§2ΓΡΥΛΛΟΣ. χαῖρε, Ὀδυσσεῦ.
Gryllus: Hail, Odysseus.
ΟΔ. καὶ σὺ νὴ Δία, Γρύλλε.
Od.: And you too, by Zeus, Gryllus.
ΓΡ. Τί βούλει ἐρωτᾶν;
Gry.: What do you want to ask?
ΟΔ. ἐγὼ γινώσκων ὑμᾶς ἀνθρώπους γεγονότας οἰκτείρω μὲν ἅπαντας οὕτως ἔχοντας, εἰκὸς δέ μοι μᾶλλον διαφέρειν ὅσοι Ἕλληνες ὄντες εἰς ταύτην ἀφῖχθε τὴν δυστυχίαν νῦν οὖν ἐποιησάμην τῆς Κίρκης δέησιν, ὅπως τὸν βουλόμενον ὑμῶν ἀναλύσασα καὶ καταστήσασα πάλιν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον εἶδος ἀποπέμψῃ μεθʼ ἡμῶν.
Od.: Since I know that you were once human, I pity all of you who are in this state, but it is natural for me to care more about those who, being Greeks, have arrived at this misfortune. So now I have made a request to Circe, so that, releasing whoever of you wishes and restoring them again to their ancient form, she might send them back with us.
ΓΡ. Παῦε, Ὀδυσσεῦ, καὶ περαιτέρω μηδὲν εἴπῃς ὡς καὶ σοῦ πάντες ἡμεῖς καταφρονοῦμεν, ὡς μάτην ἄρα δεινὸς ἐλέγου καὶ τῷ φρονεῖν πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων ἐδόκεις διαφέρειν, ὃς αὐτὸ τοῦτʼ ἔδεισας, τὴν μεταβολὴν ἐκ χειρόνων εἰς ἀμείνω, μὴ σκεψάμενος·
Gry.: Stop, Odysseus, and say nothing further, since we all despise you as well. For it seems that you were called clever in vain, and seemed to far excel other men in prudence, you who feared this very thing—the change from worse to better—without having examined it.
ὡς γὰρ οἱ παῖδες τὰ φάρμακα τῶν ἰατρῶν φοβοῦνται, καὶ τὰ παθήματα φεύγουσιν, ἃ μεταβάλλοντα ἐκ νοσερῶν καὶ ἀνοήτων ὑγιεινοτέρους καὶ φρονιμωτέρους ποιοῦσιν αὐτούς, οὕτω σὺ διεκρούσω τὸ ἄλλος ἐξ ἄλλου γενέσθαι, καὶ νῦν αὐτός τε φρίττων καὶ ὑποδειμαίνων τῇ Κίρκῃ σύνει, μή σε ποιήσῃ λαθοῦσα σῦν ἢ λύκον, ἡμᾶς τε πείθεις, ἐν ἀφθόνοις ζῶντας ἀγαθοῖς, ἀπολιπόντας ἅμα τούτοις τὴν ταῦτα παρασκευάζουσαν ἐκπλεῖν μετὰ σοῦ, τὸ πάντων φιλοποτμότατον ξῷον αὖθις ἀνθρώπους γενομένους.
For just as children fear the medicines of doctors, and flee the painful treatments which, by changing them from diseased and senseless states, make them healthier and wiser, so you avoided changing from one thing to another. And now you yourself, shuddering and fearing, live with Circe, lest she change you without your knowing into a pig or a wolf; and you try to persuade us, who live in abundant goods, to abandon these along with her who provides them, and sail away with you, becoming once more human beings, the most misfortune-loving animal of all.
ΟΔ. ἐμοὶ σύ, Γρύλλε, δοκεῖς οὐ τὴν μορφὴν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ὑπὸ τοῦ πώματος ἐκείνου διεφθάρθαι καὶ γεγονέναι μεστὸς ἀτόπων καὶ διαλελωβημένων παντάπασι δοξῶν·
Od.: To me, Gryllus, you seem to have been corrupted by that drink not only in your form but also in your mind, and to have become full of strange and completely ruined opinions.
ἢ σέ τις αὖ συνηθείας ἡδονὴ πρὸς τόδε τὸ σῶμα καταγεγοήτευκεν;
Or has some pleasure of familiarity enchanted you to this body?
ΓΡ. Οὐδέτερα τούτων, ὦ βασιλεῦ Κεφαλλήνων·
Gry.: Neither of these, king of the Cephallenians.
ἂν δὲ διαλέγεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐθέλῃς ἢ λοιδορεῖσθαι, ταχύ σε μεταπείσομεν, ἑκατέρου τῶν βίων ἐμπείρως ἔχοντες, ὅ τι ταῦτα πρὸ ἐκείνων εἰκότως ἀγαπῶμεν πῶμεν.
But if you wish to converse rather than to abuse, we shall quickly change your mind, since we have experience of both lives, as to why we naturally love these things in preference to those.
ΟΔ. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἐγὼ πρόθυμος ἀκροᾶσθαι.
Od.: Indeed, I am eager to listen.
§3ΓΡ. Καὶ ἡμεῖς τοίνυν λέγειν.
Gry.: And we, then, to speak.
ἀρκτέον δὲ πρῶτον ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἐφʼ αἷς ὁρῶμεν ὑμᾶς μέγα φρονοῦντας, ὡς τῶν θηρίων πολὺ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ φρονήσει καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀρεταῖς διαφέροντας.
We must start first with the virtues, in which we see you taking great pride, as if you far excelled the beasts in justice, prudence, courage, and the other virtues.
ἀπόκριναι δή μοι, σοφώτατʼ ἀνδρῶν ἤκουσα γάρ σού ποτε διηγουμένου τῇ Κίρκῃ περὶ τῆς τῶν Κυκλώπων γῆς, ὡς οὔτʼ ἀρουμένη τὸ παράπαν, οὔτε τινὸς εἰς αὐτὴν φυτεύοντος οὐδὲν, οὕτως ἐστὶν ἀγαθὴ καὶ γενναία τὴν φύσιν, ὥσθʼ ἅπαντας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς καρποὺς ἀπʼ αὐτῆς·
Answer me, then, wisest of men—for I once heard you telling Circe about the land of the Cyclopes, how, though it is not plowed at all, nor does anyone plant anything in it, it is so good and noble in its nature that it brings forth all fruits from itself.
πότερον οὖν ταύτην ἐπαινεῖς μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν αἰγίβοτον Ἰθάκην καὶ τραχεῖαν, ἣ μόλις ἀπʼ ἔργων τε πολλῶν καὶ διὰ πόνων μεγάλων μικρὰ καὶ γλίσχρα καὶ μηδενὸς ἄξια τοῖς γεωργοῦσιν ἀναδίδωσι;
Do you then praise this land more, or Ithaca, goat-pasturing and rugged, which barely yields to those who till it small, meager, and worthless things, after much labor and through great toils?
καὶ ὅπως οὐ χαλεπῶς οἴσεις, παρὰ τὸ φαινόμενον εὐνοίᾳ τῆς πατρίδος ἀποκρινόμενος.
And take care not to bear it ill, answering out of goodwill for your country contrary to what is apparent.
ΟΔ. ἀλλʼ οὐ δεῖ ψεύδεσθαι φιλῶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἀσπάζομαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ πατρίδα καὶ χώραν μᾶλλον, ἐπαινῶ δὲ καὶ θαυμάζω τὴν ἐκείνων.
Od.: But one must not lie; for though I love and cherish my own country and land more, I praise and admire theirs.
ΓΡ. Οὐκοῦν τοῦτο μὲν οὕτως ἔχειν φήσομεν, ὡς ὁ φρονιμώτατος ἀνθρώπων ἄλλα μὲν οἴεται δεῖν ἐπαινεῖν καὶ δοκιμάζειν ἄλλα δʼ αἱρεῖσθαι καὶ ἀγαπᾶν, ἐκεῖνο δʼ οἶμαί σε καὶ περὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποκεκρίσθαι ταὐτὸν γάρ ἐστι τῷ περὶ τῆς χώρας, ὡς ἀμείνων ἣτις ἄνευ πόνου τὴν ἀρετὴν ὥσπερ αὐτοφυῆ καρπὸν ἀναδίδωσιν.
Gry.: Shall we not then say that this is so, that the most prudent of men thinks he ought to praise and approve some things, but choose and love others? And I think you have answered that very thing concerning the soul too; for it is the same as concerning the land, namely that the soul is better which, without toil, yields virtue like a self-grown fruit.
ΟΔ. ἔστω σοι καὶ τοῦθʼ οὕτως.
Od.: Let this also be so for you.
ΓΡ. Ἤδη οὖν ὁμολογεῖς τὴν τῶν θηρίων ψυχὴν εὐφυεστέραν εἶναι πρὸς γένεσιν ἀρετῆς καὶ τελειοτέραν·
Gry.: Now then, do you agree that the soul of beasts is naturally more gifted for the generation of virtue and more perfect?
ἀνεπίτακτος γὰρ καὶ ἀδίδακτος ὥσπερ ἄσπορος καὶ ἀνήροτος ἐκφέρει καὶ αὔξει κατὰ φύσιν τὴν ἑκάστῳ προσήκουσαν ἀρετήν.
For, uncommanded and untaught, just like unsown and unplowed land, it brings forth and increases according to nature the virtue that belongs to each.
ΟΔ. καὶ τίνος ποτʼ ἀρετῆς, ὦ Γρύλλε, μέτεστι τοῖς θηρίοις;
Od.: And what kind of virtue, Gryllus, is there in beasts?