§1Ἀπόλλων
ἀληθῆ ταῦτά φασιν, πάτερ, ὡς ἐμβάλοι τις φέρων αὑτὸν εἰς τὸ πῦρ κατέναντι Ὀλυμπίων, ἤδη πρεσβύτης ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἀγεννὴς θαυματοποιὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα;
Apollo: Is it true, father, what they say—that an old man, not an ignoble wonder-worker of such things, threw himself into the fire in front of the Olympians?
ἡ Σελήνη γὰρ ἡμῖν διηγεῖτο, αὐτὴ ἑωρακέναι καιόμενον λέγουσα.
For Selene was recounting it to us, saying she herself had seen him burning.
Ζεύς
καὶ πάνυ ἀληθῆ, ὦ Ἄπολλον·
Zeus: It is very true, Apollo.
ὡς μή ποτε γενέσθαι ὤφελεν.
Would that it had never happened!
Ἀπόλλων
οὕτω χρηστὸς ὁ γέρων ἦν καὶ ἀνάξιος ἐν πυρὶ ἀπολωλέναι;
Apollo: Was the old man so good and undeserving of perishing in fire?
Ζεύς
καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἴσως·
Zeus: Perhaps that is also true.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ πολλὴν τὴν ἀηδίαν μέμνημαι ἀνασχόμενος τότε ὑπὸ κνίσης πονηρᾶς, οἵαν εἰκὸς ἀποφέρεσθαι ὀπτωμένων ἀνθρωπείων σωμάτων.
But I remember enduring great disgust back then because of the terrible stench, such as is likely to be carried off from roasted human bodies.
εἰ γοῦν μὴ εἰς τὴν Ἀραβίαν ὡς εἶχον εὐθὺς ἀπιὼν ᾠχόμην, ἀπολώλειν ἄν, εὖ ἴσθι, ἀτοπίᾳ τοῦ καπνοῦ·
Indeed, if I had not departed immediately for Arabia, just as I was, know well that I would have perished from the absurdity of the smoke.
καὶ ὅμως ἐν τοσαύτῃ εὐωδίᾳ καὶ ἀφθονίᾳ τῶν ἀρωμάτων καὶ ἐν λιβανωτῷ παμπόλλῳ μόλις αἱ ῥῖνες ἐπιλαθέσθαι μοι καὶ ἀπομαθεῖν ἤθελον τὴν κηλῖδα ἐκείνην τῆς ὀσμῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ὀλίγου δέω ναυτιᾶν ὑπομνησθεὶς αὐτῆς.
And yet, even in such sweet fragrance and abundance of perfumes and immense frankincense, my nostrils were barely willing to forget and unlearn that stain of the odor; indeed, even now I am almost on the verge of feeling nauseous just by being reminded of it.
§2Ἀπόλλων
τί δὲ βουλόμενος, ὦ Ζεῦ, τοιαῦτα εἴργασται ἑαυτόν;
Apollo: But with what intent, Zeus, did he do such things to himself?
ἢ τί τὸ ἀγαθόν, ἀπανθρακωθῆναι ἐμπεσόντα εἰς τὴν πυράν;
Or what is the good of falling into the pyre and being reduced to ashes?
Ζεύς
τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἄν, ὦ παῖ, φθάνοις καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλεῖ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἐγκαλῶν, ὃς ἐς τοὺς κρατῆρας ἥλατο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν Σικελίᾳ.
Zeus: My son, in that case, you could not be too quick to accuse Empedocles before him, who also leapt into the craters in Sicily.
Ἀπόλλων
μελαγχολίαν τινὰ δεινὴν λέγεις.
Apollo: You speak of some terrible madness.
ἀτὰρ οὗτός γε τίνα ποτὲ ἄρα τὴν αἰτίαν ἔσχε τῆς ἐπιθυμίας;
But what in the world was his reason for this desire?
Ζεύς
αὐτοῦ σοι λόγον ἐρῶ ὃν ἔλεξε πρὸς τὴν πανήγυριν, ἀπολογούμενος πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς τελευτῆς.
Zeus: I will tell you his own speech, which he spoke to the assembly, defending himself regarding his death.
§3Ζεύς
ἔφη γάρ, εἴ γε μέμνημαι — ἀλλὰ τίς αὕτη σπουδῇ πρόσεισι τεταραγμένη καὶ δακρύουσα, πάνυ ἀδικουμένῃ ἐοικυῖα;
Zeus: For he said, if indeed I remember—but who is this coming forward in haste, troubled and weeping, looking like one who has been greatly wronged?
μᾶλλον δὲ Φιλοσοφία ἐστίν, καὶ τοὔνομά γε τοὐμὸν ἐπιβοᾶται σχετλιάζουσα.
Rather, it is Philosophy, and she is calling upon my name, lamenting.
τί, ὦ θύγατερ, δακρύεις;
Why, daughter, are you weeping?
ἢ τί ἀπολιποῦσα τὸν βίον ἐλήλυθας;
Or why have you left human life and come here?
ἆρα μὴ οἱ ἰδιῶται αὖθις ἐπιβεβουλεύκασί σοι ὡς τὸ πρόσθεν, ὅτε τὸν Σωκράτην ἀπέκτειναν ὑπὸ Ἀνύτου κατηγορηθέντα, εἶτα φεύγεις διὰ τοῦτο αὐτούς;
Surely the common people have not plotted against you again as before, when they killed Socrates, who was accused by Anytus, so that you are fleeing them because of this?
Φιλοσοφία
οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον, ὦ πάτερ, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνοι μέν, ὁ πολὺς λεώς, ἐπῄνουν καὶ διὰ τιμῆς ἦγον, αἰδούμενοι καὶ θαυμάζοντές με καὶ μονονουχὶ προσκυνοῦντες, εἰ καὶ μὴ σφόδρα ξυνίεσαν ὧν λέγοιμι.
Philosophy: Nothing of the sort, father.
οἱ δέ — πῶς ἂν εἴποιμι;
On the contrary, those people—the great mass—praised and held me in honor, respecting and admiring me, and almost worshiping me, even if they did not fully understand what I said.
— οἱ ξυνήθεις καὶ φίλοι φάσκοντες εἶναι καὶ τοὔνομα τοὐμὸν ὑποδυόμενοι, ἐκεῖνοί με τὰ δεινότατα εἰργάσαντο.
But those—how should I say it?—who claimed to be my companions and friends, and slipped under my name, they are the ones who have done the most terrible things to me.
§4Ζεύς
οἱ φιλόσοφοι ἐπιβουλήν τινα ἐπιβεβουλεύκασί σοι;
Zeus: Have the philosophers plotted some conspiracy against you?
Φιλοσοφία
οὐδαμῶς, ὦ πάτερ, οἵ γε ξυνηδίκηνταί μοι καὶ αὐτοί.
Philosophy: Not at all, father; they indeed have been wronged along with me.
Ζεύς
πρὸς τίνων οὖν ἠδίκησαι, εἰ μήτε τοὺς ἰδιώτας μήτε τοὺς φιλοσόφους αἰτιᾷ;
Zeus: By whom then have you been wronged, if you blame neither the common people nor the philosophers?
Φιλοσοφία
εἰσίν τινες, ὦ Ζεῦ, ἐν μεταιχμίῳ τῶν τε πολλῶν καὶ τῶν φιλοσοφούντων, τὸ μὲν σχῆμα καὶ βλέμμα καὶ βάδισμα ἡμῖν ὅμοιοι καὶ κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ ἐσταλμένοι·
Philosophy: There are some, Zeus, in the boundary between the multitude and those who practice philosophy, who are like us in appearance, look, and gait, and dressed in the same manner.
ἀξιοῦσι γοῦν ὑπʼ ἐμοὶ τάττεσθαι καὶ τοὔνομα τὸ ἡμέτερον ἐπιγράφονται, μαθηταὶ καὶ ὁμιληταὶ καὶ θιασῶται ἡμῶν εἶναι λέγοντες· ὁ βίος δὲ παμμίαρος αὐτῶν, ἀμαθίας καὶ θράσους καὶ ἀσελγείας ἀνάπλεως, ὕβρις οὐ μικρὰ καθʼ ἡμῶν.
Indeed, they claim to be marshaled under me and write our name upon themselves, saying that they are our disciples, companions, and members of our sect; but their life is utterly filthy, full of ignorance, boldness, and licentiousness, which is no small insult against us.
ὑπὸ τούτων, ὦ πάτερ, ἠδικημένη πέφευγα.
By these men, father, having been wronged, I have fled.
§5Ζεύς
δεινὰ ταῦτα, ὦ θύγατερ.
Zeus: This is terrible, daughter.
ἀλλὰ τί μάλιστα ἠδικήκασί σε;
But what have they done to wrong you most?
Φιλοσοφία
σκόπει, ὦ πάτερ, εἰ μικρά.
Philosophy: Consider, father, if it is a small thing.
σὺ γὰρ κατιδὼν τὸν βίον ἀδικίας καὶ παρανομίας μεστὸν ἅτε ἀμαθίᾳ καὶ ὕβρει ξυνόντα καὶ ταραττόμενον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, κατελεήσας τὸ ἀνθρώπειον ὑπὸ τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ ἐλαυνόμενον ἐμὲ κατέπεμψας, ἐντειλάμενος ἐπιμεληθῆναι ὡς παύσαιντο μὲν ἀδικοῦντες ἀλλήλους καὶ βιαζόμενοι καὶ ὅμοια τοῖς θηρίοις βιοῦντες, ἀναβλέψαντες δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἰρηνικώτερον ξυμπολιτεύοιντο.
For you, observing that life was full of injustice and lawlessness, as it was associated with ignorance and arrogance and thrown into confusion by them, took pity on the human race driven under ignorance, and sent me down, commanding me to take care that they might cease wronging one another and committing violence and living like wild beasts, and that, looking up to the truth, they might live together as citizens more peacefully.
ἔφης γοῦν πρός με καταπέμπων,
ἅ μὲν πράττουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ὡς διάκεινται ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμαθίας, ὦ θύγατερ, καὶ αὐτὴ ὁρᾷς·
Indeed, you said to me as you sent me down: "What things humans do and how they are disposed under their ignorance, daughter, you yourself see.
ἐγὼ δέ (ἐλεῶ γὰρ αὐτούς) σέ, ἣν μόνην ἰάσασθαι ἂν τὰ γιγνόμενα οἶμαι, προκρίνας ἐξ ἁπάντων ἡμῶν πέμπω ἰασομένην.
But I (for I pity them) send you, whom alone I think can cure what is happening, choosing you from among us all to cure them."