§77Ὁμηρικὸν τὸ
οὐκ ἀγαθὸν πολυκοιρανίη,
καὶ τοὺς διδασκάλους τοὺς πολλοὺς εἰς ἀμαθίαν μᾶλλον φέρειν, προείλετο μὲν διδάσκαλον ἐξ ἁπάντων ὅντινα δὴ καὶ προείλετο, οὐ γὰρ ἔμοιγε εὐπρεπέστατόν ἐστι λέγειν, τούτῳ δʼ οὕτως προσέκειτο ὥστε ἅπαντα πράττων ὅσα τὸν φιλομαθέστατον καὶ φιλοστοργότατον προσῆκεν οὐδεπώποτε ἔδοξεν ἑαυτῷ τῆς ἀξίας ἐγγὺς εἶναι.
The Homeric saying "the rule of many is not good" and the view that many teachers lead rather to ignorance—thinking thus, he chose from all of them a single teacher, whichever indeed he chose (for it is not most fitting for me to tell), and to this one he was so devoted that, though doing everything that befitted the most eager to learn and the most affectionate, he never seemed to himself to be near his due.
καὶ συνὼν μέν γε οὕτως ἔχαιρεν ὡς μόνον τοῦτον βιώσιμον ὄντα αὑτῷ τοῦ βίου τὸν χρόνον· εἰ δέ τι κωλύσειεν, ἠνιᾶτο μὲν, ᾐτιᾶτο δʼ οὐδεπώποτε.
And when being with him, he rejoiced so much as though this time of his life were the only one worth living for him; and if anything prevented it, he was grieved indeed, but never blamed him.
ἀκροώμενος τοίνυν οὕτως σφόδρα τῶν λόγων ἦν ὥστʼ οὐκ ἐσχόλαζεν ἐπαινεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ οἱ διψῶντες σιωπῇ πίνουσιν, οὕτως ἐκείνῳ ἤρκει δέχεσθαι τὰ λεγόμενα, τῷ σχήματι καὶ τῷ νεύματι καὶ τῇ φαιδρότητι τὴν χαρὰν ἐμφανίζοντι, ἣν ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις εἶχεν.
He was listening, then, so intently to the lessons that he had no leisure to praise them, but just as those who are thirsty drink in silence, so for him it was enough to receive what was being said, showing by his posture, his nod, and his brightness the joy which he had in the words.
ἀεὶ δʼ ἂν εὗρες αὐτὸν ἢ βιβλίον μεταχειριζόμενον, ἢ λόγους ποιοῦντα, ἢ τὴν μητέρα εὐφραίνοντα οἷς διηγεῖτο, ἢ οἷς ἐπεδείκνυτο, πάντως δʼ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ σχήματι πᾶν πράττοντα ὃ καὶ γραφῇ μιμήσασθαι κάλλιστον ἦν.
You would always have found him either handling a book, or composing speeches, or delighting his mother with what he narrated or what he demonstrated, and in any case doing everything in this posture which was most beautiful to represent even in a painting.
ἃ δὲ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἥκουσιν ἡλικίας ἐφʼ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ νυκτὶ ἑκάστῃ παίζεται, ταῦτʼ ἐκείνῳ καθάπερ μῦθοί τινες ἦσαν.
What is played every day and night by those who have reached this age, these things were to him like some mere myths.
ἀλλὰ γυναικῶν μὲν μία σύσσιτος ἦν ἡ μήτηρ, παίδων δὲ εἷς ἀδελφὸς, φίλοι δὲ οἱ ταὐτὰ προῃρημένοι καὶ κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς συνιόντες λόγους· ὁ δʼ ἔπρεπε καὶ διὰ πάντων.
But of women, his mother was his sole companion at table; of boys, his one brother; of friends, those who had chosen the same things and met for the same studies; and he stood out through all of them.
ἄγαλμα δʼ ἄν τις ἔφησε τῆς Αἰδοῦς αὐτὸν εἶναι, ᾧ γε τὰ μὲν πολλὰ σιωπᾶν ἐξήρκει, εἰ δέ τι φθέγγοιτο, ἔδει φλέγεσθαι.
One would have said that he was an image of Modesty, for whom indeed it was enough to be silent for the most part, but if he uttered anything, he had to blush.
οὔκουν ἄλλως γʼ ἂν ἤκουσας αὐτοῦ φωνὴν, ἀλλὰ χρῆν ἢ ἐρυθριάσαντα εἰπεῖν, ἢ εἰπόντα ἐρυθριᾶν· οὕτως ἀθέατος καὶ ἀνήκοος καὶ ἄπειρος ἁπάντων τῶν αἰσχίστων διεβίω.
Indeed, you would not have heard his voice otherwise, but he had either to speak after blushing, or to blush after speaking; thus he lived his life unseen by, unheard by, and inexperienced in all the most shameful things.
λόγους δὲ καὶ παιδείαν εἶδε μόνα, ὃς καὶ τελευτῶν εἰς ταῦτα ἐτελεύτησεν, πανηγυρικὸν καὶ μελέτας βοῶν.
He saw only words and education, he who even at his end ended in these, crying out a panegyric and declamations.
ὦ πάντα σὺ κάλλιστε παίδων, ὦ τῆς μὲν
O you, in all things most beautiful of boys!
§78προσηκούσης ἡλικίας οὐκ ἐπιλαβόμενος, τῆς δʼ ὑπαρχούσης σεμνότερος καὶ πρεσβύτερος φανεὶς, σὲ ποθοῦσι μὲν ἡλικιωτῶν χοροὶ, ποθοῦσι δὲ πρεσβύτεροι, ποθεῖ δὲ ἡ τὰ μέγιστα ἐπὶ σοὶ πόλις ἐλπίσασα, ἣν σὺ πρώην πρῶτα δὴ καὶ τελευταῖα εὔφρανας.
O you who did not reach your fitting age, yet appeared more venerable and older than your actual years! The choirs of your peers yearn for you, the elders yearn for you, and the city, which had hoped for the greatest things in you, yearns for you—she whom you recently gladdened for the very first and last time.
μητρὶ δὲ ποῖαι νύκτες, ἢ τίνες ἡμέραι λοιπὸν, ἣ πρὶν μὲν ὡς καλλίπαις ᾔδετο, νῦν δʼ ἐξελήλεγκται ὡς δυστοκήσασα.
And for your mother, what nights or what days remain? She who was formerly sung of as blessed in her children, but now is proved to have been ill-fated in childbirth.
ὦ κύκλοι μὲν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκείνων κεκλειμένοι τὸν ἅπαντα ἤδη χρόνον, κεφαλὴ δὲ ἡ πρότερον χαριεστάτη νῦν ἐν κόνει.
O those circles of eyes, closed now for all time! And that head, formerly most charming, now in the dust!
χεῖρες δὲ ἀφανεῖς.
And those hands, vanished!
ὦ πόδες οἷον φέροντες τὸν δεσπότην ὑπεδώκατε.
O feet, how you failed in carrying your master!
ὦ νυμφίου τʼ ἐλεινότερος ἄρτι καομένου καὶ στεφάνοις μᾶλλον πρέπων ἢ θρήνοις, οἵαν ἐν ὥρᾳ τὴν ἀωρίαν ἐκίνησας, ὡς πρὶν ὑμέναιον ᾀσθῆναί σοι καιρὸν εἶναι τοὺς θρήνους ᾁδειν κατέλαβεν.
O you, more pitiable than a bridegroom just being burned on the pyre, and more fitting for crowns than for laments, what untimely death in the flower of your youth you have stirred up, so that before a wedding song could be sung for you, the time overtook us to sing laments.
ὦ σχῆμα κάλλιστον.
O most beautiful form!
ὦ φθέγμα κοινὸν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν αὐξανόμενον, οἴχει δὴ προοιμιασάμενος, τοσοῦτον εὐφράνας ὅσον λυπῆσαι μειζόνως.
O voice that was growing to be common to all Greeks, you are gone indeed after having only made a prelude, having gladdened us only so much as to grieve us the more!
ἐπέρχεταί μοι τὸ τοῦ Πινδάρου προσθεῖναι, Ἄστρα τε καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ κύματα πόντου τὴν ἀωρίαν τὴν σὴν ἀνακαλεῖ. ὢ τοῦ δευτέρου πτώματος, οἷος ἐφʼ οἵῳ τῷ νέῳ κεῖσαι.
It occurs to me to add the saying of Pindar: "Stars and rivers and waves of the sea cry out against your untimely death." O the second fall, what a young man you lie upon what a young man!
ὢ τῆς ἐπιθήκης, οἷον αὖ τὸ δεύτερον ἡμῖν ἔσεισεν.
O the addition, how the second blow has shaken us again!
ὢ τοῦ τραγικοῦ δαίμονος, ὃς προδείξας ἀρτίως βουλευτήρια καὶ λόγους καὶ ζῆλον καὶ χαρὰν πόρρω τούτων ἐν βραχεῖ τὸ δρᾶμα κατέκλεισεν.
O tragic deity, who having just shown us council chambers and speeches and zeal and joy, has shut the drama in a short time, far from these!
ὦ συμφοραὶ κοιναὶ λογίων καὶ χθονίων θεῶν.
O calamities common to the gods of speech and of the underworld!
τί ποτε καὶ ἀποκρίνωμαι πρὸς τὰ ψηφίσματα;
What indeed am I to reply to the decrees?
ἢ τοῦτο ὅτι Ἐτεωνεὺς οἴχεται παρὰ τοὺς κρείττονας;
Or this, that Eteoneus has gone to his betters?
ὦ δεξιώτατε παίδων, οἷόν σοι πέμπω βιβλίον, οἵων τὰ νῦν ἀπολαύεις λόγων.
O cleverest of boys, what a book I send you, what speeches you now enjoy!
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐν τραγῳδίᾳ τινὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς μεταξὺ τῶν ὀδυρμῶν δοκῶ μοι κατακούειν φωνῆς ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεοῦ τινος μεταβάλλοντος τὸν θρῆνον εἰς εὐφημίαν, ὡδὶ λέγοντος, παύσασθε ὦ ἄνθρωποι, οὐκ οἰκτρὸς ὁ παῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνὴρ, οὐδὲ ἐλεεῖσθαι δίκαιος τῆς
But indeed, just as in some tragedy truly, in the midst of the lamentations I seem to hear a voice from the machine, of some god changing the lament into auspicious praise, speaking thus: "Cease, O men! The boy—or rather, the man—is not to be pitied, nor is he worthy to be pitied for his..."