§0μετὰ τὸν πάτριον θεσμόν, ὃν ὑμῖν ἡ τῆς Δήμητρος ἱέρεια συνειργνυμένοις ἐφήρμοσεν, οἶμαι καὶ τὸν λόγον ὁμοῦ συνεφαπτόμενον ὑμῶν καὶ συνυμεναιοῦντα χρήσιμον ἄν τι ποιῆσαι καὶ τῷ νόμῳ προσῳδόν.
After the ancestral custom, which the priestess of Demeter applied to you as you were shut in together, I think that the discourse also, laying hold of the matter together with you and singing the marriage-song with you, might do something useful and in harmony with the law.
ἐν μὲν γὰρ τοῖς μουσικοῖς ἕνα τῶν αὐλητικῶν νόμων ἱππόθορον ἐκάλουν, μέλος τι τοῖς ἵπποις ὁρμῆς ἐπεγερτικὸν ὡς ἔοικεν ἐνδιδόντα πρὸς τὰς ὀχείας·
For among musicians, they used to call one of the flute-tunes 'hippothoros', being a melody that apparently instills a stirring of desire in horses for mating.
φιλοσοφίᾳ δὲ πολλῶν λόγων καὶ καλῶν ἐνόντων, οὐδενὸς ἧττον ἄξιος σπουδῆς ὁ γαμήλιός ἐστιν οὗτος, ᾧ κατᾴδουσα τοὺς ἐπὶ βίου κοινωνίᾳ συνιόντας εἰς ταὐτὸ πράους τε παρέχει καὶ χειροήθεις ἀλλήλοις.
But since philosophy contains many beautiful discourses, this nuptial one is no less worthy of serious attention, by which philosophy singing to those who come together for the partnership of life makes them gentle and cooperative with one another.
ὧν οὖν ἀκηκόατε πολλάκις ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ παρατρεφόμενοι κεφάλαια συντάξας ἔν τισιν ὁμοιότησι βραχείαις, ὡς εὐμνημόνευτα μᾶλλον εἴη, κοινὸν ἀμφοτέροις πέμπω δῶρον, εὐχόμενος τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ τὰς Μούσας παρεῖναι καὶ συνεργεῖν, ὡς μήτε λύραν τινὰ μήτε κιθάραν μᾶλλον αὐταῖς ἢ τὴν περὶ γάμον καὶ οἶκον ἐμμέλειαν ἡρμοσμένην παρέχειν διὰ λόγου καὶ ἁρμονίας· καὶ φιλοσοφίας προσῆκον.
Therefore, having arranged in certain brief similarities the main points of what you have often heard while being nurtured in philosophy, so that they may be more easily remembered, I send this as a common gift to you both, praying to Aphrodite that the Muses may be present and cooperate, so that they may provide to themselves no lyre or cithara more attuned than the melody concerning marriage and the household through reason and harmony, which is also fitting for philosophy.
καὶ γὰρ οἱ παλαιοὶ τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ τὸν Ἑρμῆν συγκαθίδρυσαν, ὡς τῆς περὶ τὸν γάμον ἡδονῆς μάλιστα λόγου δεομένης, τήν τε Πειθὼ καὶ τὰς Χάριτας, ἵνα πείθοντες διαπράττωνται παρʼ ἀλλήλων ἃ βούλονται, μὴ μαχόμενοι μηδὲ φιλονεικοῦντες.
For the ancients also established Hermes together with Aphrodite, as the pleasure concerning marriage especially stands in need of reason, and also Persuasion and the Graces, so that by persuading they may obtain from one another what they desire, not fighting nor quarreling.
§1ὁ Σόλων ἐκέλευε τὴν νύμφην τῷ νυμφίῳ συγκατακλίνεσθαι μήλου κυδωνίου κατατραγοῦσαν αἰνιττόμενος ἔοικεν ὅτι δεῖ τὴν ἀπὸ στόματος καὶ φωνῆς χάριν εὐάρμοστον εἶναι πρῶτον καὶ ἡδεῖαν.
Solon ordered the bride to lie down with the bridegroom after eating a quince, hinting, as it seems, that the grace from the mouth and voice must first of all be harmonious and pleasant.
§2ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ τὴν νύμφην κατακαλύψαντες ἀσφαραγωνιᾷ στεφανοῦσιν ἐκείνη τε γὰρ ἥδιστον ἐκ τραχυτάτης ἀκάνθης καρπὸν ἀναδίδωσιν, ἥ τε νύμφη τῷ μὴ φυγόντι μηδὲ δυσχεράναντι τὴν πρώτην χαλεπότητα, καὶ ἀηδίαν αὐτῆς ἥμερον καὶ γλυκεῖαν παρέξει συμβίωσιν.
In Boeotia, they veil the bride and crown her with wild asparagus; for this plant yields the sweetest fruit from the roughest thorn, and the bride will provide a gentle and sweet life together to the husband who does not flee nor show displeasure at her initial harshness and unpleasantness.
οἱ δὲ τὰς πρώτας τῶν παρθένων διαφορὰς μὴ ὑπομείναντες οὐδὲν ἀπολείπουσι τῶν διὰ τὸν ὄμφακα τὴν σταφυλὴν ἑτέροις προϊεμένων.
And those who do not endure the first disagreements of young women differ in no way from those who, because of the sour grape, abandon the ripe cluster to others.
πολλαὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν νεογάμων δυσχεράνασαι διὰ τὰ πρῶτα τοὺς νυμφίους; ὅμοιον ἔπαθον πάθος τοῖς τὴν μὲν πληγὴν τῆς μελίττης ὑπομείνασι, τὸ δὲ κηρίον προεμένοις.
And many newly-married women also, having become displeased with their bridegrooms because of the initial difficulties, suffer a fate similar to those who endure the sting of the bee but abandon the honeycomb.
§3ἐν ἀρχῇ μάλιστα δεῖ τὰς διαφορὰς καὶ τὰς προσκρούσεις φυλάττεσθαι τοὺς γεγαμηκότας, ὁρῶντας ὅτι καὶ τὰ συναρμοσθέντα τῶν σκευῶν κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς τυχούσης ῥᾳδίως διασπᾶται προφάσεως, χρόνῳ δὲ τῶν ἁρμῶν σύμπηξιν λαβόντων μόλις ὑπὸ πυρὸς καὶ σιδήρου διαλύεται.
At the beginning especially, married couples must guard against differences and clashes, seeing that even joined vessels are easily pulled apart at the start by any chance pretext, but in time, when their joints have acquired cohesion, they can scarcely be dissolved even by fire and iron.
§4ὥσπερ τὸ πῦρ ἐξάπτεται μὲν εὐχερῶς ἐν ἀχύροις καὶ θρυαλλίδι καὶ θριξὶ λαγῴαις, σβέννυται δὲ τάχιον ἂν μή τινος· ἑτέρου δυναμένου στέγειν ἅμα καὶ τρέφειν ἐπιλάβηται, οὓτω τὸν ἀπὸ σώματος καὶ ὥρας ὀξὺν ἔρωτα τῶν νεογάμων ἀναφλεγόμενον δεῖ μὴ διαρκῆ μηδὲ βέβαιον νομίζειν, ἂν μὴ περὶ τὸ ἦθος ἱδρυθεὶς καὶ τοῦ φρονοῦντος ἁψάμενος ἔμψυχον λάβῃ διάθεσιν.
Just as fire is easily kindled in straw, tinder, and hare's hair, but is extinguished more quickly unless it lays hold of something else capable of both containing and feeding it, so one must not consider the sharp passion of newlyweds, which flares up from physical beauty and youth, to be lasting or secure, unless, establishing itself around character and touching the thinking mind, it takes on a living disposition.
§5ἡ διὰ τῶν φαρμάκων θήρα ταχὺ μὲν αἱρεῖ καὶ λαμβάνει ῥᾳδίως τὸν ἰχθύν, ἄβρωτον δὲ ποιεῖ καὶ φαῦλον· οὕτως αἱ φίλτρα τινὰ καὶ γοητείας ἐπιτεχνώμεναι τοῖς ἀνδράσι καὶ χειρούμεναι διʼ ἡδονῆς αὐτοὺς ἐμπλήκτοις καὶ ἀνοήτοις, καὶ διεφθαρμένοις συμβιοῦσιν.
Hunting by means of drugs quickly catches and easily takes the fish, but makes it inedible and worthless; so women who devise love-potions and spells against their husbands, and master them through pleasure, live with men who are unstable, foolish, and ruined.
οὐδὲ γὰρ τὴν Κίρκην ὤνησαν οἱ καταφαρμακευθέντες, οὐδʼ ἐχρήσατο πρὸς οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ὑσὶ καὶ ὄνοις γενομένοις, τὸν δʼ Ὀδυσσέα νοῦν ἔχοντα καὶ συνόντα φρονίμως ὑπερηγάπησεν.
For those who were drugged did not benefit Circe, nor did she make any use of them once they had become pigs and donkeys, but she loved Odysseus exceedingly, who had intellect and associated with her wisely.
§6αἱ βουλόμεναι μᾶλλον ἀνοήτων κρατεῖν ἀνδρῶν ἢ φρονίμων ἀκούειν ἐοίκασι τοῖς ἐν ὁδῷ βουλομένοις μᾶλλον ὁδηγεῖν τυφλοὺς; ἢ τοῖς γιγνώσκουσιν ἀκολουθεῖν καὶ βλέπουσι.
Those women who prefer to rule over foolish husbands rather than to listen to wise ones resemble people on a journey who prefer to guide the blind rather than to follow those who know the way and can see.
§7τὴν Πασιφάην ἀπιστοῦσι βοὸς ἐρασθῆναι βασιλεῖ συνοῦσαν, ἐνίας ὁρῶσαι τοὺς μὲν αὐστηροὺς καὶ σώφρονας βαρυνομένας, τοῖς δʼ ἐξ ἀκρασίας καὶ φιληδονίας κεκραμένοις ὥσπερ κυσὶν ἢ τράγοις ἥδιον συνούσας.
They disbelieve that Pasiphae fell in love with a bull while living with a king, yet they see some women who are burdened by austere and temperate husbands, but live more gladly with men who are mixed with incontinence and love of pleasure, like dogs or goats.
§8οἱ τοῖς ἵπποις ἐφάλλεσθαι διʼ ἀσθένειαν ἢ μαλακίαν αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους ὀκλάζειν καὶ ὑποπίπτειν διδάσκουσιν οὕτως ἔνιοι τῶν λαβόντων εὐγενεῖς ἢ πλουσίας γυναῖκας οὐχ ἑαυτοὺς ποιοῦσι βελτίους ἀλλʼ ἐκείνας περικολούουσιν, ὡς μᾶλλον ἄρξοντες ταπεινῶν γενομένων· δεῖ δʼ ὥσπερ ἵππου τὸ μέγεθος φυλάττοντα καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς γυναικὸς χρῆσθαι τῷ χαλινῷ
Just as those who, because of weakness or softness, teach their horses to kneel and couch so they can mount them, so some of those who have taken noble or wealthy wives do not make themselves better, but prune down those women, so that they may rule over them more easily once they have been humbled; but just as one maintains the size of the horse, so one ought to use the bridle while respecting the dignity of the wife.