§8τὰς μὲν οὖν ἐλπίδας ἔχων τοιαύτας ἐγχειρῶ τῷ λόγῳ· ἡγοῦμαι δὲ πάντας ἂν ὁμολογῆσαί μοι τοῖς τηλικούτοις μάλιστα κατεπείγειν κάλλος μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς ὄψεως, σωφροσύνην δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀνδρείαν δʼ ἐπʼ ἀμφοτέρων τούτων, χάριν δʼ ἐπὶ τῶν λόγων διατελεῖν ἔχοντας.
With such hopes, then, I undertake the speech; and I think everyone would agree with me that for those of such an age it is most urgent to continue possessing beauty of appearance, temperance of soul, courage in both of these, and grace of speech.
ὧν τὰ μὲν τῆς φύσεως οὕτω καλῶς ἡ τύχη σοι παραδέδωκεν ὥστε περίβλεπτον καὶ θαυμαζόμενον διατελεῖν, τὰ δʼ αὐτὸς παρὰ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν εἰς τοῦτο προαγαγὼν ἥκεις ὥστε μηδένʼ ἄν σοι τῶν εὖ φρονούντων ἐπιτιμῆσαι.
Of these, fortune has so beautifully handed over to you those of nature that you continue to be envied and admired; and the others you yourself, through your diligence, have advanced to such a point that no one of sound mind could find fault with you.
§9καίτοι τί χρὴ τὸν τῶν μεγίστων ἐπαίνων ἄξιον;
And yet, what should he be who is worthy of the greatest praise?
οὐχ ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν θεῶν ἠγαπημένον φαίνεσθαι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ μὲν διʼ αὑτόν, τὰ δὲ διὰ τὴν τύχην θαυμάζεσθαι;
Is it not to appear beloved by the gods, and among men to be admired partly on his own account, and partly on account of fortune?
καθʼ ὅλου μὲν τοίνυν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων σοι πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἴσως ὕστερον ἁρμόσει τὰ πλείω διελθεῖν· ἃ δʼ ἑκάστου τούτων ἐγκώμιʼ εἰπεῖν ἔχω, ταῦτα δηλῶσαι πειράσομαι μετʼ ἀληθείας.
Generally speaking, then, it will perhaps be fitting later to detail the greater part of the qualities you possess for virtue; but what praise I am able to speak of each of these, I shall try to make clear with truth.
§10ἄρξομαι δὲ πρῶτον ἐπαινεῖν, ὅπερ πρῶτον ἰδοῦσιν ἅπασιν ἔστιν γνῶναί σου, τὸ κάλλος, καὶ τούτου τὸ χρῶμα, διʼ οὗ καὶ τὰ μέλη καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα φαίνεται.
I shall begin first by praising that which is first for all who see you to know, your beauty, and the complexion of this, through which both your limbs and your whole body appear.
ᾧ τίνʼ ἁρμόττουσαν εἰκόνʼ ἐνέγκω σκοπῶν οὐχ ὁρῶ, ἀλλὰ παρίσταταί μοι δεῖσθαι τῶν ἀναγνόντων τόνδε τὸν λόγον σὲ θεωρῆσαι καὶ ἰδεῖν, ἵνα συγγνώμης τύχω μηδὲν ὅμοιον ἔχων εἰπεῖν.
In looking for what fitting image to bring for this, I do not see one; but it occurs to me to ask those who read this speech to contemplate and see you, so that I may obtain pardon for having nothing comparable to say.
§11τῷ γὰρ ἂν εἰκάσειέ τις, ὃ θνητὸν ὂν ἀθάνατον τοῖς ἰδοῦσιν ἐνεργάζεται πόθον, καὶ ὁρώμενον οὐκ ἀποπληροῖ, καὶ μεταστὰν μνημονεύεται, καὶ τὴν τῶν θεῶν ἀξίαν ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπου φύσιν ἔχει, πρὸς μὲν τὴν εὐπρέπειαν ἀνθηρόν, πρὸς δὲ τὰς αἰτίας ἀνυπονόητον;
For to what would anyone liken that which, being mortal, instills an immortal desire in those who see it, and when seen does not satisfy, and when gone is remembered, and has a dignity worthy of the gods in a human nature, being radiant in comeliness, yet unsuspected in matters of blame?
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ ταῦτʼ ἔστιν αἰτιάσασθαι τὴν σὴν ὄψιν, ἃ πολλοῖς ἄλλοις ἤδη συνέπεσεν τῶν κάλλους μετασχόντων.
Indeed, it is not even possible to blame your appearance for those things which have already happened to many others who share in beauty.
§12ἢ γὰρ διʼ ἀρρυθμίαν τοῦ σχήματος ἅπασαν συνετάραξαν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν εὐπρέπειαν, ἢ διʼ ἀτύχημά τι καὶ τὰ καλῶς πεφυκότα συνδιέβαλον αὐτῷ.
For they either, through a complete lack of proportion in their form, disturb their existing comeliness, or through some misfortune bring discredit to what is naturally beautiful along with it.
ὧν οὐδενὶ τὴν σὴν ὄψιν εὕροιμεν ἂν ἔνοχον γεγενημένην· οὕτω γὰρ σφόδρʼ ἐφυλάξατο πάσας τὰς τοιαύτας κῆρας ὅστις ποτʼ ἦν θεῶν ὁ τῆς σῆς ὄψεως προνοηθείς, ὥστε μηδὲν μέμψεως ἄξιον, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα περίβλεπτά σου καταστῆσαι.
We would find your appearance guilty of none of these; for whichever of the gods it was who took thought for your appearance, he guarded so strongly against all such blights that he made nothing worthy of blame, and made most of your features admirable.
§13καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπιφανεστάτου μὲν ὄντος τοῦ προσώπου, τούτου δʼ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὀμμάτων, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐν τούτοις ἐπεδείξατο τὴν εὔνοιαν ἣν εἶχεν εἰς σὲ τὸ δαιμόνιον.
And indeed, while the face is the most conspicuous of the things seen, and of the face itself the eyes, the divinity showed still more in these the goodwill he had toward you.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον πρὸς τὸ τὰ κατεπείγονθʼ ὁρᾶν αὐτάρκη παρέσχηται, ἀλλʼ ἐνίων οὐδʼ ἐκ τῶν πραττομένων γιγνωσκομένης τῆς ἀρετῆς, σοῦ διὰ τῶν τῆς ὄψεως σημείων τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν ἠθῶν ἐνεφάνισεν, πρᾶον μὲν καὶ φιλάνθρωπον τοῖς ὁρῶσιν, μεγαλοπρεπῆ δὲ καὶ σεμνὸν τοῖς ὁμιλοῦσιν, ἀνδρεῖον δὲ καὶ σώφρονα πᾶσιν ἐπιδείξας.
For he has not only provided them to be sufficient for seeing what is urgent, but while the virtue of some is not known even from their actions, he has made manifest the most beautiful of characters in you through the signs of your appearance, showing you mild and philanthropic to those who see you, magnificent and august to those who associate with you, and brave and temperate to all.
§14ὃ καὶ μάλιστʼ ἄν τις θαυμάσειεν· τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς πραότητος ταπεινῶν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς σεμνότητος αὐθαδῶν ὑπολαμβανομένων, καὶ διὰ μὲν τὴν ἀνδρείαν θρασυτέρων, διὰ δὲ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀβελτέρων εἶναι δοκούντων, τοσαύτας ὑπεναντιώσεις πρὸς ἄλληλα λαβοῦσʼ ἡ τύχη πρὸς τὸ δέον ἅπανθʼ ὁμολογούμενʼ ἀπέδωκεν, ὥσπερ εὐχὴν ἐπιτελοῦσʼ ἢ παράδειγμα τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑποδεῖξαι βουληθεῖσα, ἀλλʼ οὐ θνητήν, ὡς εἴθιστο, φύσιν συνιστᾶσα.
This indeed is what one might marvel at most; for while others are assumed to be humble in their mildness, and self-willed in their augustness, and seem to be bolder through their courage, and simpler through their quietness, fortune, receiving so many oppositions to one another, gave them back all in harmony with what is fitting, as if fulfilling a prayer or wishing to point out an example to others, but not, as was customary, putting together a mortal nature.
§15εἰ μὲν οὖν οἷόν τʼ ἦν ἐφικέσθαι τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ κάλλους τοῦ σοῦ, ἢ τοῦτʼ ἦν μόνον τῶν σῶν ἀξιέπαινον, οὐδὲν ἂν παραλιπεῖν ᾠόμεθα δεῖν ἐπαινοῦντες τῶν προσόντων· νῦν δὲ δέδοικα μὴ πρός τε τὰ λοίπʼ ἀπειρηκόσι χρησώμεθα τοῖς ἀκροαταῖς, καὶ περὶ τούτου μάτην τερθρευώμεθα.
If, then, it were possible to reach your beauty by speech, or if this were the only praiseworthy thing among your qualities, we should have thought it necessary to leave out nothing of what belongs to you in our praise; but now I fear lest we find our hearers exhausted for the rest, and waste our time playing with words in vain about this.