§13καὶ τὴν διὰ τούτων ἐμπορίαν, πολεμιστήριον δὲ τὰς τριήρεις, ὥσπερ ἅρμα ἁμιλλητήριον καὶ πολεμιστήριον·
and the commerce through them (she brought), and triremes for war, just like a chariot for racing and war; for both the goddess herself and her gifts are versatile.
περιδέξιος γὰρ ἡ θεὸς αὐτή τε καὶ τὰ δῶρα αὐτῆς. ἔοικα δὲ σμῆνος ἐπεγείρειν, καί μοι σύνδυο ἐφίησιν ἡ θεός.
And I seem to be stirring up a swarm, and the goddess releases them to me two by two.
ἐνιδὼν γὰρ ἐμπορίᾳ τε καὶ ναυμαχίᾳ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς οὖσιν ἀμφοτέροις, ἐνεῖδον γεωργίᾳ τε καὶ ἐμπορίᾳ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς οὖσιν ἀμφοτέροις, καὶ Βουζύγης τις ὑπῆλθέ με τῶν ἐξ ἀκροπόλεως, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἦν τῷ γεωργῷ οὔτε τὸ ἄροτρον οὔτʼ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ ἄροτρον, τό γε ζεῦξαι τὰς βοῦς,
"εἰ μὴ ἐπιφροσύνην δῶκε γλαυκῶπις Ἀθήνη,"
διʼ ἧς ἄροτρον μὲν καὶ ναῦς ἐδημιουργήθη, ἐζεύχθησαν δὲ ἵπποι καὶ βόες.
For when I perceived both commerce and sea-battle to belong to Athena, I also perceived both agriculture and commerce to belong to Athena, and a certain Bouzyges of those from the acropolis came to my mind, and how the farmer had neither the plow nor, even when the plow was there, the yoking of the oxen, "unless flashing-eyed Athena had given wisdom," through whom both the plow and the ship were crafted, and horses and oxen were yoked.
φιλανθρωποτάτη δὲ ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ δυνατωτάτη.
And she herself is most philanthropic and most powerful.
τῆς μὲν οὖν δυνάμεως τί χρὴ μεῖζον εἰπεῖν σημεῖον ἢ τὸ νικᾶν πανταχοῦ;
Now, what greater sign of her power should one mention than her winning everywhere?
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν Ἀθηνᾶς νίκη κυρία, ἀλλʼ Ἀθηνᾶ νίκης ἀεί·
For victory does not rule over Athena, but Athena always rules over victory.
τὴν δὲ φιλανθρωπίαν οἱ περὶ Ὀρέστην λόγοι μαρτύρονται.
And the stories about Orestes bear witness to her philanthropy.
ὃν φυγόντα μὲν ἐξ Ἄργους Ἀθήναζε, φεύγοντα δʼ Ἀθήνησι δίκην ὑπʼ Εὐμενίδων, ἴσων τῶν ψήφων γενομένων, προσθεμένη τὴν παρʼ αὑτῆς σώζει.
When he was fleeing from Argos to Athens, and at Athens was fleeing a trial by the Eumenides, when the votes became equal, she, adding her own vote, saved him.
καὶ τοίνυν ἔτι νῦν σώζει πάντας, ἐὰν ἴσαι γένωνται· ἔδοξε γὰρ ἐξ ἐκείνου ταῖς ἴσαις προστιθέναι τὴν παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἀφιεῖσαν.
And indeed, even now she saves everyone if the votes become equal; for since that time it was resolved to add the vote of Athena which acquits to the equal votes.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει παρθένον εἶναι διʼ αἰῶνος τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν καὶ μηδένα μήτε θεῶν μήτε ἀνθρώπων ψαῦσαι κατὰ τὸν τῆς πανδήμου νόμον, θαυμαστὰ οἷα κἀνταῦθα εὑρίσκεται παρὰ τοῦ πατρός· τὰ γὰρ τῆς καλλιτέκνου γέρα λαμβάνει.
And since Athena had to be a virgin for ever, and no one of either gods or men was to touch her according to the common law, wonderful things are found here too from her father; for she receives the privileges of a mother of beautiful children.
τῇ γὰρ Λητοῖ πλανωμένῃ διὰ πάσης γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἡγεῖται πρὸς τὸν τόπον ὅπου εἱμαρμένον ἦν αὐτῇ τεκεῖν.
For when Leto was wandering through all land and sea, she guided her to the place where it was fated for her to give birth.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἔτικτε, μαιοῦταί τε καὶ δέχεται τοὺς παῖδας, καὶ στεφανοῖ τὸν Ἀπόλλω κατὰ τὸν τῶν Ἑλλήνων παιᾶνα· ὥστε ἡ μὲν Ἄρτεμις λοχία ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐστὶν, αὕτη δὲ τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι λοχία πρὸς τὰς γονὰς ἡ θεὸς γεγένηται.
And when she gave birth, she acted as midwife and received the children, and crowned Apollo according to the paean of the Greeks; so that while Artemis is the midwife for others, this goddess became the midwife for Artemis herself at her birth.
καὶ ἔοικεν ἀμφοτέρων διδάσκαλος αὐτὴ καταστῆναι, τῆς τέχνης καὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως.
And she seems to have established herself as the teacher of both, of the art and of the choice.
παρθένος γάρ ἐστι §14μετʼ Ἀθηνᾶν μόνη.
For she is a virgin alone after Athena.
εἰ τοίνυν κάλλη θαυμαστὰ Ἀπόλλων καὶ Ἄρτεμις, τὴν πρόνοιαν Ἀθηνᾶν ἔχοι τις ἂν αἰτιάσασθαι.
If indeed Apollo and Artemis have wonderful beauties, one might attribute the foresight to Athena.
καίτοι εἰ καὶ θεοὺς ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν χάριν εἰκὸς ἔχειν, πῶς οὐχ ἡμᾶς γε εἰκὸς ὑπὲρ τῶν θεῶν, ὅτι πλείους ἡμῖν τοὺς εὐεργέτας προὐξένησε;
And yet, if indeed it is natural for gods to have gratitude on their own behalf, how is it not natural for us to have gratitude on behalf of the gods, because she procured more benefactors for us?
θῆραι τοίνυν καὶ κυνηγέσια ἔστι μὲν Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Ἀρτέμιδος παιδιὰ, καθίσταται δʼ εἰς τὸ προσήκειν τῇ θεῷ, διʼ ἓν μὲν ὅτι τῆς πολεμικῆς μόριον τέχνης ἐστὶ, μᾶλλον δὲ εἰκών.
Now, hunting and chases are the play of Apollo and Artemis, but they are established as belonging to the goddess, for one reason because hunting is a part of the art of war, or rather its image.
ταῦτα δὲ Ἀθηνᾷ μέλειν φασὶν, ἕτερον δʼ ὅτι καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐπωνύμοις αὐτῶν ὅπως ἔσονται προσεξεῦρε.
And they say Athena cares for these things, and for another reason because she also invented for their very namesakes how they would be.
προσήκοι δʼ ἂν ταύτῃ καὶ τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ μεγάλῳ μέρει τοῦ παντός.
And she would belong also to Asclepius in a great part of the whole.
Ἀθηναίων δὲ οἱ πρεσβύτατοι καὶ ὑγιείας Ἀθηνᾶς βωμὸν ἱδρύσαντο.
And the oldest of the Athenians indeed established an altar of Athena of Health.
εἰ δὲ ἐκείνων ὀρθὴ ψῆφος, τί χρὴ μεῖζον εὑρεῖν εἰς τὴν Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς συμφωνίαν;
And if their vote is correct, what greater thing must one find for the agreement of Asclepius and Athena?
μετέχει δὲ καὶ τῷ Ποσειδῶνι τῶν ἔργων, τῷ τε ἱππίῳ καὶ τῷ ποντίῳ, πρώτη μὲν τὸν χαλινὸν εὑροῦσα, πηξαμένη δὲ τὴν πρώτην ναῦν.
And she shares also in the works of Poseidon, both the equestrian and the marine, being the first to invent the bridle, and having constructed the first ship.
ἀλλὰ μὴν ἥ γε πρὸς Ἑρμῆν κοινωνία τῆς θεοῦ παντὶ δήλη, ὅστις Ἑρμῆν καλεῖ λόγιον καὶ ἀγοραῖον καὶ ἐμπολαῖον· ἐναγωνίῳ δὲ καὶ ἀντὶ χορηγοῦ καθέστηκεν.
Indeed, the association of the goddess with Hermes is clear to everyone who calls Hermes the eloquent, of the market, and of trade; and in athletic contests she stands in place of the choragus.
Ὅμηρος μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἄντικρυς αὐτὴν ἐναγώνιον ἀποφαίνει· τὰ γὰρ ἆθλα κρίνει διʼ αὐτῆς.
For Homer indeed also directly declares her to be the patron of contests; for he judges the prizes through her.
αὐλῳδίαν τοίνυν καὶ λυρῳδίαν καὶ κιθαρῳδίαν ἐξευροῦσα, τὴν μὲν τῶν Μουσῶν μιᾷ δωρεῖται, τὴν δʼ Ἑρμῇ, τὴν δʼ Ἀπόλλωνι.
And having invented singing to the flute, singing to the lyre, and singing to the cithara, she presents one to one of the Muses, another to Hermes, and another to Apollo.
οὕτω δὲ πανταχοῦ χώραν ἔχει ὥστε ὁ μὲν Ἄρης παῖς ἐστι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πράγμασιν, ὁ δʼ Ἀπόλλων τῶν αὑτοῦ χρησμῳδιῶν ταύτην προὐστήσατο καὶ προθύειν ἐπέταξεν.
And so everywhere she has a place, so that Ares is a child compared to her in his very own affairs, and Apollo placed her in front of his own oracles and commanded to sacrifice to her first.
Ἥφαιστος δὲ ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ ἔρωτος ἀναγκάζεται φιλοτεχνεῖν, ἡ δὲ φύσις λείπεται.
And Hephaestus is compelled by love to craft, but his nature falls short.
Χάριτες δʼ αὐτῆς περὶ χεῖρας ἵστανται.
And the Graces stand around her hands.
Διόσκουροι δʼ ὑπʼ αὐτῇ πυρριχίζουσιν.
And the Dioscuri dance the pyrrhic dance under her.
Ἴακχος δὲ καὶ αἱ Ἐλευσίνιαι τοὺς τῆς θεοῦ χοροὺς διώκουσι, Ποσειδῶν δὲ συνεχώρησεν ἡττώμενος.
And Iacchus and the Eleusinian goddesses follow the dances of the goddess, and Poseidon yielded, being defeated.
ἡ δὲ
And she...