§47ὁ Πλάτων τοῖς πρεσβύταις μᾶλλον παρῄνει
αἰσχύνεσθαι τοὺς νέους,
ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι πρὸς αὐτοὺς αἰδημόνως ἔχωσιν· ὅπου
γὰρ
ἀναισχυντοῦσι γέροντες,
οὐδεμίαν αἰδῶ τοῖς νέοις οὐδʼ εὐλάβειαν ἐγγίγνεσθαι.
Plato advised old men to respect the youth more, so that they too might behave respectfully toward them; for where old men are shameless, no respect or caution arises in the young.
τούτου δεῖ μεμνημένον τὸν ἄνδρα μηδένα μᾶλλον αἰδεῖσθαι τῆς γυναικός, ὡς τὸν θάλαμον αὐτῇ διδασκαλεῖον εὐταξίας ἢ ἀκολασίας γενησόμενον.
Remembering this, the husband must respect no one more than his wife, knowing that the bridal chamber will become for her a school of orderly conduct or of licentiousness.
ὁ δὲ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡδονῶν αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπολαύων ἐκείνην δʼ ἀποτρέπων οὐδὲν διαφέρει τοῦ κελεύοντος διαμάχεσθαι τὴν γυναῖκα πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, οἷς αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκε.
He who himself enjoys the same pleasures but debars her from them is no different from one who orders his wife to fight against the enemies to whom he himself has surrendered.
§48περὶ δὲ φιλοκοσμίας σὺ μέν, ὦ Εὐρυδίκη, τὰ πρὸς Ἀρίστυλλαν ὑπὸ Τιμοξένας γεγραμμένα ἀναγνοῦσα πειρῶ διαμνημονεύειν σὺ δέ, ὦ Πολλιανέ, μὴ νόμιζε περιεργίας ἀφέξεσθαι τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ πολυτελείας, ἂν ὁρᾷ σε μὴ καταφρονοῦντα τούτων ἐν ἑτέροις, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίροντα χρυσώσεσιν ἐκπωμάτων καὶ γραφαῖς οἰκηματίων καὶ χλίδωσιν ἡμιόνων καὶ ἵππων περιδεραίοις.
Concerning love of ornament, Eurydice, do you try to read and remember what was written by Timoxena to Aristylla; but you, Pollianus, do not suppose that your wife will keep away from luxury and extravagance, if she sees that you do not despise these things in others, but even delight in the gilding of cups, the paintings of rooms, the luxury of mules, and the collars of horses.
οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξελάσαι τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀνδρωνίτιδι τὴν πολυτέλειαν ἀναστρεφομένην.
For it is not possible to drive extravagance out of the women's quarters when it is turning about in the midst of the men's quarters.
καὶ σὺ μὲν ὥραν ἔχων ἤδη φιλοσοφεῖν τοῖς μετʼ ἀποδείξεως καὶ κατασκευῆς λεγομένοις ἐπικόσμει τὸ ἦθος, ἐντυγχάνων καὶ πλησιάζων τοῖς ὠφελοῦσι· τῇ γυναικὶ πανταχόθεν τὸ χρήσιμον συνάγων ὥσπερ αἱ μέλιτται καὶ φέρων αὐτὸς ἐν σεαυτῷ μεταδίδου καὶ προσδιαλέγου, φίλους αὐτῇ ποιῶν καὶ συνήθεις τῶν λόγων τοὺς ἀρίστους.
And you, being of an age now to philosophize, adorn your character with what is said with proof and system, meeting and associating with those who are helpful; gathering what is useful from everywhere for your wife like the bees, and carrying it in yourself, share it and converse with her, making the best of discourses friendly and familiar to her.
πατὴρ
μὲν γάρ
ἐσσι
αὐτῇ
καὶ πότνια μήτηρ ἠδὲ κασίγνητος
οὐχ ἧττον σεμνὸν ἀκοῦσαι γαμετῆς λεγούσης
ἄνερ,
ἀτὰρ σὺ μοί ἐσσι
καθηγητὴς καὶ φιλόσοφος καὶ διδάσκαλος τῶν καλλίστων καὶ θειοτάτων,
τὰ τοιαῦτα μαθήματα πρῶτον ἀφίστησι τῶν ἀτόπων τὰς γυναῖκας· αἰσχυνθήσεται γὰρ ὀρχεῖσθαι γυνὴ γεωμετρεῖν μανθάνουσα, καὶ φαρμάκων ἐπῳδὰς οὐ προσδέξεται τοῖς Πλάτωνος ἐπᾳδομένη λόγοις καὶ τοῖς Ξενοφῶντος.
"For you are father to her, and revered mother, and brother." It is no less noble to hear a wedded wife saying: "Husband, but you are to me leader, philosopher, and teacher of the most beautiful and divine things." Such studies first of all turn women away from improper things; for a woman will be ashamed to dance when she is learning geometry, and she will not accept the incantations of magic drugs when she is charmed by the words of Plato and Xenophon.
ἂν δέ τις ἐπαγγέλληται καθαιρεῖν τὴν σελήνην, γελάσεται τὴν ἀμαθίαν καὶ τὴν ἀβελτερίαν τῶν ταῦτα πειθομένων γυναικῶν, ἀστρολογίας ἀνηκόως ἔχουσα καὶ περὶ Ἀγλαονίκης ἀκηκουῖα τῆς Ἡγήτορος τοῦ Θεσσαλοῦ θυγατρὸς ὅτι τῶν ἐκλειπτικῶν ἔμπειρος οὖσα πανσελήνων καὶ προειδυῖα τὸν χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ συμβαίνει τὴν σελήνην ὑπὸ τῆς σκιᾶς ἁλίσκεσθαι, παρεκρούετο καὶ συνέπειθε τὰς γυναῖκας ὡς αὐτὴ καθαιροῦσα τὴν σελήνην.
If anyone promises to draw down the moon, she will laugh at the ignorance and foolishness of the women who believe these things, being not unversed in astronomy, and having heard about Aglaonice, the daughter of Hegetor the Thessalian, that because she was experienced in eclipses of the full moon and knew beforehand the time when it happens that the moon is caught by the shadow, she deceived the women and persuaded them that she herself was drawing down the moon.
παιδίον μὲν γὰρ οὐδεμία ποτὲ γυνὴ λέγεται ποιῆσαι δίχα κοινωνίας ἀνδρός, τὰ δʼ ἄμορφα κυήματα καὶ σαρκοειδῆ καὶ σύστασιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἐκ διαφθορᾶς λαμβάνοντα μύλας καλοῦσι. τοῦτο δὴ φυλακτέον ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς γίγνεσθαι τῶν γυναικῶν. ἂν γὰρ λόγων χρηστῶν σπέρματα μὴ δέχωνται μηδὲ κοινωνῶσι παιδείας· τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, αὐταὶ καθʼ αὑτὰς ἄτοπα πολλὰ καὶ φαῦλα βουλεύματα καὶ πάθη κυοῦσι.
For no woman is ever said to have made a child without the association of a man, but those shapeless conceptions and flesh-like substances that take their consistency in themselves from corruption are called "molae." This indeed must be guarded against happening in the souls of women; for if they do not receive the seeds of good discourses and do not share in education with their husbands, they conceive by themselves many strange and bad designs and passions.
σὺ δʼ ὦ Εὐρυδίκη μάλιστα πειρῶ τοῖς τῶν σοφῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀποφθέγμασιν ὁμιλεῖν καὶ διὰ στόματος ἀεὶ τὰς φωνὰς ἔχειν ἐκείνας ὧν καὶ παρθένος οὖσα παρʼ ἡμῖν ἀνελάμβανες, ὅπως εὐφραίνῃς μὲν τὸν ἄνδρα, θαυμάζῃ δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων γυναικῶν, οὕτω κοσμουμένη περιττῶς καὶ σεμνῶς ἀπὸ μηδενός.
But you, Eurydice, try especially to associate with the sayings of wise and good men, and always to have in your mouth those voices which you received while you were a maiden at our house, so that you may gladden your husband and be admired by other women, being thus adorned extraordinarily and with dignity at no expense.
τοὺς μὲν γὰρ τῆσδε τῆς πλουσίας μαργαρίτας καὶ τὰ τῆσδε τῆς ξένης σηρικὰ λαβεῖν οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲ περιθέσθαι μὴ πολλοῦ πριαμένην, τὰ δὲ Θεανοῦς κόσμια καὶ Κλεοβουλίνης καὶ Γοργοῦς τῆς Λεωνίδου γυναικὸς καὶ Τιμοκλείας τῆς Θεαγένους ἀδελφῆς καὶ Κλαυδίας τῆς παλαιᾶς, καὶ Κορνηλίας τῆς Σκιπίωνος καὶ ὅσαι ἐγένοντο θαυμασταὶ καὶ περιβόητοι, ταῦτα δʼ ἔξεστι περικειμένην προῖκα καὶ κοσμουμένην αὐτοῖς ἐνδόξως ἅμα βιοῦν καὶ μακαρίως.
For it is not possible to get and put on the pearls of this rich woman or the silks of that foreign woman without buying them at a great price, but the ornaments of Theano, of Cleobulina, of Gorgo the wife of Leonidas, of Timoclea the sister of Theagenes, of Claudia of old, and of Cornelia the daughter of Scipio, and of all those who became wondrous and celebrated, these it is possible to wear as a dowry and, being adorned with them, to live both gloriously and happily.
εἰ γὰρ ἡ Σαπφὼ διὰ τὴν ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι καλλιγραφίαν ἐφρόνει τηλικοῦτον ὥστε γράψαι πρός τινα πλουσίαν
"
κατθάνοισα δὲ κείσεαι, οὐδέ τις μναμοσύνα σέθεν
ἔσεται· οὐ γὰρ πεδέχεις ῥόδων
τῶν ἐκ Πιερίας
"
, πῶς οὐχί σοι μᾶλλον ἐξέσται μέγα φρονεῖν ἐφʼ ἑαυτῇ καὶ λαμπρόν, ἂν μὴ τῶν ῥόδων ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν καρπῶν μετέχῃς, ὧν αἱ Μοῦσαι φέρουσι καὶ χαρίζονται τοῖς παιδείαν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν θαυμάζουσιν;
For if Sappho, because of the beauty of her lyric writing, thought so highly of herself as to write to a certain rich woman: "But when dead you will lie, nor will there be any memory of you; for you have no share in the roses from Pieria", how will it not be even more permitted to you to think highly and splendidly of yourself, if you have a share not only in the roses but also in the fruits which the Muses bear and grant to those who admire education and philosophy?