§1"
Ἀριστον μὲν ὔδωρ ὁ δὲ χρυσὸς αἰθόμενον
πῦρ
"
φησιν ὁ Πίνδαρος·
"Best indeed is water, but gold is like blazing fire," Pindar says.
ὥσθʼ οὗτος μὲν δευτέραν ἄντικρυς τῷ πυρὶ χώραν ἔδωκε·
So that he clearly assigned the second place to fire.
συμφωνεῖ δὲ καὶ Ἡσίοδος εἰπών
"
ἤτοι μὲν πρώτιστα χάος γένετο·
And Hesiod also agrees, saying: "Verily, first of all Chaos came to be;" for to most people he seems to have named water in this manner, from its pouring (chysis).
"
τοῖς πλείστοις γὰρ ὠνομακέναι δοκεῖ τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον παρὰ τὴν χύσιν. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν τῶν μαρτύρων ἑκατέροις ἴσον· ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ πῦρ εἰσιν οἱ τοῦ παντὸς ἀρχὴν ἀποφαινόμενοι, καὶ οἷον σπέρμα τοῦτʼ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τε πάντα ποιεῖν καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸ ἐκλαμβάνειν κατὰ τὴν ἐκπύρωσιν.
But the testimony of witnesses is equal for both sides; since there are also those who declare fire to be the principle of the universe, and that, like a seed, it both produces all things from itself and takes them back into itself during the conflagration (ekpyrosis).
ἀφέμενοι δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, σκεψώμεθα τοὺς εἰς ἑκάτερον λόγους πῇ μᾶλλον ἄγουσιν ἡμᾶς.
Leaving these men aside, let us examine the arguments for each, to see which way they lead us.
§2Ἆρ᾽ οὖν οὐ χρησιμώτερον ἐκεῖνο, οὗ πὰντοτε καὶ διηνεκῶς δεόμεθα καὶ πλείστου, καθάπερ ἐργαλεῖον καὶ ὄργανον, καὶ νὴ Δία φίλος ὁ πάσης ὥρας καὶ παντὸς καιροῦ παρὼν ἕτοιμος;
Is not that thing more useful, of which we stand in need always, continuously, and most of all, like a tool or an instrument, and, by Zeus, like a friend who is present and ready at every hour and season?
καὶ μὴν τὸ μὲν πῦρ οὐ πάντοτε χρήσιμον, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ βαρυνόμεθα καὶ ἀποσπώμεθα· τοῦ δʼ ὕδατος χρεία καὶ χειμῶνος καὶ θέρους καὶ νοσοῦσι καὶ ὑγιαίνουσι, νυκτὸς καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅτε ἄνθρωπος οὐ δεῖται·
And indeed, fire is not useful always, and there are times when we are burdened by it and turn away from it; but of water there is need both in winter and summer, for the sick and the healthy, by night and by day, and there is no time when a human being does not need it.
ἀμέλει τοὺς ἀποθανόντας
ἀλίβαντας
καλοῦσιν ὡς ἐνδεεῖς λιβάδος τουτέστιν ὑγρότητος, καὶ παρὰ τοῦτο τοὺς στερουμένους τοῦ ζῆν.
Indeed, they call the dead "alibantes" as being deprived of moisture (libas), that is, wetness, and for this reason, as those deprived of life.
καὶ ἄνευ μὲν πυρὸς ἦν πολλά, ὕδατος δʼ οὐδέποτʼ ἄνθρωπος.
And without fire there were many things, but without water a human being could never be.
ἔτι δὲ τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καὶ ἅμα τῇ πρώτῃ καταβολῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων χρησιμώτερον τοῦ ὕστερον εὑρεθέντος· δῆλον γὰρ ὡς τὸ μὲν ὅντως ἀναγκαῖον ἡ φύσις ἔδωκε· τὸ δὲ περιουσίᾳ τῆς χρήσεως τέχνη καὶ μηχανή τις εὗρεν.
Furthermore, that which exists from the beginning and together with the first foundation of human beings is more useful than that which was discovered later; for it is clear that nature gave that which is truly necessary, while art and some device found the other for the abundance of utility.
ὕδωρ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅτʼ οὐκ ἦν ἀνθρώποις οὐδέ τις εὑρετὴς λέγεται θεῶν ἢ ἡρώων σχεδὸν γὰρ γενομένων εὐθὺς ὑπῆρχε καὶ τὸ γεγενῆσθαι παρεῖχεν.
Thus, one cannot say of water that there was a time when it was not there for human beings, nor is any discoverer among gods or heroes mentioned; for it existed immediately, so to speak, as soon as they came into being, and it provided them with the ability to exist.
ἡ δὲ πυρὸς χρῆσις ἐχθές φασι καὶ πρῴην ὑπὸ Προμηθέως·
But the use of fire, they say, was introduced "yesterday and recently" by Prometheus...
· ʼ βίος πυρός, οὐκ ἄνευ δʼ ὕδατος ἦν.
life was of fire, but it was not without water.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πλάσμα τοῦτο μὴ εἶναι ποιητικὸν ἀποδείκνυσιν ὁ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βίος· ἔστι γὰρ ἀνθρώπων γένη τινὰ χωρὶς πυρὸς ποιούμενα τὴν δίαιταν, ἄοικα καὶ ἀνέστια καὶ ὑπαίθρια· καὶ Διογένης δʼ ὁ κύων ἣκιστα προσεχρῆτο πυρί, ὥστε καὶ πολύποδα καταπιὼν ὠμόν
οὕτως ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν
εἶπεν
ὦ ἄνδρες, παραβάλλομαι. χωρὶς δʼ ὕδατος οὔτε καλόν τις ἐνόμισε ζῆν οὔτε δυνατόν.
And our own life demonstrates that this fiction is not creative; for there are certain races of human beings who make their living without fire, homeless, hearthless, and under the open sky; and Diogenes the Dog made very little use of fire, so that when he even swallowed an octopus raw, he said in this way: "O men, I risk my life for you." But without water, no one has ever thought it possible to live well, nor indeed to live at all.
§3καὶ τί μικρολογοῦμαι τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπερχόμενος φύσιν;
And why do I speak of small details, going over the nature of human beings?
πολλῶν γὰρ ὄντων, μᾶλλον δʼ ἀπείρων γενῶν, τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σχεδὸν μόνον οἶδε πυρὸς χρῆσιν, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἀπύροις χρῆται διαίταις καὶ τροφαῖς, καὶ βίος αὐτοῖς· νεμομένοις, ἱπταμένοις, ἕρπουσιν, ἀπὸ ῥιζῶν καὶ καρπῶν καὶ σαρκῶν ἄνευ πυρός·
For while there are many, or rather infinite kinds of animals, only that of human beings, practically, knows the use of fire, while the rest employ fireless modes of life and food, and life is theirs—whether grazing, flying, or crawling—from roots and fruits and flesh without fire; but without water, nothing in the sea, nor on land, nor in the air can live.
ὕδατος δὲ χωρὶς οὐκ ἔναλον οὐδὲ χερσαῖον οὐκ αἰθέριον καὶ γὰρ τὰ σαρκο βόρα τῶν ζῴων, ὧν ἔνιά φησι μὴ πίνειν Ἀριστοτέλης, τῷ γʼ ἐντὸς ὑγρῷ χρώμενα διαζῇ.
For even the carnivorous animals, some of which Aristotle says do not drink, survive by using the moisture within them.
τοῦτʼ οὖν χρησιμώτερον, οὗ μηδεμία ζωῆς φύσις ἄνευ ἵσταται καὶ διαμένει.
Therefore, that is more useful, without which no nature of life can stand and endure.
§4μετίωμεν ἀπὸ τῶν χρωμένων ἐπὶ ταῦθʼ οἷς χρώμεθα, φυτὰ καὶ καρπούς.
Let us pass from those who use to those things which are used: plants and fruits.
τούτων ἃ μὲν οὐδʼ ὅλως θερμοῦ μετείληφεν, ἃ δʼ ἣκιστα καὶ ἀδήλως· ἡ δʼ ὑγρὰ φύσις βλαστάνοντα πάντα παρέχεται, αὐξανόμενα καὶ καρποφοροῦντα καὶ τί δεῖ καταριθμεῖσθαι με καὶ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάνθʼ ὅσα τρυγῶμεν καὶ ἀμέλγομεν καὶ βλίττομεν ἐν φανερῷ κείμενα, ὅπου γε καὶ ὁ πυρός, δοκῶν εἶναι τῆς ξηρᾶς τροφῆς, μεταβολῇ καὶ σήψει καὶ διαχύσει τοῦ ὑγροῦ γίγνεται;
Of these, some have no share at all in warmth, and others have it only very little and imperceptibly; but the wet nature provides all things sprouting, growing, and bearing fruit. And why must I enumerate both wine and oil and all the other things we gather, milk, and harvest from hives, which lie open to view, seeing that even wheat, which seems to belong to dry food, is produced by the change, fermentation, and diffusion of moisture?
§5καὶ μὴν καὶ χρησιμώτερον ὃ μηδέποτε βλάπτει.
And furthermore, that which never harms is more useful.
πῦρ μὲν οὖν ῥέον ὀλεθριώτατον, ἡ δʼ ὕδατος φύσις οὐδέποτε βλαβερά.
Now fire flowing is most destructive, but the nature of water is never harmful.
καὶ μὴν δυεῖν ὠφελιμώτερον τὸ εὐτελέστερον καὶ χωρίς τινος παρασκευῆς τὴν ἐξ αὑτοῦ παρέχον ὠφέλειαν ἡ μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς χορηγίας δεῖται καὶ ὕλης· διὰ τοῦτο μετέχουσιν αὐτοῦ πλέον πλούσιοι πενήτων, βασιλεῖς ἰδιωτῶν τὸ δʼ ὕδωρ καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔχει φιλάνθρωπον, τὴν ἰσότητα, τὸ ὅμοιον· οὐ δεῖται γὰρ ὀργάνων οὐδʼ ἐργαλείων, ἀπροσδεές, αὐτοτελὲς ἀγαθόν.
And indeed, of two things, that is more beneficial which is cheaper and provides its benefit from itself without any preparation; for that which comes from fire requires provisions and fuel; for this reason, the rich partake of it more than the poor, and kings more than private citizens; but water has also this humane quality, equality, and impartiality; for it needs neither instruments nor tools, being a self-sufficient, perfect-in-itself good.