρῶς ἑκτέον, εἰδότας ὅτι τὴν μοῖραν οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκφυγεῖν πεπαιδευμένων δʼ ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπων προσειληφέναι ὅτι βραχὺν χρόνον προειλήφασιν ἡμᾶς οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄωροι τοῦ ζῆν ἐστερῆσθαι·
Indeed, toward all these deaths one must hold oneself lightly, knowing that it is not possible to escape fate. And it is the part of educated men to have understood beforehand that those who seem to have been deprived of life untimely have gone before us by a short time.
καὶ γὰρ ὁ μακρότατος βίος ὀλίγος ἐστὶ καὶ στιγμαῖος πρὸς τὸν ἄπειρον αἰῶνα καὶ ὅτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἐπὶ πλέον πενθησάντων μετʼ οὐ πολὺ τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν κατοδυρθεῖσιν ἐπηκολούθησαν, οὐδὲν ἐκ τοῦ πένθους ὄφελος περιποιησάμενοι, μάτην δʼ ἑαυτοὺς, καταικισάμενοι ταῖς κακουχίαις.
For even the longest life is short and momentary compared to infinite eternity; and that many of those who mourned excessively followed not long after those lamented by them, having acquired no benefit from their mourning, but in vain having tormented themselves with hardships.
βραχυτάτου δὲ τοῦ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ὄντος ἐν τῷ βίῳ χρόνου, οὐκ ἐν ταῖς αὐχμηραῖς λύπαις οὐδʼ ἐν τῷ κακοδαιμονεστάτῳ πένθει διαφθείρειν ἑαυτοὺς δεῖ ταῖς ὀδύναις καὶ ταῖς τοῦ σώματος αἰκίαις παρατεινομένους, ἀλλὰ μεταβάλλειν ἐπὶ τὸ κρεῖσσον καὶ ἀνθρωπικώτερον, πειρωμένους καὶ σπουδάζοντας ἐντυγχάνειν ἀνδράσι τοῖς συλλυπουμένοις καὶ διεγείρουσι τὰ πένθη διὰ κολακείαν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀφαιρουμένοις τὰς λύπας διὰ τῆς γενναίας καὶ σεμνῆς παρηγορίας, ἐπακούοντας καὶ ἔχοντας ἐν νῷ τὸ Ὁμηρικὸν τοῦτʼ ἔπος, ὅπερ ὁ Ἕκτωρ πρὸς τὴν Ἀνδρομάχην ἀντιπαρηγορῶν αὐτὴν εἶπεν ὡδί
"
δαιμονίη, μή μοί τι λίην ἀκαχίζεο θυμῷ
οὐ γάρ τίς μʼ ὑπὲρ αἶσαν ἀνὴρ Ἄιδι προϊάψει,
μοῖραν δʼ οὔ τινά φημι πεφυγμένον ἔμμεναι
ἀνδρῶν,
οὐ κακὸν οὐδὲ μὲν ἐσθλόν, ἐπὴν τὰ πρῶτα
γένηται
"
ταύτην δὲ τὴν μοῖραν ἐν ἄλλοις ὁ ποιητής φησι
"
γεινομένῳ ἐπένησε λίνῳ, ὅτε μιν τέκε μήτηρ
" §32ταῦτα πρὸ διανοίας λαβόντες τῆς ἀπράκτου καὶ κενῆς ἀπαλλαγησόμεθα βαρυπενθείας, ὀλίγου δὴ παντάπασι τοῦ μεταξὺ χρόνου τῆς ζωῆς ὄντος.
Since the time of our stay in life is very short, we must not destroy ourselves in dry griefs or in most miserable mourning, being consumed by pains and torments of the body, but change for the better and more human way, trying and being eager to meet not with men who grieve with us and stir up our mourning for the sake of flattery, but with those who remove our griefs through noble and solemn consolation, listening to and keeping in mind this Homeric verse, which Hector said to Andromache, consoling her in return, thus: "Dear one, do not grieve too much in your heart for me; for no man will send me to Hades before my fated time, and I say that no one of men has escaped fate, neither the coward nor the brave, once he is first born." And this fate the poet says in other verses: "spun for him with the thread when he was born, when his mother bore him." Taking these things to heart, we shall be rid of unprofitable and empty deep grief, since the remaining time of life is indeed altogether short.
φειστέον οὖν, ὅπως εὔθυμόν τε καὶ ἀπαρενόχλητον τοῦτον ταῖς πενθικαῖς λύπαις διαγάγωμεν, τὰ τοῦ πένθους παράσημα μεθέμενοι καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμελείας φροντίσαντες καὶ τῆς τῶν συμβιούντων ἡμῖν σωτηρίας.
We must, therefore, be sparing of it, so that we may pass this time cheerfully and undisturbed by the griefs of mourning, putting aside the signs of mourning and taking care of the attention of the body and of the safety of those living with us.
καλὸν δὲ καὶ μεμνῆσθαι τῶν λόγων, οἷς κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐχρησάμεθά ποτε πρὸς συγγενεῖς ἢ φίλους ἐν ταῖς παραπλησίοις γενομένους συμφοραῖς, παραμυθούμενοι καὶ πείθοντες τὰ κοινὰ τοῦ βίου συμπτώματα κοινῶς φέρειν καὶ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἀνθρωπίνως, καὶ μὴ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις ἐπαρκεῖν πρὸς ἀλυπίαν δύνασθαι, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ μηδὲν ὄφελος εἶναι τὴν τούτων ὑπόμνησιν, διʼ ὧν δεῖ τὸ ἀλγοῦν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποθεραπεύειν
παιωνίοις λόγου φαρμάκοις,
ὡς πάντων μᾶλλον ἢ ἀλυπίας ἀναβολὴν δεῖ ποιεῖσθαι.
And it is good also to remember the words which we probably once used toward relatives or friends who were in similar misfortunes, consoling and persuading them to bear the common occurrences of life in a common way, and human things in a human manner, and not, while being able to assist others toward freedom from grief, for the reminder of these things to be of no benefit to ourselves, through which we must cure the suffering part of the soul with the healing medicines of discourse, since we must make a delay of anything rather than of freedom from grief.
καίτοι γε τὸν ἐν ὁτῳοῦν
ἀμβολιεργὸν ἄταις
φησὶ
παλαίειν,
τὸ κυκλούμενον τοῦτο παρὰ πᾶσιν ἔπος· πολὺ δʼ οἶμαι μᾶλλον τὸν ὑπερτιθέμενον τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀχθεινὰ πάθη καὶ δυσάντητα πρὸς τὸν ἐπιόντα χρόνον.
And yet, the one who is in anything "putting off his work wrestles with ruins," says this proverb which is circulated among all; and much more, I think, does the one who postpones the heavy and hard-to-bear passions of the soul to the coming time.