§47εὔδαιμόν γε τὸ τῶν ποιητῶν ἐστι γένος καὶ πραγμάτων ἀπήλλακται πανταχῆ.
How fortunate indeed is the race of poets, and completely free from troubles in every way!
οὐ γὰρ μόνον αὐτοῖς ἔξεστι τὰς ὑποθέσεις τοιαύτας ὁποίας ἂν αὐτοὶ βουληθῶσιν ἑκάστοτε ἐνστήσασθαι, οὔτε ἀληθεῖς οὔτε ἐνίοτε πιθανὰς, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἐχούσας σύστασιν τὸ παράπαν, εἴ τις ὀρθῶς βούλοιτο σκοπεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαχειρίζουσι ταύτας οὕτως ὅπως ἂν αὐτοῖς δόξῃ νοήμασί τε καὶ ἐνθυμήμασιν, ὧν ἔνια, εἴ τις τὰ πρὸ αὐτῶν τε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀφέλοι, οὐδὲ μαθεῖν ἔστιν αὐτά γε καθʼ αὑτὰ ὅ τι δηλοῖ.
For not only is it permitted to them to establish such subjects as they themselves wish on each occasion, which are neither true nor sometimes even probable, nor indeed having any consistency at all, if one should wish to examine them rightly, but they also handle these subjects just as they please with thoughts and reflections, of which some, if one should remove what goes before and what comes after them, cannot even be understood by themselves as to what they mean.
ὁμοῦ δὲ πάντων λεχθέντων συνέντες ἀπεδεξάμεθα ὥσπερ ἀγαπήσαντες ὅτι συνήκαμεν.
But when all are spoken together, we comprehend and receive them, as if delighted that we have understood.
ἐνίων δὲ τὰς ἀρχὰς εἰπόντες τὸ λοιπὸν ἀφῆκαν, ὥσπερ καταγνόντες, τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς στερήσαντες, ἄλλων δὲ τὰ μέσα ἐξελόντες, ἀποχρῆν ᾠήθησαν, ὥσπερ τύραννοί τινες τῶν νοημάτων ὄντες.
And having spoken the beginnings of some, they abandon the rest, as if condemning them, and having deprived others of their beginning, and having taken out the middle of others, they thought it sufficient, being as it were tyrants over thoughts.
ἔπειτα δὲ οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἀτόλμητον οὐδʼ ἄπορόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ θεοὺς ἀπὸ μηχανῆς αἴρουσι, καὶ εἰς πλοῦν ἐμβιβάζουσι συμπλεῖν οἷς ἂν αὐτοῖς δοκῇ, καὶ ποιοῦσιν οὐ μόνον συγκαθημένους, ἂν οὕτω τύχῃ, τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ συμπίνοντας καὶ λύχνους ἔχοντας φῶς ποιοῦντας.
Then indeed nothing is untried or impossible for them, but they raise gods from a machine, and put them on board to sail with whomsoever they please, and they make them not only sit together with men, if it so happens, but also drink together and hold lamps to make light.
καὶ ταῦτα δὴ οὕτω μεγαλοπρεπεῖς εἰσιν, ἀφʼ οὗ πᾶς ὅδε λόγος ὡρμήθη, ὡς εἰσὶν εὐδαίμονες κατʼ αὐτὸν τὸν Ὅμηρον ῥεῖα ζώοντες, ἐπειδὰν ποιῶσι τοὺς ὕμνους καὶ παιᾶνας τοῖς θεοῖς.
And in these things indeed they are so magnificent—from which this whole discourse started—how happy they are, living easily according to Homer himself, whenever they make hymns and paeans to the gods.
αἱ δὲ στροφαὶ ἢ περίοδοι ἀπεπλήρωσαν τὸ πᾶν.
And the strophes or periods fill up the whole.
καὶ Δᾶλον ἀμφιρρύταν εἰπόντες, ἢ Δία τερπικέραυνον, ἢ πόντον ἐρίβρομον, καὶ παρελθόντες ὡς Ἡρακλῆς εἰς Ὑπερβορέους ἀφίκετο, καὶ ὡς Ἴαμος ἦν μάντις παλαιὸς, ἢ ὡς τὸν Ἀνταῖον Ἡρακλῆς, ἢ Μίνωα, ἢ Ῥαδάμυνθυν προσθέντες, ἢ Φᾶσιν, ἢ §48Ἴστρον, ἢ ὡς αὐτοὶ θρέμματα Μουσῶν εἰσι καὶ ἄμαχοί τινες εἰς σοφίαν ἀναφθεγξάμενοι, αὐταρκῶς σφίσιν ὑμνῆσθαι νομίζουσι, καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν οὐδεὶς πλέον ἐπιζητεῖ παρʼ αὐτῶν.
And having said "sea-girt Delos," or "Zeus delighting in thunder," or "loud-sounding sea," and having passed over how Heracles came to the Hyperboreans, and how Iamus was an ancient prophet, or having added how Heracles overcame Antaeus, or Minos, or Rhadamanthys, or Phasis, or Ister, or having cried out that they themselves are the nurslings of the Muses and matchless in wisdom, they think that they have sufficiently sung, and not even any of the common people seeks anything more from them.
οὕτω δὲ σφόδρα αὐτοὺς ἱεροὺς ἄγομεν καὶ σεμνύνομεν ὥστε καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ποιεῖν τοὺς ὕμνους τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ προσαγορεύειν τούτοις παρακεχωρήκαμεν, ὥσπερ προφήταις ὡς ἀληθῶς οὖσι τῶν θεῶν.
And we hold them so exceedingly sacred and honor them that we have yielded to them even the very making of hymns to the gods and addressing them, as if they were truly prophets of the gods.
καὶ οὐδὲ ᾧ τὸ προσῆκον ὀρθῶς ὑποθέσθαι καὶ διαχειρίσαι τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐξητασμένως ἐστὶ καὶ διὰ πάσης ἐλθεῖν ἀκριβείας εἰς ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ δυνατὸν τέτακται, οὐδὲν ἡγούμεθα δεῖν πρός γε τοὺς θεοὺς χρῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ μὲν τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἀγωνίσματα τῷ λόγῳ χρώμεθα, καὶ πανηγύρεις τε ἐγκωμιάζομεν καὶ πράξεις ἀνδρῶν καὶ πολέμους ἀφηγούμεθα, καὶ μύθους ποιοῦμεν, κἀν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις ἀγωνιζόμεθα, καὶ πρὸς πάνθʼ, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, ἡμῖν ἔπεισιν ὁ λόγος, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτοὺς τοὺς δόντας ἡμῖν αὐτὸν οὐ παντάπασιν ἀξιοῦμεν χρῆσθαι τούτῳ.
And that by which it is appointed to lay down what is fitting rightly and to handle all things in an examined way and to go through all accuracy as far as is possible for a human being, we think there is no need to use at all towards the gods; but for all other contests we use speech, and we praise festivals, and we narrate the deeds of men and wars, and we make myths, and we contend in the courts, and speech, so to speak, goes over everything for us, but towards the gods themselves who gave it to us, we do not think it right to use it at all.
ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν ἱερῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν τελουμένων θυσιῶν λόγῳ πεζῷ διῃρήκαμεν ἃ χρὴ ποιεῖν, νόμους γράψαντες. ὕμνους δὲ οὐχ ἡγούμεθα δεῖν κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ποιεῖν.
But for their temples themselves and the performed sacrifices, we have distinguished in prose what must be done, having written laws; but we do not think it necessary to make hymns in this manner.
πότερον οἱ μὲν ποιηταὶ χρῄζουσι τῶν θεῶν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὃ μὴ θέμις εἰπεῖν;
Is it that poets indeed need the gods, but we—what is not lawful to say?
ἀλλὰ μὴν τοῦτό γε καὶ παρʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ποιητῶν μαρτυρεῖται, ὅτι πάντες δὲ θεῶν χατέουσʼ ἄνθρωποι. πάντας οὖν καὶ τιμᾶν αὐτοὺς εἰκὸς ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπαρχούσης ἑκάστοις δυνάμεως.
Yet indeed this is witnessed even by the poets themselves, that "all men have need of gods." It is reasonable then for all to honor them from the power present to each.
ἀλλʼ οἱ ποιηταὶ μόνοι θεοφιλεῖς εἰσι καὶ παρὰ τούτων οἱ θεοὶ ἥδιστα δέχονται τὰ δῶρα;
Or is it that poets alone are dear to the gods, and from them the gods most gladly receive gifts?
τί οὖν οὐ καὶ ἱερέας τῶν θεῶν μόνους τοὺς ποιητὰς ἐποιήσαμεν;
Why then did we not make the poets the only priests of the gods?
ἀλλʼ ὅτι νὴ Δία καὶ οἱ προφῆται τῶν θεῶν ὁπόσοι μαντικοὶ μέτρῳ σημαίνουσιν ἃ χρὴ ποιεῖν;
But is it because, by Zeus, all the prophets of the gods who are prophetic indicate in metre what must be done?
τὰ δέ γε πλείω νὴ Δία χωρὶς μέτρου ἡ πρόμαντις αὐτὴ ἡ ἐν Δελφοῖς, αἱ ἐν Δωδώνῃ ἱέρειαι, Τροφώνιος, τὰ ἐξ Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ Σαράπιδος ὀνείρατα.
Yet indeed for the most part, by Zeus, without metre do the prophetess herself in Delphi, the priestesses in Dodona, Trophonius, and the dreams from Asclepius and Sarapis indicate.
ἀλλὰ μὴν κατὰ φύσιν γε μᾶλλόν ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ πεζῷ λόγῳ χρῆσθαι, ὥσπερ γε καὶ
Yet indeed it is more according to nature for a human being to use prose, just as indeed...