§22μαρτυρεῖ δέ μοι καὶ Ὅμηρος, αἰτίας μὲν
ἄνευ θεοῦ
οὐδὲν ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ὑποτιθέμενος περαινόμενον, οὐ μὴν πᾶσι πρὸς πάντα χρώμενον ποιῶν τὸν θεόν, ἀλλʼ ἑκάστῳ καθʼ ἣν ἔχει τέχνην ἢ δύναμιν.
And Homer also bears witness to me, since he assumes that nothing, so to speak, is accomplished without God as a cause, yet he does not make God use all things for all purposes, but each according to the skill or power that it possesses.
ἢ γὰρ οὐχ ὁρᾷς, εἶπεν, ὦ; φίλε Διογενιανέ, τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, ὅτε πεῖσαι βούλεται τοὺς Ἀχαιούς, τὸν Ὀδυσσέα παρακαλοῦσαν, ὅτε συγχέαι τὰ ὅρκια, τὸν Πάνδαρον ζητοῦσαν, ὅτε τρέψασθαι τοὺς Τρῶας, ἐπὶ τὸν Διομήδην βαδίζουσαν;
"For do you not see," he said, "my dear Diogenianus, that Athena, when she wishes to persuade the Achaians, summons Odysseus; when to break the oaths, she seeks Pandaros; and when to rout the Trojans, she goes to Diomedes?
ὁ μὲν γὰρ εὔρωστος καὶ μάχιμος ὁ δὲ τοξικὸς καὶ ἀνόητος ὁ δὲ δεινὸς εἰπεῖν καὶ φρόνιμος.
For the one is strong and warlike, the other skilled in archery but foolish, and the third clever in speech and prudent.
οὐ γὰρ εἶχεν Ὅμηρος τὴν αὐτὴν Πινδάρῳ διάνοιαν, εἴ γε Πίνδαρος ἦν ὁ ποιήσας
"θεοῦ θέλοντος, κἂν ἐπὶ ῥιπὸς; πλέοις· "
ἀλλʼ ἐγίγνωσκεν ἄλλας πρὸς ἄλλα δυνάμεις καὶ φύσεις γεγενημένας, ὧν ἑκάστη κινεῖται διαφόρως, κἂν ἓν ᾖ τὸ κινοῦν ἁπάσας.
For Homer did not hold the same view as Pindar, if indeed Pindar was the one who wrote: 'If God wills, you might sail even on a reed-mat'; but he knew that different powers and natures were born for different things, each of which is moved differently, even if the mover of them all is one.
ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ κινοῦν τὸ πεζὸν οὐ δύναται κινῆσαι πτητικῶς, οὐδὲ τορῶς τὸ τραυλὸν οὐδʼ εὐφώνως τὸ ἰσχνόφωνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Βάττον, οἶμαι, διὰ τοῦτʼ ἐπὶ τὴν φωνὴν παραγενόμενον εἰς Λιβύην ἔπεμψεν οἰκιστήν, ὅτι τραυλὸς μὲν ἦν καὶ ἰσχνόφωνος βασιλικὸς δὲ καὶ πολιτικὸς καὶ φρόνιμος· οὕτως ἀδύνατον διαλέγεσθαι ποιητικῶς τὸν ἀγράμματον καὶ ἀνήκοον ἐπῶν.
Just as, therefore, that which moves the walking animal cannot move it in a flying manner, nor the stammering clearly, nor the weak-voiced in a resonant way—indeed, I think, it was for this reason that when Battos came concerning his voice, the god sent him as a founder to Libya, because, though he was stammering and weak-voiced, he was of royal and statesmanlike character and prudent; so it is impossible for one who is unlettered and has never heard poetry to discourse poetically.
ὥσπερ ἡ νῦν τῷ θεῷ λατρεύουσα γέγονε μὲν εἴ τις ἄλλος ἐνταῦθα νομίμως καὶ καλῶς καὶ βεβίωκεν εὐτάκτως· τραφεῖσα δʼ ἐν οἰκίᾳ γεωργῶν πενήτων, οὔτʼ ἀπὸ τέχνης οὐδὲν οὔτʼ ἀπʼ ἄλλης τινὸς ἐμπειρίας καὶ δυνάμεως ἐπιφερομένη κάτεισιν εἰς τὸ χρηστήριον, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ὁ Ξενοφῶν οἴεται δεῖν ἐλάχιστα τὴν νύμφην ἰδοῦσαν ἐλάχιστα δʼ ἀκούσασαν εἰς ἀνδρὸς βαδίζειν, οὕτως ἄπειρος καὶ ἀδαὴς ὀλίγου δεῖν ἁπάντων καὶ παρθένος ὡς ἀληθῶς τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ θεῷ σύνεστιν.
Just as she who now serves the god was born indeed as respectably and well as anyone here, and has lived in an orderly way, but having been brought up in the house of poor farmers, she goes down to the oracle bringing nothing from any skill or any other experience and power; but just as Xenophon thinks the bride ought to go to her husband's house having seen as little as possible and heard as little as possible, so she, being inexperienced and ignorant of almost all things, and truly a virgin in her soul, is with the god.
ἀλλʼ ἡμεῖς ἐρωδιοῖς οἰόμεθα καὶ τροχίλοις καὶ κόραξι χρῆσθαι φθεγγομένοις σημαίνοντα τὸν θεόν, καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῦμεν, ᾗ θεῶν ἄγγελοι καὶ κήρυκές εἰσι, λογικῶς ἕκαστα καὶ σαφῶς φράζειν τὴν δὲ τῆς Πυθίας φωνὴν καὶ διάλεκτον ὥσπερ ἐκ θυμέλης, οὐκ ἀνήδυντον οὐδὲ λιτὴν ἀλλʼ ἐν μέτρῳ καὶ ὄγκῳ καὶ πλάσματι καὶ μεταφοραῖς ὀνομάτων καὶ μετʼ αὐλοῦ φθεγγομένην παρέχειν ἀξιοῦμεν.
Yet we think that the god uses the cries of herons, wrens, and crows to indicate his meaning, and we do not expect, because they are messengers and heralds of the gods, that they should declare everything rationally and clearly; but the voice and discourse of the Pythia we expect to be presented as if from the stage, not without sweetness nor simple, but speaking in meter, dignity, embellishment, and metaphors of words, and with the accompaniment of a flute.
§23τί οὖν φήσομεν περὶ τῶν παλαιῶν;
What then shall we say about the ancients?
οὐχ ἓν τὰ πλείονα, οἶμαι.
Not one but many things, I think.
πρῶτον μὲν γάρ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, τὰ πλεῖστα κἀκεῖναι καταλογάδην ἀπεφθέγγοντο.
For first, as has been said, they also uttered most of their responses in prose.
δεύτερον δὲ καὶ σωμάτων ἤνεγκε κράσεις καὶ φύσεις ὁ χρόνος ἐκεῖνος εὔρουν τι καὶ φορὸν ἐχούσας πρὸς ποίησιν, αἷς εὐθὺς ἐπεγίγνοντο προθυμίαι καὶ ὁρμαὶ καὶ παρασκευαὶ ψυχῆς ἑτοιμότητα ποιοῦσαι μικρᾶς ἔξωθεν ἀρχῆς καὶ παρατροπῆς τοῦ φανταστικοῦ δεομένην, ὡς εὐθὺς ἕλκεσθαι πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον μόνον, ὡς λέγει Φιλῖνος, ἀστρολόγους καὶ φιλοσόφους, ἀλλʼ ἐν οἴνῳ τε πολλῷ καὶ πάθει γιγνομένων, οἴκτου τινος ὑπορρυέντος ἢ χαρᾶς προσπεσούσης, ὠλίσθανον εἰς
ἐνῳδὸν γῆρυν
ἐρωτικῶν τε κατεπίμπλαντο μέτρων καὶ ᾀσμάτων τὰ συμπόσια καὶ τὰ βιβλία γραμμάτων.
Secondly, that age bore temperaments and constitutions of bodies that had something fluent and favorable towards poetry, to which there immediately succeeded desires, impulses, and preparations of the soul, creating a readiness that needed only a small external beginning and turning of the imagination so as to be drawn immediately to its proper object alone; so that, as Philinus says, not only astronomers and philosophers, but also when they were in much wine and passion, some pity slipping in or joy falling upon them, they would slide into a singing voice, and their banquets were filled with erotic meters and songs and their books with writings.
ὁ δʼ Εὐριπίδης εἰπὼν ὡς
ἔρως ποιητὴν διδάσκει, κἂν ἄμουσος ᾖ τὸ πρίν
ἐνενόησεν, ὅτι ποιητικὴν καὶ μουσικὴν Ἔρως δύναμιν οὐκ ἐντίθησιν, ἐνυπάρχουσαν δὲ κινεῖ καὶ ἀναθερμαίνει λανθάνουσαν καὶ ἀργοῦσαν.
And Euripides, when he said: 'Love teaches a poet, even if he was unmusical before,' understood that Love does not implant a poetic and musical power, but moves and warms up what is already present, though hidden and idle.
ἢ μηδένα νῦν ἐρᾶν, ὦ ξένε, λέγωμεν, ἀλλὰ φροῦδον οἴχεσθαι τὸν ἔρωτα, ὅτι μέτροις οὐδεὶς οὐδʼ ᾠδαῖς
ῥίμφα παιδείους
ὡς Πίνδαρος ἔφη
τοξεύει μελιγάρεας ὕμνους;
Or should we say, my friend, that no one loves now, but that love is gone and departed, because no one shoots 'swiftly, for the sake of boys, honey-voiced hymns of praise,' as Pindar said, in meters and songs?
ἀλλʼ ἄτοπον· ἔρωτες γὰρ ἔτι πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιστρέφονται, ψυχαῖς δʼ ὁμιλοῦντες οὐκ εὐφυῶς οὐδʼ ἑτοίμως πρὸς μουσικὴν ἐχούσαις, ἄναυλοι μὲν καὶ ἄλυροι λάλοι δʼ οὐδὲν ἧττόν εἰσι καὶ διάπυροι τῶν παλαιῶν·
But that is absurd; for many loves of men still go about, but since they associate with souls that are not naturally gifted or ready for music, they are indeed without flutes and lyres, but no less talkative and fiery than the ancients.
ὅτι οὐδʼ ὅσιον εἰπεῖν ἢ καλὸν ὡς ἀνέραστος ἦν ἡ Ἀκαδήμεια καὶ ὁ Σωκράτους καὶ Πλάτωνος; χορός, ὧν λόγοις μὲν ἐρωτικοῖς ἐντυχεῖν ἔστι, ποιήματα δʼ οὐκ ἀπολελοίπασι.
For is it not even impious or unseemly to say that the Academy and the circle of Socrates and Plato were without love, whose writings indeed are full of love-talk, though they have left no poems?
τί δʼ ἀπολείπει τοῦ λέγοντος; ἐρωτικὴν μόνην γεγονέναι Σαπφὼ γυναικῶν ὁ μαντικὴν φάσκων μόνην γεγονέναι Σίβυλλαν καὶ Ἀριστονίκαν καὶ ὅσαι διὰ μέτρων ἐθεμίστευσαν;
And how does he differ from one who says that Sappho alone of women was erotic, who claims that the Sibyl alone was prophetic, and Aristonica, and as many as delivered oracles through meters?
ὁ μὲν γὰρ οἶνος
ὡς ἔλεγε Χαιρήμων
τοῖς τρόποις κεράννυται τῶν πινόντων
ὁ δὲ μαντικὸς ἐνθουσιασμός, ὥσπερ ὁ ἐρωτικός, χρῆται τῇ ὑποκειμένῃ δυνάμει καὶ κινεῖ τῶν δεξαμένων ἕκαστον καθʼ ὃ πέφυκεν.
'For wine,' as Chaeremon used to say, 'is mixed with the manners of those who drink,' and the prophetic enthusiasm, like the erotic, uses the underlying power and moves each of those who receive it according as they are by nature made.