§2Ὅλως δ’ ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ὀνειρώττει τινά, θεόπεμπτα μὲν οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὰ ἐνύπνια, οὐδὲ γέγονε τούτου χάριν, δαιμόνια μέντοι· ἡ γὰρ φύσις δαιμονία, ἀλλ’ οὐ θεία.
In general, since some of the other animals also dream, dreams would not be sent by God, nor did they happen for this purpose, but they are rather demonic; for nature is demonic, but not divine.
Σημεῖον δέ· πάνυ γὰρ εὐτελεῖς ἄνθρωποι προορατικοί εἰσι καὶ εὐθυόνειροι, ὡς οὐ θεοῦ πέμποντος, ἀλλ’ ὅσων ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ λάλος ἡ φύσις ἐστὶ καὶ μελαγχολική, παντοδαπὰς ὄψεις ὁρῶσιν· διὰ γὰρ τὸ πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ κινεῖσθαι ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν ὁμοίοις θεωρήμασιν, ἐπιτυχεῖς ὄντες ἐν τούτοις ὥσπερ ἔνιοι ἄρτια μερίζοντες· ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ λέγεται
ἂν πολλὰ βάλλῃς, ἄλλοτ’ ἀλλοῖον βαλεῖς,
καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων τοῦτο συμβαίνει.
And this is a sign: for extremely ordinary people are prophetic and see direct dreams, showing that God does not send them, but rather those whose nature is, as it were, talkative and melancholic see all kinds of visions; for because they are moved by many and diverse movements, they encounter similar visions, being lucky in these matters just like some who guess even and odd; for just as it is said, 'if you cast many times, you will hit another time,' this also happens in their case.
Ὅτι δ’ οὐκ ἀποβαίνει πολλὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων, οὐδὲν ἄτοπον· οὐδὲ γὰρ τῶν ἐν τοῖς σώμασι σημείων καὶ τῶν οὐρανίων, οἷον τὰ τῶν ὑδάτων καὶ τὰ τῶν πνευμάτων· ἂν γὰρ ἄλλη κυριωτέρα ταύτης συμβῇ κίνησις, ἀφ’ ἧς μελλούσης ἐγένετο τὸ σημεῖον, οὐ γίνεται.
And that many dreams do not come true is nothing absurd; for neither do many of the signs in bodies and of meteorological phenomena, such as those of rains and winds; for if another movement more dominant than that from which the sign was about to happen occurs, it does not happen.
Καὶ πολλὰ βουλευθέντα καλῶς τῶν πραχθῆναι δεόντων διελύθη δι’ ἄλλας κυριωτέρας ἀρχάς.
And many things well planned among those that ought to be done are dissolved because of other more dominant principles.
Ὅλως γὰρ οὐ πᾶν γίνεται τὸ μελλῆσαν, οὐδὲ ταὐτὸ τὸ ἐσόμενον καὶ τὸ μέλλον· ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἀρχάς τε λεκτέον εἶναι, ἀφ’ ὧν οὐκ ἐπετελέσθη, καὶ σημεῖα πέφυκε ταῦτα τινῶν οὐ γενομένων.
For in general, not everything that was about to happen does happen, nor is 'what will be' the same as 'what is about to be'; but nevertheless one must say that there are beginnings from which they were not accomplished, and these are by nature signs of things that did not happen.
Περὶ δὲ τῶν μὴ τοιαύτας ἐχόντων ἀρχὰς ἐνυπνίων οἵας εἴπομεν, ἀλλ’ ὑπερορίας ἢ τοῖς χρόνοις ἢ τοῖς τόποις ἢ τοῖς μεγέθεσιν, ἢ τούτων μὲν μηδέν, μὴ μέντοι γε ἐν αὑτοῖς ἐχόντων τὰς ἀρχὰς τῶν ἰδόντων τὸ ἐνύπνιον, εἰ μὴ γίνεται τὸ προορᾶν ἀπὸ συμπτώματος, τοιόνδ’ ἂν εἴη μᾶλλον ἢ ὥσπερ λέγει Δημόκριτος εἴδωλα καὶ ἀπορροὰς αἰτιώμενος.
But concerning dreams which do not have such beginnings as we have mentioned, but are trans-frontier in times, places, or magnitudes, or, though none of these, do not have their beginnings in the dreamers themselves, if their foresight does not happen by coincidence, it would be of the following sort rather than as Democritus says, blaming images and effluxes.
Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὅταν κινήσῃ τι τὸ ὕδωρ ἢ τὸν ἀέρα, τοῦθ’ ἕτερον ἐκίνησε, καὶ παυσαμένου ἐκείνου συμβαίνει τὴν τοιαύτην κίνησιν προϊέναι μέχρι τινός, τοῦ κινήσαντος οὐ παρόντος, οὕτως οὐδὲν κωλύει κίνησίν τινα καὶ αἴσθησιν ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς τὰς ψυχὰς τὰς ἐνυπνιαζούσας, ἀφ’ ὧν ἐκεῖνος τὰ εἴδωλα ποιεῖ καὶ τὰς ἀπορροίας, καὶ ὅπῃ δὴ ἔτυχεν ἀφικνουμένας μᾶλλον αἰσθητὰς εἶναι νύκτωρ διὰ τὸ μεθ’ ἡμέραν φερομένας διαλύεσθαι μᾶλλον (ἀταραχωδέστερος γὰρ ὁ ἀὴρ τῆς νυκτὸς διὰ τὸ νηνεμωτέρας εἶναι τὰς νύκτας), καὶ ἐν τῷ σώματι ποιεῖν αἴσθησιν διὰ τὸν ὕπνον, διὰ τὸ καὶ τῶν μικρῶν κινήσεων τῶν ἐντὸς αἰσθάνεσθαι καθεύδοντας μᾶλλον ἢ ἐγρηγορότας.
For just as when something moves water or air, this moves another, and when that has ceased, it happens that such movement proceeds to a certain point, though the mover is not present, so nothing prevents a certain movement and perception from reaching the dreaming souls, from which he makes his images and effluxes, and these arriving in whatever way they happen to, are more perceptible by night because those carried by day are more dissolved (for the air of the night is less turbulent because the nights are calmer), and they produce perception in the body because of sleep, because people sleeping perceive small movements within more than when waking.
Αὗται δ’ αἱ κινήσεις φαντάσματα ποιοῦσιν, ἐξ ὧν προορῶσι τὰ μέλλοντα περὶ τῶν τοιούτων.
These movements produce phantasms, from which they foresee the future concerning such things.
Καὶ διὰ ταῦτα συμβαίνει τὸ πάθος τοῦτο τοῖς τυχοῦσι καὶ οὐ τοῖς φρονιμωτάτοις.
And because of this, this affection happens to ordinary people and not to the wisest.
Μεθ’ ἡμέραν τε γὰρ ἐγίνετ’ ἂν καὶ τοῖς σοφοῖς, εἰ θεὸς ἦν ὁ πέμπων· οὕτω δ’ εἰκὸς τοὺς τυχόντας προορᾶν· ἡ γὰρ διάνοια τῶν τοιούτων οὐ φροντιστικὴ ἀλλ’ ὥσπερ ἔρημος καὶ κενὴ πάντων, καὶ κινηθεῖσα κατὰ τὸ κινοῦν ἄγεται.
For it would have happened during the day and to the wise too, if God were the sender; but as it is, it is likely that ordinary people foresee; for the intellect of such people is not reflective but as if empty of all things, and being moved, it is led according to the mover.
Καὶ τοῦ ἐνίους τῶν ἐκστατικῶν προορᾶν αἴτιον ὅτι αἱ οἰκεῖαι κινήσεις οὐκ ἐνοχλοῦσιν ἀλλ’ ἀπορραπίζονται· τῶν ξενικῶν οὖν μάλιστα αἰσθάνονται.
And the cause of some ecstatic people foreseeing is that their own proper movements do not disturb but are beaten off; therefore they especially perceive foreign movements.
Τὸ δέ τινας εὐθυονείρους εἶναι καὶ τὸ τοὺς γνωρίμους περὶ τῶν γνωρίμων μάλιστα προορᾶν συμβαίνει διὰ τὸ μάλιστα τοὺς γνωρίμους ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων φροντίζειν· ὥσπερ γὰρ πόρρω ὄντων τάχιστα γνωρίζουσι καὶ αἰσθάνονται, οὕτω καὶ τῶν κινήσεων· αἱ γὰρ τῶν γνωρίμων γνωριμώτεραι κινήσεις.
And that some are direct-dreamers and that acquaintances foresee especially about acquaintances happens because acquaintances care for one another most; for just as they recognize and perceive one another quickest even when far away, so it is also with their movements; for the movements of acquaintances are more recognizable.
Οἱ δὲ μελαγχολικοὶ διὰ τὸ σφόδρα, ὥσπερ βάλλοντες πόρρωθεν, εὔστοχοί εἰσιν.
Melancholic people, because of their intensity, are good at hitting the mark, like those shooting from afar.
Καὶ διὰ τὸ μεταβλητικὸν ταχὺ τὸ ἐχόμενον φαντάζεται αὐτοῖς· ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ Φιλαιγίδου ποιήματα καὶ οἱ ἐμμανεῖς ἐχόμενα τοῦ ὁμοίου λέγουσι καὶ διανοοῦνται, οἷον Ἀφροδίτην, καὶ οὕτω συνείρουσιν εἰς τὸ πρόσω.
And because of their quick changeability, the next image appears to them quickly; for just as the poems of Philaegides and mad people speak and think of what follows from similarity, such as 'Aphrodite', and so they string things together further.
Ἔτι δὲ διὰ τὴν σφοδρότητα οὐκ ἐκκρούεται αὐτῶν ἡ κίνησις ὑφ’ ἑτέρας κινήσεως.
Moreover, because of its intensity, their movement is not knocked out by another movement.
Τεχνικώτατος δ’ ἐστὶ κριτὴς ἐνυπνίων ὅστις δύναται τὰς ὁμοιότητας θεωρεῖν· τὰς γὰρ εὐθυονειρίας κρίνειν παντός ἐστιν.
And the most skillful judge of dreams is the one who is able to observe similarities; for to judge direct dreams is within anyone's power.
Λέγω δὲ τὰς ὁμοιότητας, ὅτι παραπλήσια συμβαίνει τὰ φαντάσματα τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν εἰδώλοις, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον εἴπομεν.
I mean 'similarities' because phantasms in sleep happen in a similar way to images in water, as we also said before.
Ἐκεῖ δέ, ἂν πολλὴ γίνηται ἡ κίνησις, οὐδὲν ὁμοία γίνεται ἡ ἔμφασις καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τοῖς ἀληθινοῖς.
There, if there is much movement, the reflection and the images do not become at all similar to the real things.
Δεινὸς δὴ τὰς ἐμφάσεις κρίνειν εἴη ἂν ὁ δυνάμενος ταχὺ διαισθάνεσθαι καὶ συνορᾶν τὰ διαπεφορημένα καὶ διεστραμμένα τῶν εἰδώλων, ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου ἢ ἵππου ἢ ὁτουδήποτε.
Indeed, a clever person at judging reflections would be the one who is able quickly to perceive and see through the scattered and distorted images, recognizing that they are of a man, or a horse, or of whatever.
Κἀκεῖ δὴ ὁμοίως τι δύναται τὸ ἐνύπνιον τοῦτο· ἡ γὰρ κίνησις ἐκκόπτει τὴν εὐθυονειρίαν.
And there indeed the dream has some similar power; for the movement knocks out the directness of the dream.
Τί μὲν οὖν ἐστὶν ὕπνος καὶ ἐνύπνιον, καὶ διὰ τίν’ αἰτίαν ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν γίνεται, ἔτι δὲ περὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἐνυπνίων μαντικῆς εἴρηται.
So, what sleep and dream are, and for what cause each of them occurs, and furthermore concerning prophecy from dreams, has been said.