§17ἐπιβάλλοντος δὲ τοῦ Σαραπίωνος εἰπεῖν τι περὶ τούτων, ὁ ξένος· ἡδὺ μέν
ἔφη
τὸ τοιούτων ἀκροᾶσθαι λόγων, ἐμοὶ δʼ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τὴν πρώτην ὑπόσχεσιν ἀπαιτῆσαι περὶ τῆς αἰτίας, ἣ πέπαυκε τὴν Πυθίαν ἐν ἔπεσι καὶ μέτροις ἄλλοις θεσπίζουσαν·
While Sarapion was attempting to say something about these matters, the stranger said: "It is pleasant indeed to listen to such words, but for me it is necessary to demand the fulfillment of the first promise concerning the cause which has caused the Pythia to cease from delivering her oracles in verses and other measures.
ὥστʼ, εἰ δοκεῖ, τὰ λειπόμενα τῆς θέας ὑπερθέμενοι περὶ τούτων ἀκούσωμεν ἐνταῦθα καθίσαντες.
Therefore, if you please, let us postpone the remainder of our sightseeing and, sitting down here, listen to these matters.
οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ μάλιστα πρὸς τὴν τοῦ χρηστηρίου πίστιν ἀντιβαίνων λόγος· ὡς δυεῖν θάτερον, ἢ τῆς Πυθίας τῷ χωρίῳ μὴ πελαζούσης ἐν ᾧ τὸ θεῖόν ἐστιν, ἢ τοῦ πνεύματος παντάπασιν ἀπεσβεσμένου καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκλελοιπυίας. περιελθόντες; οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν μεσημβρινῶν καθεζόμεθα κρηπίδων τοῦ νεὼ πρὸς τὸ τῆς Γῆς ἱερὸν τὸ θʼ ὕδωρ ἀποβλέποντες ὥστʼ εὐθὺς εἰπεῖν τὸν Βόηθον, ὅτι καὶ ὁ τόπος τῆς ἀπορίας συνεπιλαμβάνεται τῷ ξένῳ.
For this is the argument that most of all opposes the belief in the oracle, as being one of two things: either that the Pythia does not approach the place where the divine presence is, or that the spirit (pneuma) has been completely extinguished and its power has failed." So, having gone around, we sat down upon the southern steps of the temple, looking towards the sanctuary of Earth and the water, so that Boethus immediately said that the place itself also joins with the stranger in raising the difficulty.
Μουσῶν γὰρ ἦν ἱερὸν ἐνταῦθα περὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν τοῦ νάματος, ὅθεν ἐχρῶντο πρός τε τὰς λοιβὰς ὕδατι τούτῳ, ὥς φησι Σιμωνίδης
"
ἔνθα χερνίβεσσιν εἰρύεται τὸ Μοισᾶν
καλλικόμων ὑπένερθεν ἁγνὸν ὕδωρ. "
μικρῷ δὲ περιεργότερον αὖθις ὁ Σιμωνίδης τὴν Κλειὼ προσειπών
"ἁγνᾶν ἐπίσκοπον, χερνίβων
φησὶ
πολύλιστον ἀραιόν τέ ἐστιν ἀχρυσόπεπλον εὐῶδες ἀμβροσίων ἐκ μυχῶν ἐρανὸν ὕδωρ λαβόν. "
οὐκ ὀρθῶς οὖν Εὔδοξος ἐπίστευσε τοῖς Στυγὸς ὕδωρ τοῦτο καλεῖσθαι πεφήνασι.
For there was a sanctuary of the Muses here around the outflow of the stream, whence they used to use this water for their libations, as Simonides says: "Where the pure water of the fair-haired Muses is drawn from beneath for hand-washings." And Simonides, speaking again with a little more elaboration, addresses Clio: "Guardian of pure hand-washings," he says, "much-entreated, thin, without golden robe, fragrant, having received the lovely water from ambrosial depths." Therefore Eudoxus did not rightly believe those who asserted that this water is called the water of Styx.
τὰς δὲ Μούσας ἱδρύσαντο παρέδρους τῆς μαντικῆς καὶ φύλακας αὐτοῦ παρὰ τὸ νᾶμα καὶ τὸ τῆς Γῆς ἱερόν, ἧς λέγεται τὸ μαντεῖον γενέσθαι διὰ τὴν ἐν μέτροις καὶ μέλεσι χρησμῳδίαν.
And they established the Muses as assessors of the prophetic art and its guardians beside the stream and the sanctuary of Earth, whose oracle is said to have been because of the chanting of prophecies in measures and melodies.
ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ πρῶτον ἐνταῦθά φασιν ἡρῷον μέτρον ἀκουσθῆναι,
"συμφέρετε πτερά, οἰωνοί, κηρόν τε, μέλισσαι"
ὅτε τῷ θεῷ ἐπιδεᾶ γενομένην ἀποβαλεῖν τὸ σεμνόν.
And some say that here also the heroic measure was first heard: "Bring feathers, ye birds, and wax, ye bees," at the time when, having become inadequate for the god, it lost its solemnity.
§18ὁ Σαραπίων
ἐπιεικέστερα ταῦτʼ
εἶπεν
ὦ Βόηθε, καὶ μουσικώτερα δεῖ γὰρ μὴ μάχεσθαι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν μηδʼ ἀναιρεῖν μετὰ τῆς μαντικῆς ἅμα τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ τὸ θεῖον, ἀλλὰ τῶν ὑπεναντιοῦσθαι δοκούντων λύσεις ἐπιζητεῖν τὴν δʼ εὐσεβῆ καὶ πάτριον μὴ προΐεσθαι πίστιν. ὀρθῶς
ἔφην ἐγὼ λέγεις,
ἄριστε Σαραπίων οὐδὲ γὰρ φιλοσοφίαν ἀπεγιγνώσκομεν ὡς ἀνῃρημένην παντάπασι, καὶ διεφθορυῖαν, ὅτι πρότερον μὲν ἐν ποιήμασιν ἐξέφερον οἱ φιλόσοφοι τὰ δόγματα καὶ τοὺς λόγους, ὥσπερ Ὀρφεὺς καὶ Ἡσίοδος καὶ Παρμενίδης καὶ Ξενοφάνης καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς καὶ Θαλῆς· ὕστερον δʼ ἐπαύσαντο καὶ πέπαυνται χρώμενοι μέτροις πλὴν σοῦ· διὰ σοῦ δʼ αὖθις εἰς φιλοσοφίαν ποιητικὴ κάτεισιν, ὄρθιον καὶ γενναῖον ἐγκελευομένη τοῖς νέοις.
Sarapion said: "These remarks, Boethus, are more reasonable and more cultured. For we must not fight against the god, nor destroy, along with the art of prophecy, providence and the divine, but rather seek solutions for those things which seem to be contradictory, and not abandon our pious and ancestral faith." "You speak rightly, excellent Sarapion," I said. "For neither did we condemn philosophy as being entirely destroyed and corrupted because, whereas formerly the philosophers put forth their doctrines and discourses in poetry—such as Orpheus, Hesiodos, Parmenides, Xenophanes, Empedocles, and Thales—later they ceased and have ceased using measures, except for you; but through you, poetic art again descends into philosophy, giving a high and noble encouragement to the young.
οὐδʼ ἀστρολογίαν ἀδοξοτέραν ἐποίησαν οἱ περὶ Ἀρίσταρχον καὶ Τιμόχαριν καὶ Ἀρίστυλλον καὶ Ἵππαρχον καταλογάδην γράφοντες, ἐν μέτροις πρότερον Εὐδόξου καὶ Ἡσιόδου καὶ Θαλοῦ γραφόντων, εἴ γε Θαλῆς ἐποίησεν, ὡς ἀληθῶς εἰπεῖν, τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναφερομένην *)astrologi/an.
Nor did Aristarchus, Timocharis, Aristyllus, and Hipparchus make astronomy less esteemed by writing in prose, whereas formerly Eudoxus, Hesiodos, and Thales wrote in measures—if indeed Thales, to tell the truth, composed the astronomy which is attributed to him.
Πίνδαρος δὲ καὶ περὶ τρόπου μελῳδίας ἀμελουμένου·
And Pindar confesses that he is at a loss concerning the style of melody which was neglected in his own day, and wonders at it.
καθʼ αὑτὸν ἀπορεῖν ὁμολογεῖ, καὶ θαυμάζειν ὅτι οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι δεινὸν οὐδʼ ἄτοπον αἰτίας ζητεῖν τῶν τοιούτων μεταβολῶν ἀναιρεῖν δὲ τὰς τέχνας καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις, ἄν τι κινηθῇ καὶ παραλλάξῃ τῶν κατὰ ταύτας, οὐ δίκαιον.
For it is nothing terrible or strange to seek the causes of such changes; but to destroy the arts and powers if anything in them is moved and altered, is not just."