§11ἀμωσγέπως εἰπεῖν, ποιηταῖς τε ἄχρι τοῦ μετρίου προσχρωμένους καὶ τῷ λόγῳ τοσοῦτον ἐφιέντας, ὡς μὴ πολύ τι παρενεγκεῖν ἢ τὸν πάντα ἰσομέτρητον συμβῆναι τῷ ὀνείρατι.
We must try to speak somehow, making use of the poets to a moderate degree and allowing our speech this much leeway, so as not to deviate too much or to let the whole thing turn out to be of equal measure with the dream.
λέγεται γὰρ ὡς ἐπειδὴ οἱ Γίγαντες παρετάξαντο ἐν τῇ Φλέγρᾳ, Ἐγκέλαδον μὲν καὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν κτείνει ἡ θεὸς, τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις θεοῖς ὀλίγον τὸ ἔργον γίγνεται, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Γιγάντων ὅσον ἦν κράτιστον κτείνει ἡ θεὸς, ἅτε καὶ φύσει πολεμίους ὄντας ἑαυτῇ διαφερόντως ἀμυνομένη·
For it is said that when the Giants drew up their lines in Phlegra, the goddess killed Enceladus and their leaders, while for the other gods the task became small, since the goddess killed also whatever was strongest of the other Giants, defending herself in an extraordinary way against those who were by nature hostile to her; for they were of the opposite race to her.
ἦσαν γὰρ ἀπʼ ἐναντίου τοῦ γένους αὐτῇ. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν κοίλων τῆς γῆς ἐπεφύκεσαν καὶ τῶν ἀλογωτάτων, ἡ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ καθαρωτάτου τῶν ἐν τῷ αἰθέρι.
For they had grown from the hollows of the earth and from the most irrational things, while she from the cleanest part of those in the ether.
πρὸς οὖν τοὺς ἐκείνων ὄφεις συμφύτους καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα τῆς γῆς ἐφείλκοντο τὸν αὑτῇ σύμφυτον κόσμον καὶ τὸ παρʼ αὑτῆς ἀντεπήγαγε πῦρ, ἕως ἐξέκαυσε καὶ ἐξεῖλε τὸ γένος.
Therefore, against their innate serpents and all other things they dragged from the earth, she brought in opposition her own innate order and the fire from herself, until she burned up and destroyed the race.
τόδε μὲν τὸ ἔργον αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ θεῶν τε καὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἁπάσης ᾁδεται καταπραχθέν.
This deed of hers indeed is sung as having been accomplished on behalf of the gods and the entire divine nature.
τὴν δὲ Τιτάνων καὶ τῶν Ὀλυμπίων θεῶν κληθέντων μάχην οὐχ ἥδιον ἐμοὶ γοῦν λέγειν.
But the battle of the Titans and the so-called Olympian gods is not very pleasant for me at least to speak of.
ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴς γε τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων πράγματα ὅσας εὐεργεσίας κατέθετο ἐνθυμηθῆναι ῥᾷον ἢ διελθεῖν λόγῳ.
Yet indeed, as for how many benefits she deposited for the affairs of men, it is easier to bear them in mind than to go through them in speech.
ἡ μὲν οὖν μεγίστη τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν καὶ διὰ πάντων τῶν γιγνομένων διήκουσα καὶ παρατείνουσα πάντας χρόνους καὶ τόπους, ὅτι Ἀθηνᾶς ἡγουμένης οὐδὲν πώποτε ἀνθρώποις ἡμαρτήθη, οὐδʼ αὖ πράξουσί ποτε χρηστὸν οὐδὲν ἄνευ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς.
Now the greatest of the benefits, which runs through all things that happen and extends through all times and places, is that when Athena leads, nothing has ever been done wrongly by men, nor again will they ever do anything good without Athena.
εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ τῶν ἐν μέρει μνησθῆναι καὶ τοὺς μύθους μὴ ἀτιμάσαι, προσθῶμεν ἔλαιον ὑγιείας φάρμακον φανθὲν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐσθῆτα, ὁμοῦ μὲν κόσμον τῷ σώματι, ὁμοῦ δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑγιείας φάρμακον.
And if we must also mention them in part and not dishonor the myths, let us add olive oil, which was shown by her as a medicine of health, and clothing, at once an ornament for the body and a medicine of the same health.
ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀμφοτέρῳ γε τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπίκουρος γεγένηται, γυναιξὶ μὲν ταλασίαν παραδοῦσα, ἀνδράσι δὲ ὅπλων χρῆσιν ἀναθεῖσα· ἀμφοτέρων αὖ τῶν καιρῶν ἐπεμελήθη, πολέμου καὶ εἰρήνης, διʼ ὅπλων καὶ νόμων.
Indeed, she has been a helper to both sexes of mankind, delivering wool-working to women and committing the use of weapons to men; and again she cared for both occasions, war and peace, through weapons and laws.
διχῆ δʼ αὖ καὶ τούτων ἑκατέρῳ προσηνέχθη.
And in two ways again she approached each of these.
πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τῆς ὀρείου καὶ καθʼ ἑκάστους διαίτης ἀπαλλαγῆναι καὶ συνελθόντας οἰκεῖν ἐν ταὐτῷ §12μίαν συνοικίαν κοινὴν περιβαλλομένους ἥδʼ ἐστὶν ἡ πείσασα, καὶ εἰσὶν αἱ πόλεις δῶρα Ἀθηνᾶς· ὅθεν δὴ καὶ πολιοῦχος ἅπασι κέκληται.
For first, that we were freed from mountain-dwelling and individual life, and came together to dwell in the same place, enclosing one common settlement, she is the one who persuaded us, and cities are the gifts of Athena; whence indeed she is called by all the guardian of the city.
τὰς δὲ ἀκροπόλεις ἐξεῖλον αὐτῇ δικαίως, ἅμα μὲν σύμβολον τῆς γενέσεως, ἅμα δὲ ὥσπερ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ ἡγεμόσι τεμένη καὶ χώρους ἐξαιροῦσιν, οὕτω τῇ τοῦ παντὸς ἡγησαμένῃ θεῷ τὰ ἐπικαιρότατα ἐξεῖλον.
And they justly set apart the acropolises for her, at once a symbol of her birth, and just as they set apart sanctuaries and lands for kings and leaders, so they set apart the most key places for the goddess who has led the universe.
ἓν μὲν δὴ τοῦτο λέγω κοινὸν εὐεργέτημα τῆς θεοῦ, πρὸς τὴν καθʼ ἡμέραν δίαιταν, πολιτείαν καὶ νόμους, ἕτερον δὲ τὰς ἐμπύρους τε καὶ ἀπύρους τέχνας, ἃς τοῖς καθʼ ἑκάστους διεῖλέ τε καὶ διαιρεῖ· μόνη γὰρ ἁπάσης σοφίας ἡγεμών ἐστι.
This one common benefit of the goddess indeed I mention, with respect to daily life, government, and laws; and another is the arts both involving fire and not involving fire, which she distributed and distributes to individuals; for she alone is the leader of all wisdom.
καὶ μὴν τῶν γε πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον συστημάτων τὰ πρωτεύοντα δύʼ ἐξεῦρέ τε καὶ κατεσκευάσατο· ὁπλῖται γὰρ καὶ ἱππεῖς τῶν Ἀθηνᾶς εὑρημάτων εἰσί.
And indeed of the organizations for war, she invented and prepared the two primary ones; for heavy infantry and cavalry are among Athena's inventions.
διττὰ δὲ ἑκατέρου μαρτύρια· τῶν μὲν ὁπλιτικῶν Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπώνυμοι τῆς θεοῦ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς Εὐρώπης πρῶτοι προβαλόμενοι τὴν ἀσπίδα· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ κατʼ Αἴγυπτον Ἀθηνᾶς νομὸς ἱερὸς, ᾧ ταῦτα ἀνάκειται.
And there are double testimonies of each: of the infantry, the Egyptians among those in Asia, and those named after the goddess among those in Europe were the first to hold out the shield; for there is also in Egypt a sacred district of Athena, to which these things are dedicated.
παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἱππικῆς.
And similarly also concerning horsemanship.
λέγεται γὰρ Ἐριχθόνιον μὲν τὸν τῆς θεοῦ τρόφιμον πρῶτον ἀνθρώπων ἅρμα ζεῦξαι ἵππων· Βελλεροφόντῃ δὲ αὖ πρὸς τὸν κέλητα γενέσθαι χαλινὸν παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς.
For it is said that Erichthonius, the nursling of the goddess, was the first of men to yoke a chariot of horses; and to Bellerophon again, a bridle for the riding horse came from Athena.
Τριπτόλεμος δὲ Ἐριχθονίου νεώτερος· εἴη δʼ ἂν καὶ τούτῳ τὰ μὲν σπέρματα παρὰ τῆς Δήμητρος, τὸ δὲ ἅρμα παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς.
And Triptolemus is younger than Erichthonius; and for him too, the seeds might be from Demeter, but the chariot from Athena.
ὥστε νομίζειν χρὴ τοιαῦτʼ εἶναι πάντα τὰ δῶρα τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οἷα πρὸς τοὺς πολέμους ἐστὶν, ὁπλιτῶν φάλαγξ καὶ τάξις ἱππέων.
So that one must consider that all such gifts of Athena to men are like those for war, the phalanx of heavy infantry and the line of cavalry.
ἔοικα δὲ προσθήσειν ὅ με ἀρτίως διέφυγεν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ ναυτικὰ Ἀθηνᾶς ἦν.
And I seem about to add what just escaped me, that naval affairs also belonged to Athena.
ἐχέτω δὲ χώραν διττὴν τῷ λόγῳ.
And let it hold a double place in the speech.
πρός τε γὰρ τοὺς πολέμους, εἴ τις καὶ οὕτω διχῆ διαιροῖτο τῶν κατʼ ἤπειρον καὶ τῶν ἐν θαλάττῃ, δείξει προνοηθεῖσαν τὴν θεόν· εἰ καὶ διχῆ πάλιν τῶν κατʼ ἤπειρον, ἕν τε τὸ αὐτὸ τὸ τῶν ναυτικῶν εἰς ἄμφω τείνει· εἰρηναῖον μὲν τὰς ὁλκάδας
For both with respect to war, if one should divide the affairs on land and those at sea into two, he will show that the goddess had forethought; and if again he divides those on land into two, the one and same thing of naval affairs extends to both; in peace indeed, merchant ships...