§1ἄρτι μὲν ἐπεπαύμην εἰς τὰ διδασκαλεῖα φοιτῶν ἤδη τὴν ἡλικίαν πρόσηβος ὤν, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ ἐσκοπεῖτο μετὰ τῶν φίλων ὅ τι καὶ διδάξαιτό με.
I had just ceased attending school, being already of puber age, while my father was considering with his friends what he should have me taught.
τοῖς πλείστοις οὖν ἔδοξεν παιδεία μὲν καὶ πόνου πολλοῦ καὶ χρόνου μακροῦ καὶ δαπάνης οὐ μικρᾶς καὶ τύχης δεῖσθαι λαμπρᾶς, τὰ δʼ ἡμέτερα μικρά τε εἶναι καὶ ταχεῖάν τινα τὴν ἐπικουρίαν ἀπαιτεῖν·
To most of them, then, it seemed that liberal education required much labor, a long time, no small expense, and brilliant fortune, whereas our means were small and demanded some speedy assistance.
εἰ δέ τινα τέχνην τῶν βαναύσων τούτων ἐκμάθοιμι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εὐθὺς ἂν αὐτὸς ἔχειν τὰ ἀρκοῦντα παρὰ τῆς τέχνης καὶ μηκέτʼ οἰκόσιτος εἶναι τηλικοῦτος ὤν, οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα εὐφρανεῖν ἀποφέρων ἀεὶ τὸ γιγνόμενον.
But if I should thoroughly learn some one of these common crafts, first of all I would immediately have sufficient support from my trade and no longer be a burden at home at my age, and before long I would also delight my father by always bringing home my earnings.
§2δευτέρας οὖν σκέψεως ἀρχὴ προὐτέθη, τίς ἀρίστη τῶν τεχνῶν καὶ ῥᾴστη ἐκμαθεῖν καὶ ἀνδρὶ ἐλευθέρῳ πρέπουσα καὶ πρόχειρον ἔχουσα τὴν χορηγίαν καὶ διαρκῆ τὸν πόρον.
Therefore, the subject of a second inquiry was proposed: which of the crafts was the best, the easiest to learn, befitting a free man, requiring readily available equipment, and providing a steady income.
ἄλλου τοίνυν ἄλλην ἐπαινοῦντος, ὡς ἕκαστος γνώμης ἢ ἐμπειρίας εἶχεν, ὁ πατὴρ εἰς τὸν θεῖον ἀπιδών, — παρῆν γὰρ ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς θεῖος, ἄριστος ἑρμογλύφος εἶναι δοκῶν —
οὐ θέμις,
εἶπεν,
ἄλλην τέχνην ἐπικρατεῖν σοῦ παρόντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἄγε —
δείξας ἐμέ —
δίδασκε παραλαβὼν λίθων ἐργάτην ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ συναρμοστὴν καὶ ἑρμογλυφέα· δύναται γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο, φύσεώς γε, ὡς οἶσθα, ἔχων δεξιῶς. ἐτεκμαίρετο δὲ ταῖς ἐκ τοῦ κηροῦ παιδιαῖς· ὁπότε γὰρ ἀφεθείην ὑπὸ τῶν διδασκάλων, ἀποξέων ἂν τὸν κηρὸν ἢ βόας ἢ ἵππους ἢ καὶ νὴ Δί’ ἀνθρώπους ἀνέπλαττον, εἰκότας, ὡς ἐδόκουν τῷ πατρί·
As one praised one and another another, according to each one's judgment or experience, my father, looking towards my uncle — for my maternal uncle was present, who was reputed to be an excellent sculptor — said, "It is not right that any other craft should prevail while you are present. Take this boy" — pointing to me — "and teach him, taking him as your apprentice, to be a good worker of stone, a joiner, and a sculptor; for he is capable of this too, being, as you know, naturally gifted in handiwork." He inferred this from the plays I made with wax; for whenever I was released by my teachers, I would scrape off the wax and model either oxen, or horses, or, by Zeus, even men, realistic ones, as they seemed to my father.
ἐφʼ οἷς παρὰ μὲν τῶν διδασκάλων πληγὰς ἐλάμβανον, τότε δὲ ἔπαινος εἰς τὴν εὐφυίαν καὶ ταῦτα ἦν, καὶ χρηστὰς εἶχον ἐπʼ ἐμοὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ μαθήσομαι τὴν τέχνην, ἀπʼ ἐκείνης γε τῆς πλαστικῆς.
For these things I used to receive beatings from my teachers, but at that time they were praised as signs of my natural talent, and they had good hopes for me that I would quickly learn the craft from that modeling of mine.
§3ἅμα τε οὖν ἐπιτήδειος ἐδόκει ἡμέρα τέχνης ἐνάρχεσθαι, κἀγὼ παρεδεδόμην τῷ θείῳ μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ σφόδρα τῷ πράγματι ἀχθόμενος, ἀλλά μοι καὶ παιδιάν τινα οὐκ ἀτερπῆ ἐδόκει ἔχειν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἡλικιώτας ἐπίδειξιν, εἰ φαινοίμην θεούς τε γλύφων καὶ ἀγαλμάτια μικρά τινα κατασκευάζων ἐμαυτῷ τε κἀκείνοις οἷς προῃρούμην.
At once, then, a suitable day for beginning the trade seemed to have come, and I was handed over to my uncle, by Zeus, not being very displeased with the matter; rather, it seemed to me to hold a kind of not unpleasant play and a chance for display before my companions, if I should appear carving gods and making some little images for myself and for those whom I preferred.
καὶ τό γε πρῶτον ἐκεῖνο καὶ σύνηθες τοῖς ἀρχομένοις ἐγίγνετο.
And indeed, that very first experience, common to beginners, took place.
ἐγκοπέα γάρ τινά μοι δοὺς ὁ θεῖος ἐκέλευσεν ἠρέμα καθικέσθαι πλακὸς ἐν μέσῳ κειμένης, ἐπειπὼν τὸ κοινὸν
ἀρχὴ δέ τοι ἥμισυ παντός. σκληρότερον δὲ κατενεγκόντος ὑπʼ ἀπειρίας κατεάγη μὲν ἡ πλάξ, ὁ δὲ ἀγανακτήσας σκυτάλην τινὰ πλησίον κειμένην λαβὼν οὐ πρᾴως οὐδὲ προτρεπτικῶς μου κατήρξατο, ὥστε δάκρυά μοι τὰ προοίμια τῆς τέχνης.
For my uncle, giving me a chisel, ordered me to strike gently upon a slab lying in the middle, adding the common saying, "Well begun is half done." But when I, from inexperience, struck too hard, the slab broke; and he, flying into a passion, took a stick that was lying nearby and began to beat me in no gentle or encouraging manner, so that tears were the prelude of my art.
§4ἀποδρὰς οὖν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἀφικνοῦμαι συνεχὲς ἀναλύζων καὶ δακρύων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπόπλεως, καὶ διηγοῦμαι τὴν σκυτάλην καὶ τοὺς μώλωπας ἐδείκνυον, καὶ κατηγόρουν πολλήν τινα ὠμότητα, προσθεὶς ὅτι ὑπὸ φθόνου ταῦτα ἔδρασε, μὴ αὐτὸν ὑπερβάλωμαι κατὰ τὴν τέχνην.
So, running away from there, I arrived at the house, sobbing continuously and with my eyes full of tears; and I related the story of the stick, showed the bruises, and accused him of great cruelty, adding that he did this out of jealousy, lest I should surpass him in the art.
ἀνακτησαμένης δὲ τῆς μητρὸς καὶ πολλὰ τῷ ἀδελφῷ λοιδορησαμένης, ἐπεὶ νὺξ ἐπῆλθεν κατέδαρθον ἔτι ἔνδακρυς καὶ τὴν σκυτάλην ἐννοῶν.
My mother comforted me and cursed her brother soundly; and when night came, I fell asleep, still in tears and thinking of the stick.
§5μέχρι μὲν δὴ τούτων γελάσιμα καὶ μειρακιώδη τὰ εἰρημένα· τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ οὐκέτι εὐκαταφρόνητα, ὦ ἄνδρες, ἀκούσεσθε, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ φιληκόων ἀκροατῶν δεόμενα·
Now up to this point my story has been laughable and boyish; but what you will hear after this, gentlemen, is no longer to be despised, but requires very attentive listeners.
ἵνα γὰρ καθʼ Ὅμηρον εἴπω,
"
θεῖός μοι ἐνύπνιον ἦλθεν ὄνειρος
ἀμβροσίην διὰ νύκτα,
"
ἐναργὴς οὕτως ὥστε μηδὲν ἀπολείπεσθαι τῆς ἀληθείας.
For, to speak in the words of Homer, "a divine dream came to me in my sleep through the ambrosial night," so vivid that it fell in no way short of reality.
ἔτι γοῦν καὶ μετὰ τοσοῦτον χρόνον τά τε σχήματά μοι τῶν φανέντων ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς παραμένει καὶ ἡ φωνὴ τῶν ἀκουσθέντων ἔναυλος· οὕτω σαφῆ πάντα ἦν.
At any rate, even after so much time, the shapes of those who appeared remain before my eyes, and the voice of what I heard still rings in my ears; so clear was everything.