§45δυνάμει τὴν λαμπρότητα ἐκτήσαντο.
by their own power they acquired their splendor.
Ἀσκληπιάδαι δὲ ἐκ Μαχάονος ἀρξάμενοι καὶ Ποδαλειρίου κοινὴ πᾶσιν ἀσφάλεια καὶ σωτηρία τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γεγόνασι, τὴν τοῦ προγόνου διασωσάμενοι τέχνην, ὥσπερ ἄλλο τι σύμβολον τοῦ γένους.
But the Asclepiadae, beginning from Machaon and Podalirius, have become a common safety and salvation for all mankind, preserving the art of their ancestor as another token of their race.
πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἡ τύχη τῆς προαιρέσεως ἀξία.
Moreover, their fortune was worthy of their choice.
οὔτε γὰρ ἠλάθησαν οὔθʼ ἱκέτευσαν εἰς πόλιν οὐδεμίαν, ἀλλὰ διεξῆλθον καθαροὶ συμφορῶν, μιᾷ φατρίᾳ καὶ μιᾷ γνώμῃ καὶ τύχῃ χρησάμενοι διὰ τέλους.
For they were neither driven out nor did they come as suppliants to any city, but passed through clean of misfortunes, enjoying one clan, one mind, and one fortune to the end.
ἐπάνειμι δὲ ὅθεν ἐξέβην, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀρχηγέτας τε καὶ τοὔνομα πρώτους λαβόντας τὸ τῶν Ἀσκληπιαδῶν.
But I shall return to where I digressed, to the founders and those who first received the name of the Asclepiadae.
οἱ δὲ ἕως μὲν ἦσαν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, στρατείαις καὶ ὁμιλίαις καὶ γενέσει παίδων πρεπόντων ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ συλλήβδην ἁπάσῃ τῇ πολιτικῇ δυνάμει τὰς πόλεις ὠφέλουν, οὐ μόνον τὰς τοῦ σώματος νόσους ἐξαιροῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν πόλεων νοσήματα ἰώμενοι, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδʼ ἐγγίγνεσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐῶντες, ἀπʼ ἀμφοῖν σώζοντες τοὺς ὑπηκόους, καὶ τῇ τέχνῃ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀκόλουθον κατασκευασάμενοι.
These men, as long as they were among men, benefited the cities through military expeditions, associations, and the birth of children worthy of themselves, and in short, with all political influence, not only removing the diseases of the body but also curing the sicknesses of the cities, or rather not even allowing them to arise in the first place, saving their subjects from both, and making their rule conformable to their art.
ἐπεὶ δὲ κρείττους ἦσαν ἢ παρʼ ἡμῖν μένειν, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός τε καὶ τῶν προγόνων ἀποδύντες τὰ σώματα εἰς ἕτερον θεσμὸν ἔρχονται, οὐχ ὥσπερ Μενέλεώς τε καὶ ὁ ξανθὸς Ῥαδάμανθυς, εἰς τὸ Ἠλύσιον πεδίον καὶ τὰς ἔξω νήσους, ἀλλʼ ἀθάνατοι γενόμενοι τὴν γῆν διέρχονται, τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀρχαίας φύσεως ἀποστάντες ὅσον τὴν ἡλικίαν φυλάττουσι.
But when they were too great to remain among us, having stripped off their bodies through their father and ancestors, they entered into another order—not like Menelaus and fair-haired Rhadamanthys, to the Elysian plain and the outer islands, but having become immortal they travel through the earth, departing from their ancient nature only so far as they preserve their youthful age.
καὶ αὐτοὺς πολλοὶ μὲν ἤδη ἐν Ἐπιδαύρῳ εἶδόν τε καὶ ἔγνωσαν ἐμφανῆ κινουμένους, πολλοὶ δὲ ἄλλοθι πολλαχοῦ· ὃ καὶ μέγιστον ἔστω κατʼ αὐτῶν.
And many have already seen and recognized them moving visibly in Epidaurus, and many in many other places; let this be the greatest proof concerning them.
Ἀμφιάραος μὲν γὰρ καὶ Τροφώνιος ἐν Βοιωτίᾳ καὶ Ἀμφίλοχος ἐν Αἰτωλίᾳ χρησμῳδοῦσί τε καὶ φαίνονται, οὗτοι δὲ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς διᾴττουσιν, ὥσπερ ἀστέρες, περίπολοι κοινοὶ καὶ πρόδρομοι τοῦ πατρός.
For while Amphiaraus and Trophonius give oracles and appear in Boeotia, and Amphilochus in Aetolia, these men dart through every part of the earth like stars, common guardians and precursors of their father.
ὁσαχοῖ δὲ Ἀσκληπιῷ εἴσοδοι, καὶ τούτοις κλισιάδες τε αὐτοῖς ἀνεῖνται πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ διὰ πάντων ἡ κοινωνία τῷ πατρὶ σώζεται, νεῶν, §46θυσιῶν, παιάνων, προσόδων, ἔργων ἃ πράττουσιν.
And wherever there are entrances for Asclepius, for these too folding doors are opened all over the earth, and through all things their communion with their father is preserved, through temples, sacrifices, paeans, processions, and the deeds which they perform.
ὦ μακαριστοὶ μὲν ὑμεῖς τῶν ἄνω προγόνων ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα, εὐδαίμονες δὲ τῶν ἀφʼ ὑμῶν φύντων, ἔτι δὲ ὑμῶν τε αὐτῶν καὶ ἀδελφῶν, οἷς Ἰασώ τε καὶ Πανάκεια καὶ Αἴγλη σύνεστι καὶ Ὑγίεια, ἡ πάντων ἀντίρροπος, Ἠπιόνης δὴ παῖδες ἐπώνυμοι· οὐδʼ ὑμῖν θᾶκοι χωρὶς ἀλλήλων οὐδὲ διεσκηνώσατε.
O you who are blessed on both sides in your ancestors above, and happy in those born from you, and moreover in yourselves and your sisters, with whom Iaso, Panacea, Aegle, and Hygieia, the counterbalance of all, dwell—indeed the famous children of Epione; neither did you sit apart from one another, nor did you camp in separate tents.
ὦ κάλλιστος μὲν αὐτοὶ χορὸς τῷ πατρὶ, πολλοὺς δὲ ἀνάγοντες παρὰ ἀνθρώπων, χοροποιοὶ μακρῷ πάντων ἄριστοι, καὶ προσέτι ἱεροποιοί τε καὶ ἐπιστάται κρατήρων καὶ χαρίτων ἁπασῶν, αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι θυσίαι τε καὶ ἑορταὶ νόμῳ καθεστᾶσιν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, αἱ δʼ ἀφʼ ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ περὶ ὑμᾶς ἐργαστηρίου πλεῖσται μὲν ἐφʼ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ πρὸς ἁπάσας τὰς ἄλλας, καθαρῶς δὲ ἀπὸ καρδίας ἔρχονται, τὴν εὐθυμίαν ἀφʼ ὧν σύνισμεν φέρουσαι, ὑμῶν ἴχνη πλεῖστα καὶ φανερώτατα.
O you who are yourself the most beautiful chorus for your father, bringing up many from among men, by far the best leaders of the chorus of all, and moreover initiators and overseers of all mixing-bowls and graces! While other sacrifices and festivals are established by law, so to speak, those that come from you and the workshop around you are most frequent day by day compared to all others, and come purely from the heart, bringing cheerfulness from the things we know, where your footsteps are most numerous and manifest.
ἀεὶ δʼ ὥσπερ ἀνθρώπῳ σκιὰ, φῶς ὅποι κινοῖσθε ἕπεται.
And always, like a shadow to a man, light follows wherever you move.
ὦ Διοσκούροις ἰσόμοιροι καὶ ἡλικιῶται ἐν ἑτέρῳ χρόνῳ τῆς γενέσεως, οἳ πολλὰς μὲν ἤδη τρικυμίας κατεπαύσατε, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ στιλπνοὺς λαμπτῆρας ἔν τε νήσοις καὶ κατʼ ἤπειρον ἀνήψατε, οὗτος ὑμῖν ὁ παρʼ ἐμοῦ λόγος ἐξ ὕπνου τε καὶ ἐνυπνίου συντεθεὶς εὐθύς.
O equals in lot to the Dioscuri and of the same age in another time of birth, who have already stilled many great waves, and have kindled many bright torches both on the islands and on the mainland, this speech to you is composed by me straight from sleep and dream.
ὑμεῖς δὲ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ πρᾳότητι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ διαθέντες αὐτὸν εἰς καλλίους, τῆς τε νόσου παύετε καὶ διδοίητε ὑγιείας τε ὅσον οἷς ἡ ψυχὴ βούλεται τὸ σῶμα ὑπακούειν, καὶ τὸ σύμπαν εἰπεῖν, βίου ῥᾳστώνην.
May you, by your gentleness and philanthropy, dispose it to be more beautiful, make my disease cease, and grant health as far as the body obeys what the soul wills, and to speak collectively, ease of life.