§21οὓς καὶ ἀνέφηνεν ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης, ὡς τόν τε Ἀπόλλω καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν.
Whom he also brought to light from the sea, like Apollo and Artemis.
καὶ τούτων μὲν ὁ Ζεὺς εἰκότως ἂν χάριν αὐτῷ εἰδείη, ὅτι οὔτε τὴν Λητὼ περιεῖδεν ἐλαυνομένην πάντα τὸν χρόνον ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐτύγχανεν, οὔτε τὴν γένναν αὐτοῦ μικροῦ γε ἐξαμεληθεῖσαν.
And for these things Zeus would reasonably be grateful to him, because he neither overlooked Leto when she was being driven about all the time for her needs, nor allowed his offspring to be almost utterly neglected.
οὗτος δὲ καὶ τὸ Ἀφροδίτης κάλλος ἀνήνεγκεν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ, καθάπερ ἐκ κεφαλῆς τινος καὶ οὗτος τῆς θαλάττης κατὰ τὴν πρὸς Δία μίμησιν, εἴτε καὶ πρότερος οὗτος οὐ μόνον τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ θεῖα, ὡς ἔχει ὁ κατὰ τὴν Ἴδην τὴν Τρωικὴν λόγος λεγόμενος.
And he also brought up the beauty of Aphrodite from himself, as if from a head—he too doing so from the sea, in imitation of Zeus, or whether he was even prior in this, not only in human affairs but also in divine affairs, as the story told about Trojan Ida has it.
ἐπεὶ δὲ Λητοῦς ἐμνήσθημεν, εἰσῆλθέ με ὅσους καὶ ἄλλους ἔρωτας συνδιήνεγκε τῷ ἀδελφῷ· καὶ γὰρ τὸν Ἰοῦς τῆς Ἰνάχου καὶ τὸν Εὐρώπης τῆς καλῆς, τάχα δέ που καὶ ἄλλον καὶ ἄλλον, ὧν ἔτι καὶ νῦν ὀνόματα κατʼ ἀνθρώπους.
But since we have mentioned Leto, it occurred to me how many other love affairs of his brother he helped carry through; for indeed that of Io daughter of Inachus, and that of fair Europa, and perhaps also various others, whose names are still among men.
τὸν δὲ παῖδα τὸν καλὸν τὸν μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς τῆς καλῆς καὶ παῖδα ἔθετο ἑαυτῷ καὶ κοινωνοὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐποιήσατο αὐτόν τε καὶ τὴν μητέρα.
And the beautiful boy who was with his beautiful mother, he both adopted as his own child and made him and his mother sharers in his rule.
ἀλλʼ οὗτος μὲν ὁ λόγος ἀναμένει ἡμᾶς εἰς τὸ ἐπειδὰν αὐτῷ καθήκῃ, νῦν δὲ τὰ Ποσειδῶνος ἔργα διέξιμεν ἐν ἀλλήλοις, οἷά τε καὶ ἡλίκα καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ ὁπόσου ἀξία.
But this story awaits us for when it is appropriate for it; for now let us recount among ourselves the works of Poseidon, of what kind and how great they are, and how worthy his rule is.
ἐφεξῆς δʼ ἂν ἴσως εἴη καὶ τὰς τιμὰς τὰς κατʼ ἀνθρώπους ὁποῖαί τινες καὶ ὁπόσου ἄξιαι.
Next in order, perhaps, would be to show what kind and how worthy are his honors among men.
πάντα γὰρ ὁπόσα μέρη τῆς γῆς ἐπισημότατα καὶ ὀνομαστότατα Ποσειδῶνι ἐπιπεφήμισται.
For all the most famous and renowned parts of the earth have been dedicated to Poseidon.
ἐπὶ μὲν ταῖς εἰσβολαῖς τοῦ Εὐξείνου πόντου ᾗ τὸ στενότατον τῆς θαλάττης ἀναπετάννυσιν ἐξ αὑτοῦ τὴν πολλὴν θάλατταν, καὶ πέτρα τε κυανέα αὐτόθι ὠνόμασται καὶ πύλαι θαλάττης πρότερον εἶναι κλεισταὶ δοκοῦσαι, ἱερά τε αὐτοῦ καὶ τεμένη καὶ βωμοὶ, ἄλλα τε καὶ ἡ καταίρουσα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν θάλαττα, Λευκάτα τε οὕτως ἐπωνομασμένη κατὰ τὴν ἐνταυθοῖ Λευκάτα τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ Ἀκτίῳ, οὐ πέτρα τις οὖσα ὥσπερ αὕτη, ἀλλὰ γῆ πολλὴ προχωροῦσα εἰς θάλατταν, προχωννύουσα ἐπὶ πολὺ αὐτὴν σχήματι κυκλοτερεῖ ἐξ ἡμισείας, δρεπάνης τινὰ τρόπον ἀτεχνῶς ὡς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα εἶναι τοῦτο τῇ προχώσει, καὶ λέγεσθαί γε ἐπʼ αὐτῷ καὶ λόγον τινὰ καὶ μῦθον, ὡς ἄρα ἐνταῦθα ἐπράχθη τὸ ἔργον τὸ περὶ τὸν Κρόνον ὑπὸ τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ, τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐκτομήν.
For instance, at the entrance of the Euxine Sea, where the narrowest part of the sea opens out from itself into the great sea, and the Cyanean rock is named there, and the gates of the sea which formerly seemed to be closed, there are his temples, sanctuaries, and altars; and among other things, the sea flowing down to us from there, and Leucata, so named after the Leucata here at Actium, which is not a rock like that one, but a great tract of land advancing into the sea, shaping it for a long distance in a semi-circular form, literally in the manner of a sickle, so that this name belongs to the spit of land, and a certain story and myth is told about it, namely, that here the deed concerning Cronus was committed by his children, that of his castration.
ὑπερβάντι δὲ τὴν Προποντίδα καὶ τὸν §22Ἑλλήσποντον, καὶ διαβάντι τὰς νήσους τὰς Κυκλάδας καλουμένας κατὰ μὲν τὴν πρὸς τῷ Αἰγαίῳ θάλατταν ἥ τε Εὔβοια καὶ τὰ ἄκρα αὐτῆς, ὁ ἐν Γεραιστῷ λιμὴν, καὶ ἱερὸν τοῦ θεοῦ.
And for one who has crossed the Propontis and the Hellespont, and passed through the islands called Cyclades, on the side toward the Aegean Sea there is Euboea and its promontories, the harbor in Geraestus, and the temple of the god.
οὗ καὶ Ὅμηρος μέμνηται ἐν Ἀχαιῶν νόστῳ καὶ τῷ ἀπόπλῳ τῷ ἐξ Ἰλίου.
This Homer also mentions in the return of the Achaeans and their sailing away from Ilium.
κατὰ δὲ τὰς εἰσβολὰς τὰς εἰς τὸν Ἰόνιον ἥ τε ἐπὶ Ταινάρῳ ἄκρα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ αὐτόθεν ἀναγωγή.
And at the entrances to the Ionian Sea, there is the promontory of the god at Taenarum and the departure from there.
Ὅμηρος δὲ καὶ εἰς Αἰγὰς καὶ Ἑλίκην ἀποδημοῦντα πεποίηκεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ δαῖτα, καὶ ἄνωθεν ἐπὶ τῶν κυμάτων ἐπιθέοντα αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἵππους αὐτοῦ, οὐ προσαπτομένους τῆς θαλάττης· ὃν τρόπον καὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ διπλοῦν ὄχημα ὑπέθηκεν, ἅρμα μὲν ἐν γῇ, ναῦν δὲ ἐν θαλάττῃ.
And Homer has made him travel to Aegae and Helice for a feast, and run on top of the waves, both himself and his horses, without touching the sea; in which way also he provided a double vehicle for man: a chariot on land, and a ship on the sea.
ἔνθα ἱερά τε αὐτοῦ καὶ τεμένη καὶ βωμὸς θυήεις, ὡς αὐτὸς οὗτος ἔφη· ὃν τρόπον καὶ εἰς γαλακτοφάγους τὸν Δία τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ.
Where there are his temples, sanctuaries, and a fragrant altar, as he himself said; just as he did for his brother Zeus among the milk-drinkers.
καθάπαξ μὲν γὰρ εἰ δεῖ μὴ κατασμικρύνειν τὸν λόγον, πᾶσαι μὲν ἀκταὶ, πάντες δὲ λιμένες καὶ πάντα μέρη τῆς γῆς καὶ τῆς θαλάττης ἱερὰ Ποσειδῶνος καὶ ἀναθήματα καὶ ἀγάλματα καὶ τεμένη καὶ νεῴ.
For in short, if we must not make our speech too small, all shores, all harbors, and all parts of land and sea are sacred to Poseidon, and are his offerings, statues, sanctuaries, and temples.
οὐ μὴν οὕτω γε φίλον οὐδὲν οὐδὲ ἀγαπητὸν αὐτῷ οὔτε τίμιον, ὡς ὁ Ἰσθμοῖ οὗτος καὶ ὅδε ὁ χῶρος.
Yet nothing is so dear, nor so beloved, nor so honored by him as this Isthmus and this place here.
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐγὼ καὶ ἀρχεῖα Ποσειδῶνος καλῶ καὶ βασιλείαν καὶ αὐλὴν, ὥσπερ Ὅμηρος τὴν Διὸς αὐλὴν ὠνόμασε, καὶ ὁρμητήριον.
And this I call the headquarters of Poseidon, his kingdom, court—just as Homer named the court of Zeus—and his base of operations.
τεκμαίρομαι δὲ τοῖς τε ἄλλοις καὶ ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν πανταχόθεν θάλατταν ἐπέστρεψε δεῦρο, πύλας ἑκατέρωθεν ἐπιθεὶς καὶ ἀναπετάσας αὐτῇ τὸν ἰσθμὸν τοῦτον καλούμενον, πρός τε ἕω καὶ πρὸς ἑσπέραν ὁμοίως, συγκλείσας τε ἅμα, ὡς μὴ ἐπιμίγνυντο, οὐ πολλῷ τινι μέτρῳ γῆς, ἀλλʼ οἷον αὐλῶνι στενῷ, καὶ νόμον θεὶς καὶ τάξας ἐπʼ αὐταῖς φυλάττειν τὰ ἑαυτῆς ὅρια ἑκάστην, καὶ ἀναπετάσας πάλιν καὶ δοὺς πολλήν τινα τὴν πρόσω εὐρυχωρίαν ἑκάστῃ, θεαμάτων ἁπάντων ὁπόσα ἐν γῇ παραδοξότατόν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἥδιστον, εἰσπλεῖν τε καὶ ἐκπλεῖν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἐξ οὐρίων ἑκάστους, καὶ ὑπὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀνέμους ἀναγωγάς τε καὶ καταγωγὰς γίγνεσθαι ἐν μόνῃ τῶν πασῶν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ καὶ τῇ
And I infer this from other things and because he turned the entire sea from all sides toward this place, setting gates on either side and opening up for it this so-called isthmus, toward both east and west alike, and at the same time closing them, so they should not mix, not by a large measure of land, but as if by a narrow channel, and laying down a law and ordering each sea to guard its own limits, and opening them up again and giving each a great space far ahead—of all sights on earth the most marvelous and at the same time most pleasant—for each to sail in and out at the same time with favorable winds, and under the same winds for departures and arrivals to take place, in this land alone of all, and in...