§1ὅτι μὲν οὐδὲν γλύκιον ἧς πατρίδος, φθάνει προτεθρυλημένον.
That nothing is sweeter than one's own homeland is already a commonplace.
ἆρʼ οὖν ἥδιον μὲν οὐδέν, σεμνότερον δέ τι καὶ θειότερον ἄλλο;
Is there then nothing sweeter, but something else more venerable and divine?
καὶ μὴν ὅσα σεμνὰ καὶ θεῖα νομίζουσιν ἄνθρωποι, τούτων πατρὶς αἰτία καὶ διδάσκαλος, γεννησαμένη καὶ ἀναθρεψαμένη καὶ παιδευσαμένη.
Indeed, of all things that men consider venerable and divine, the homeland is the cause and teacher, having given them birth, nourished them, and educated them.
πόλεων μὲν οὖν μεγέθη καὶ λαμπρότητας καὶ πολυτελείας κατασκευῶν θαυμάζουσι πολλοί, πατρίδας δὲ στέργουσι πάντες· καὶ τοσοῦτον οὐδεὶς ἐξηπατήθη τῶν καὶ πάνυ κεκρατημένων ὑπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν θέαν ἡδονῆς, ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς τῶν παρʼ ἄλλοις θαυμάτων λήθην ποιήσασθαι τῆς πατρίδος.
Now, many admire the sizes and splendors of cities and the magnificence of their edifices, but everyone loves their own homeland; and no one has been so deceived, even of those entirely overcome by the pleasure of sightseeing, as to forget their homeland because of the excess of wonders among other peoples.
§2ὅστις μὲν οὖν σεμνύνεται πολίτης ὢν εὐδαίμονος πόλεως, ἀγνοεῖν μοι δοκεῖ τίνα χρὴ τιμὴν ἀπονέμειν τῇ πατρίδι, καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος δῆλός ἐστιν ἀχθόμενος ἄν, εἰ μετριωτέρας ἔλαχε τῆς πατρίδος· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἥδιον αὐτὸ τιμᾶν τὸ τῆς πατρίδος ὄνομα.
Therefore, whoever prides himself on being a citizen of a prosperous city seems to me not to know what kind of honor one ought to render to the homeland, and such a person is clear that he would be vexed if he had been allotted a more modest homeland; but to me, it is sweeter to honor the very name of the homeland itself.
πόλεις μὲν γὰρ παραβαλεῖν πειρωμένῳ προσήκει μέγεθος ἐξετάζειν καὶ κάλλος καὶ τὴν τῶν ὠνίων ἀφθονίαν· ὅπου δʼ αἵρεσίς ἐστι πόλεων, οὐδεὶς ἂν ἕλοιτο τὴν λαμπροτέραν ἐάσας τὴν πατρίδα, ἀλλʼ εὔξαιτο μὲν ἂν εἶναι καὶ τὴν πατρίδα ταῖς εὐδαίμοσι παραπλησίαν, ἕλοιτο δʼ ἂν τὴν ὁποιανοῦν.
For, while it is proper for one attempting to compare cities to examine their size, beauty, and the abundance of merchandise, where there is a choice of cities, no one would choose the more splendid one while abandoning his homeland, but he would pray that his homeland also be similar to the prosperous ones, yet would choose it, of whatever sort it might be.
§3τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι τῶν παίδων πράττουσιν καὶ οἱ χρηστοὶ τῶν πατέρων· οὔτε γὰρ νέος καλὸς κἀγαθὸς ἄλλον ἂν προτιμήσαι τοῦ πατρὸς οὔτε πατὴρ καταμελήσας τοῦ παιδὸς ἕτερον ἂν στέρξαι νέον, ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτόν γε οἱ πατέρες νικώμενοι προσνέμουσι τοῖς παισίν, ὥστε καὶ κάλλιστοι καὶ μέγιστοι καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἄριστα κεκοσμημένοι οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῖς εἶναι δοκοῦσιν.
This very same thing is done both by the upright among children and by the good among fathers; for neither would a noble and good youth prefer another to his father, nor would a father, neglecting his child, love another youth, but fathers, being so overcome, attribute so much to their children that their children seem to them to be the most beautiful, the tallest, and the most excellently adorned in all things.
ὅστις δὲ μὴ τοιοῦτός ἐστι δικαστὴς πρὸς τὸν υἱόν, οὐ δοκεῖ μοι πατρὸς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχειν.
And whoever is not such a judge toward his son does not seem to me to have the eyes of a father.
§4πατρίδος τοίνυν τὸ ὄνομα πρῶτον οἰκειότατον πάντων· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅ τι τοῦ πατρὸς οἰκειότερον.
Therefore, the name of the homeland is first of all the most intimate of all; for there is nothing more intimate than a father.
εἰ δέ τις ἀπονέμει τῷ πατρὶ τὴν δικαίαν τιμήν, ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ νόμος καὶ ἡ φύσις κελεύει, προσηκόντως ἂν τὴν πατρίδα προτιμήσαι· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτὸς τῆς πατρίδος κτῆμα καὶ ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς πατὴρ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τούτων οἰκεῖοι πάντες ἀνωτέρω, καὶ μέχρι θεῶν πατρῴων πρόεισιν ἀναβιβαζόμενον τὸ ὄνομα.
And if anyone renders to his father the just honor, as both law and nature command, he would fittingly prefer his homeland; for even the father himself is a possession of the homeland, as is the father’s father and all the relatives before them further back, and the name goes on ascending even unto the ancestral gods.
§5χαίρουσι καὶ θεοὶ πατρίσι καὶ πάντα μέν, ὡς εἰκός, ἐφορῶσι τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, αὑτῶν ἡγούμενοι κτήματα πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν, ἐφʼ ἧς δὲ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ἐγένετο, προτιμᾷ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπασῶν πόλεων.
Gods also delight in their homelands, and although they look down upon all human affairs as is natural, considering the whole earth and sea as their own possessions, yet each of them prefers above all other cities the one in which he was born.
καὶ πόλεις σεμνότεραι θεῶν πατρίδες καὶ νῆσοι θειότεραι παρʼ αἷς ὑμνεῖται γένεσις θεῶν.
And those cities are more venerable which are the homelands of gods, and those islands more divine where the birth of gods is celebrated.
ἱερὰ γοῦν κεχαρισμένα ταῦτα νομίζεται τοῖς θεοῖς, ἐπειδὰν εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους ἕκαστος ἀφικόμενος ἱερουργῇ τόπους.
At any rate, these are considered pleasing sacrifices to the gods, whenever each of them arrives at his own place and performs sacred rites.
εἰ δὲ θεοῖς τίμιον τὸ τῆς πατρίδος ὄνομα, πῶς οὐκ ἀνθρώποις γε πολὺ μᾶλλον;
But if the name of the homeland is precious to gods, how much more so indeed to men?
§6καὶ γὰρ εἶδε τὸν ἥλιον πρῶτον ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τῆς πατρίδος, ὡς καὶ τοῦτον τὸν θεόν, εἰ καὶ κοινός ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ οὖν ἑκάστῳ νομίζεσθαι πατρῷον διὰ τὴν πρώτην ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου θέαν· καὶ φωνῆς ἐνταῦθα ἤρξατο τὰ ἐπιχώρια πρῶτα λαλεῖν μανθάνων καὶ θεοὺς ἐγνώρισεν.
For indeed, each person first saw the sun from his homeland, so that this god, even if he is common to all, is nevertheless considered ancestral by each because of the first sight from that place; and there he began his voice, first learning to speak the local tongue, and came to know the gods.
εἰ δέ τις τοιαύτης ἔλαχε πατρίδος, ὡς ἑτέρας δεηθῆναι πρὸς τὴν τῶν μειζόνων παιδείαν, ἀλλʼ οὖν ἐχέτω καὶ τούτων τῶν παιδευμάτων τῇ πατρίδι τὴν χάριν· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐγνώρισεν οὐδὲ πόλεως ὄνομα μὴ διὰ τὴν πατρίδα πόλιν εἶναι μαθών.
And if anyone was allotted such a homeland as to need another for the education of greater things, yet nevertheless let him hold gratitude to his homeland also for these teachings; for he would not have known even the name of a city had he not learned, through his homeland, that a city exists.