§4Ἀλλὰ Τόξαρις Σκυθιστὶ προσειπὼν αὐτόν, Οὐ σύ, ἔφη, Ἀνάχαρσις ὢν τυγχάνεις ὁ Δαυκέτου; ἐδάκρυσεν ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις, ὅτι καὶ ὁμόφωνον εὑρήκει τινά, καὶ τοῦτον εἰδότα ὅστις ἦν ἐν Σκύθαις, καὶ ἤρετο, Σὺ δὲ πόθεν οἶσθα ἡμᾶς, ὦ ξένε; Καὶ αὐτός, ἔφη, ἐκεῖθέν εἰμι παρ' ὑμῶν, Τόξαρις τοὔνομα, οὐ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, ὥστε καὶ ἐγνῶσθαι ἄν σοι κατ' αὐτό. Μῶν, ἔφη, σὺ ὁ Τόξαρις εἶ περὶ οὗ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα ὥς τις Τόξαρις ἔρωτι τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀπολιπὼν καὶ γυναῖκα ἐν Σκυθίᾳ καὶ παιδία νεογνὰ οἴχοιτο ἐς Ἀθήνας καὶ νῦν διατρίβοι κεῖθι τιμώμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρίστων; Ἐγώ, ἔφη, ἐκεῖνός εἰμι, εἴ τις κἀμοῦ λόγος ἔτι παρ' ὑμῖν. Οὐκοῦν, ἦ δ’ ὃς ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις, μαθητήν σου ἴσθι με γεγενημένον καὶ ζηλωτὴν τοῦ ἔρωτος ὃν ἠράσθης, ἰδεῖν τὴν Ἑλλάδα, καὶ κατά γε τὴν ἐμπορίαν ταύτην ἀποδημήσας.
But Toxaris, addressing him in Scythian, said, "Do you not happen to be Anacharsis, the son of Daucetes?" Anacharsis wept with joy, because he had found someone of the same tongue, and one who knew who he was in Scythia, and he asked, "But how do you know us, stranger?" And he said, "I myself am from there, from your country, Toxaris by name, not of the illustrious, so as to have been known to you on that account." "Could it be," he said, "that you are that Toxaris of whom I heard, how a certain Toxaris, out of passion for Greece, leaving both wife and newborn children in Scythia, had gone to Athens and was now spending his time there, honored by the best?" "I am that man," he said, "if there is still any talk of me among you." "Therefore," said Anacharsis, "know that I have become your disciple and an imitator of the passion you conceived—to see Greece—having gone abroad for the sake of this very quest.
ἥκω σοι μυρία παθὼν ἐν τοῖς διὰ μέσου ἔθνεσιν, καὶ εἴ γε μὴ σοὶ ἐνέτυχον, ἔγνωστο ἤδη πρὶν ἥλιον δῦναι, ὀπίσω αὖθις ἐπὶ ναῦν κατιέναι· οὕτως ἐτεταράγμην ξένα καὶ ἄγνωστα πάντα ὁρῶν.
I come to you having suffered countless things among the nations in between, and if I had not met you, it was already determined, before the sun should set, to go back down to the ship; so much was I disturbed, seeing everything strange and unknown.
ἀλλὰ πρὸς Ἀκινάκου καὶ Ζαμόλξιδος, τῶν πατρῴων ἡμῖν θεῶν, σύ με, ὦ Τόξαρι, παραλαβὼν ξενάγησον καὶ δεῖξον τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν Ἀθήνησιν, εἶτα καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ἄλλῃ Ἑλλάδι, νόμων τε τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ ἀνδρῶν τοὺς βελτίστους καὶ ἤθη καὶ πανηγύρεις καὶ βίον αὐτῶν καὶ πολιτείαν, δι’ ἅπερ σύ τε κἀγὼ μετὰ σὲ τοσαύτην ὁδὸν ἥκομεν, καὶ μὴ περιίδῃς ἀθέατον αὐτῶν ἀναστρέψοντα. §5Τοῦτο μέν, ἔφη ὁ Τόξαρις, ἥκιστα ἐρωτικὸν εἴρηκας, ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας αὐτὰς ἐλθόντα οἴχεσθαι ἀπιόντα.
But by Acinaces and Zamolxis, our ancestral gods, do you, Toxaris, take me in charge and guide me, and show me the most beautiful things in Athens, and then those in the rest of Greece, and the best of laws, the best of men, and their customs, festivals, life, and government, for the sake of which both you and I after you have come so great a journey; and do not allow me to turn back without having beheld them." "Indeed," said Toxaris, "what you have said is least worthy of a lover—to go away and depart when you have come to the very doors.
πλὴν ἀλλὰ θάρρει.
But take courage.
οὐ γὰρ ἄν, ὡς φής, ἀπέλθοις οὐδ’ ἂν ἀφείη σε ῥᾳδίως ἡ πόλις· οὐχ οὕτως ὀλίγα τὰ θέλγητρα ἔχει πρὸς τοὺς ξένους, ἀλλὰ μάλα ἐπιλήψεταί σου, ὡς μήτε γυναικὸς ἔτι μήτε παίδων, εἴ σοι ἤδη εἰσί, μεμνῆσθαι.
For you would not depart, as you say, nor would the city easily let you go; it does not have so few charms for strangers, but will hold you fast, so that you will no longer remember either wife or children, if you already have any.
ὡς δ’ ἂν τάχιστα πᾶσαν ἴδοις τὴν πόλιν τὴν τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ὅλην καὶ τὰ Ἑλλήνων καλά, ἐγὼ ὑποθήσομαί σοι.
And how you may most quickly see the whole city of Athens, or rather the whole of Greece and the beautiful things of the Greeks, I will suggest to you.
ἔστι σοφὸς ἀνὴρ ἐνταῦθα, ἐπιχώριος μέν, ἀποδημήσας δὲ μάλα πολλὰ ἔς τε Ἀσίαν καὶ ἐς Αἴγυπτον καὶ τοῖς ἀρίστοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων συγγενόμενος, τὰ ἄλλα οὐ τῶν πλουσίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κομιδῇ πένης.
There is a wise man here, a native, but one who has traveled very much to Asia and Egypt and has associated with the best of men, in other respects not of the rich, but even thoroughly poor.
ὄψει γέροντα οὕτω δημοτικῶς ἐσταλμένον.
You will see an old man dressed so democratically.
πλὴν διά γε τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἀρετὴν πάνυ τιμῶσιν αὐτόν, ὥστε καὶ νομοθέτῃ χρῶνται πρὸς τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ ἀξιοῦσι κατὰ τὰ ἐκείνου προστάγματα βιοῦν.
Nevertheless, on account of his wisdom and other virtue, they honor him greatly, so that they even employ him as a lawgiver for their government and deem it right to live according to his ordinances.
εἰ τοῦτον φίλον κτήσαιο καὶ μάθοις οἷος ἀνήρ ἐστι, πᾶσαν νόμιζε τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχειν καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἤδη ἂν εἰδέναι τῶν τῇδε ἀγαθῶν· ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι ἂν μεῖζόν σοι καλὸν χαρίσασθαι δυναίμην ἢ συστήσας ἐκείνῳ. §6Μὴ τοίνυν μέλλωμεν, ἔφη, ὦ Τόξαρι, ὁ Ἀνάχαρσις, ἀλλά με λαβὼν ἄγε παρ' αὐτόν.
If you should acquire this man as a friend and learn what kind of man he is, believe that you have the whole of Greece in him, and already know the sum of the good things here; since there is nothing greater or more beautiful that I could bestow upon you than by introducing you to him." "Let us not delay then, Toxaris," said Anacharsis, "but take me and lead me to him.
ἀτὰρ ἐκεῖνο δέδια, μὴ δυσπρόσοδος καὶ ἐν παρέργῳ θῆταί σου τὴν ἔντευξιν τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Εὐφήμει, ἦ δ’ ὅς, ἐκείνῳ τὰ μέγιστα χαριεῖσθαί μοι δοκῶ ἀφορμὴν παρασχὼν τῆς ἐς ξένον ἄνδρα εὐποιίας.
Yet I fear this, lest he be difficult of access and set at naught your introduction on our behalf." "Hush!" said he, "I think I shall gratify him in the highest degree by providing him with an occasion for doing good to a stranger.
ἕπου μόνον· εἴσῃ γὰρ ὅση πρὸς τὸν Ξένιον ἡ αἰδὼς καὶ ἡ ἄλλη ἐπιείκεια καὶ χρηστότης.
Only follow; for you will know how great is his reverence for the God of Hospitality, and his other equity and goodness.
μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ δαίμονα οὗτος αὐτὸς ἡμῖν πρόσεισιν, ὁ ἐπὶ συννοίας, ὁ λαλῶν ἑαυτῷ. καὶ ἅμα προσειπὼν τὸν Σόλωνα, Τοῦτό σοι, ἔφη, δῶρον μέγιστον ἥκω ἄγων, ξένον ἄνδρα φιλίας δεόμενον.
Rather, by a happy chance, here he is approaching us himself, deep in thought, talking to himself." And at the same time, addressing Solon, he said, "Solon, I have come bringing you a very great gift, a stranger who stands in need of friendship."