§34ὅτι γὰρ οἱ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς διενεγκόντες ὡς θεοφιλεῖς νέοι μετέστησαν πρὸς τὸ χρεὼν καὶ πάλαι μὲν διὰ τῶν πρόσθεν ὑπέμνησα λόγων, καὶ νῦν δὲ πειράσομαι διὰ βραχυτάτων ἐπιδραμεῖν, προσμαρτυρήσας τῷ καλῶς ὑπὸ Μενάνδρου ῥηθέντι τούτῳ
"
ὃν οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦσιν ἀποθνῄσκει νέος
"
ἀλλʼ ἴσως ὑποτυχὼν ἂν φαίης Ἀπολλώνιε φίλτατε,σφόδρʼ ἦν ἐπιτεταγμένος ὁ νεανίσκος Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ μοίραις, καὶ σὲ ἔδει ὑπʼ ἐκείνου τελείου γενομένου κηδευθῆναι μεταλλάξαντα τὸν βίον·
For that those who excelled in virtues, as beloved of the gods, departed to their destiny when young, I have indeed reminded you in my previous discourses, and now also I shall endeavor to run through it in the briefest terms, calling as witness this well-said word by Menander: "He whom the gods love dies young." But perhaps, my dearest Apollonius, you might say in interruption: "The youth was exceedingly commended to Apollo and the Fates, and it was necessary that you, having departed this life, should be buried by him when he had reached full maturity." For you would say that this is according to nature, ours, that is, and the human one, but not according to the providence of the whole and the cosmic arrangement.
τοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι κατὰ φύσιν, τὴν ἡμετέραν δηλονότι καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ἀλλʼ οὐ κατὰ τὴν τῶν ὅλων πρόνοιαν καὶ τὴν κοσμικὴν διάταξιν. ἐκείνῳ δὲ τῷ μακαρισθέντι οὐκ ἦν κατὰ φύσιν περαιτέρω τοῦ ἀπονεμηθέντος αὐτῷ χρόνου πρὸς τὸν ἐνθάδε βίον περιμένειν, ἀλλʼ εὐτάκτως τοῦτον ἐκπλήσαντι πρὸς τὴν εἱμαρμένην ἐπανάγειν πορείαν, καλούσης αὐτῆς, φησίν, ἤδη πρὸς ἑαυτήν.
But for that blessed youth, it was not according to nature to remain in this life here beyond the time allotted to him, but, having in an orderly manner fulfilled this, to return to the destined journey, since she, he says, already calls him to herself.
ἀλλʼ ἄωρος ἐτελεύτησεν;
But did he die untimely?
οὐκοῦν εὐποτμότερος διὰ τοῦτο καὶ κακῶν ἀπείρατός ἐστιν·
Is he not, therefore, more fortunate because of this, and untried by evils?
"
ὁ βίος γάρ φησὶν Εὐριπίδης ὄνομʼ ἔχει μόνον
μόρος γεγώς. "
οὗτος δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς εὐανθεστάτης ἡλικίας προαπεφοίτησεν ὁλόκληρος ἠίθεος, ζηλωτὸς καὶ περίβλεπτος πᾶσι τοῖς συνήθεσιν αὐτῷ, φιλοπάτωρ γενόμενος καὶ φιλομήτωρ καὶ φιλοίκειος καὶ φιλόσοφος, τὸ δὲ σύμπαν εἰπεῖν φιλάνθρωπος, αἰδούμενος μὲν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῶν φίλων ὥσπερ πατέρας, στέργων δὲ τοὺς ὁμήλικας καὶ συνήθεις, τιμητικὸς δὲ τῶν καθηγησαμένων, ξένοις δὲ καὶ ἀστοῖς πραότατος, πᾶσι δὲ μείλιχος καὶ φίλος διά τε τὴν ἐξ ὄψεως χάριν καὶ τὴν, εὐπροσήγορον φιλανθρωπίαν.
"For life," says Euripides, "has only a name, being in reality doom." And he, at the most flourishing age, departed beforehand as a perfect youth, envied and admired by all his acquaintances, having proved to be a lover of his father, a lover of his mother, a lover of his relatives, and a lover of wisdom, and in short, a lover of mankind; respecting the elders among his friends like fathers, loving those of his own age and his companions, honoring his teachers, and being most gentle to strangers and citizens, and sweet and friendly to all because of both the grace of his appearance and his affable benevolence.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος μὲν τῆς τε σῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τὴν πρέπουσαν εὐφημίαν ἔχων πρὸς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον προαπεφοίτησε τοῦ θνητοῦ βίου, καθάπερ ἔκ του συμποσίου, πρὶν εἴς τινα παροινίαν ἐκπεσεῖν τὴν τῷ μακρῷ γήρᾳ παρεπομένην.
But indeed, he, having the appropriate good fame of both your piety and his own, has departed beforehand from this mortal life for all time, just as from a banquet, before falling into any of the drunken behavior that accompanies long old age.
εἰ δʼ ὁ τῶν παλαιῶν ποιητῶν τε καὶ φιλοσόφων λόγος ἐστὶν ἀληθὴς ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἔχειν, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς εὐσεβέσι τῶν μεταλλαξάντων ἔστι τις τιμὴ καὶ προεδρία καθάπερ λέγεται, καὶ χῶρός τις ἀποτεταγμένος ἐν ᾧ διατρίβουσιν αἱ τούτων ψυχαί, καλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχειν σε δεῖ περὶ τοῦ μακαρίτου υἱέος σου, ὅτι τούτοις συγκαταριθμηθεὶς συνέσται.
And if the account of the ancient poets and philosophers is true, as it is likely to be, that for the pious among those who have departed there is indeed some honor and precedence, as is said, and a certain allotted place in which their souls spend their time, you ought to have good hopes concerning your blessed son, that he, being numbered among these, will be with them.
§35λέγεται δʼ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ μελικοῦ Πινδάρου ταυτὶ περὶ τῶν εὐσεβῶν ἐν ᾍδου,
"
τοῖσι λάμπει μὲν μένος ἀελίου τὰν ἐνθάδε νύκτα
κάτω,
φοινικορόδοις ἐν λειμώνεσσι προάστιον αὐτῶν
καὶ λιβάνῳ σκιαρὸν καὶ χρυσοκάρποισι βεβριθός.
And these things are said by the lyric poet Pindar concerning the pious in Hades: "For them shines the strength of the sun during our night below, and in meadows of red roses is their suburb, shaded with frankincense and laden with golden fruits.
καὶ τοὶ μὲν ἵπποις γυμνασίοις τε τοὶ δὲ πεσσοῖς,
τοὶ δὲ φορμίγγεσι τέρπονται, παρὰ δέ σφισιν
εὐανθὴς ἅπας τέθαλεν ὄλβος,
ὀδμὰ δʼ ἐρατὸν κατὰ χῶρον κίδναται
αἰεὶ θύα μιγνύντων πυρὶ τηλεφανεῖ παντοῖα
θεῶν ἐπὶ βωμοῖς.
And some delight themselves with horses and gymnasia, and others with draughts, and others with lyres, and beside them all-blossoming happiness blooms.
"
καὶ μικρὸν προελθὼν ἐν ἄλλῳ θρήνῳ περὶ ψυχῆς λέγων φησὶν
"
ὀλβίᾳ δʼ ἅπαντες αἴσᾳ λυσίπονον τελευτάν.
And a lovely odor is spread throughout the place as they always mix all kinds of offerings with far-shining fire on the altars of the gods." And going on a little further, speaking of the soul in another dirge, he says: "And by a happy lot all go to an end that releases from labor.
καὶ σῶμα μὲν πάντων ἕπεται θανάτῳ περισθενεῖ,
ζωὸν δʼ ἔτι λείπεται αἰῶνος εἴδωλον· τὸ γάρ
ἐστι μόνον
ἐκ θεῶν.
And the body indeed of all follows all-powerful death, but there still remains alive an image of life; for this alone is from the gods.
εὕδει δὲ πρασσόντων μελέων, ἀτὰρ
εὑδόντεσσιν ἐν πολλοῖς ὀνείροις
δείκνυσι τερπνῶν ἐφέρποισαν χαλεπῶν τε κρίσιν. "
And it sleeps while the limbs are active, but to those who sleep, in many dreams, it shows a judgment of pleasant and difficult things drawing near."