§234ἔδαφος, ἀλλʼ ὀρύξαντι μέν ἐστι σημεῖα τῆς ἀρχαίας φύσεως, καὶ βλέψαντί γε εἰς τὰ κύκλῳ περιέχοντα εἰς ἅ ποτε ἀπηρείδετο ἡ θάλαττα, διεξελαύνοντι δὲ ἐν ὥραις καὶ κρήναις τὸ ἁλίπεδον, καὶ ταῦτά γε ἐν τέλει.
the ground, but to one who digs there are signs of the ancient nature, and to one who looks at the surrounding areas upon which the sea once rested, and to one who drives through the salt-plain amidst seasons and springs, and these indeed in perfection.
καὶ προελθόντι μικρὸν ἡ πόλις αὖθις ὥσπερ παραπέμπουσα ἀναφαίνεται, καὶ γίγνεται διʼ ἐλάττονος ἐνταῦθα ἤδη ἀριθμητὰ καὶ μετρητὰ τὰ κάλλη αὐτῆς.
And to one who has gone forward a little, the city appears again as if escorting him, and its beauties become here already countable and measurable within a shorter distance.
καὶ οὐδεὶς οὕτως ἐπείγεται ὅστις ὁρᾷ τὸ πρόσω τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ οὐ μεταβάλλει τὸ σχῆμα, τὰ μὲν κατʼ ὀφθαλμοὺς δεξιὰ ποιούμενος, τὰ δὲ ἀριστερὰ πρὸ τῆς ὄψεως.
And no one is in such a hurry who, looking at the road ahead, does not change his posture, making what was before his eyes to the right, and what was to the left before his view.
ἡ γὰρ πόλις ἕλκει πρὸς αὑτὴν ὥσπερ ἡ μαγνῆτις λίθος τὰ σιδήρια καὶ διʼ ἀνάγκης ἐθελουσίου χειροῦται.
For the city draws to itself just as the magnet stone draws iron, and subdues by a voluntary necessity.
πέπονθε δὲ ταυτὸν ἥ τε πόλις πρὸς τὰ ἔξω καὶ τὰ ἔξω πρὸς τὴν πόλιν.
And the city has experienced the same thing towards the outside, and the outside towards the city.
οὔτε γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἄστεος τὰ προάστεια ὁρῶντι κόρος, εἴτε τις ἔξωθεν προσορῴη τὴν πόλιν, ἀεὶ τοῦ ἴσου δεῖ τὸ μὴ ἱκανῶς ἔχειν.
For neither to one looking at the suburbs from the city is there satiety, nor, if one should look at the city from outside, is there ever a lack of needing the same, i.e., not having enough.
μόνῃ δὲ ταύτῃ πόλεων εἰς ζημίαν ἡ δόξα καθίσταται· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἂν ἔξω περὶ αὐτῆς ἀκούων ἐφίκοιτο ὥστε ἅπαν συλλαβεῖν.
But for this city alone of cities, its reputation turns out to its detriment; for no one hearing about it outside could reach the point of grasping it all.
δοκεῖ δʼ ἄν μοί τις καὶ δόγμα παρʼ αὐτῶν ποιήσασθαι, ὥσπερ τὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐχίδνης φασὶ πληγέντα μὴ ἐθέλειν ἑτέρῳ λέγειν ἀλλʼ ἢ ὅστις πεπείραται, οὕτω καὶ τῶν περὶ τῆς πόλεως καλῶν ἰδὼν ἰδόντι μόνον κοινοῦσθαι, ἢ μέλλοντί γε αὐτίκα, εἰς ἑτέρους δὲ οὐκ ἂν ῥᾳδίως τοὺς λόγους ἐκφέρειν ὥσπερ εἰς βεβήλους ἱερά· ὥσπερ οἱ ὑπʼ ἔρωτος κατεχόμενοι πρὸς τοὺς κομιδῆ παῖδας οὐκ ἐθέλουσι διηγεῖσθαι.
And it seems to me that one might even make a decree from them: just as they say that one struck by a viper does not wish to speak to another except to one who has experienced it, so also one who has seen the beauties of the city shares them only with one who has seen them, or is about to do so immediately, but would not easily carry the words out to others, as if bringing sacred things to the profane; just as those possessed by love do not wish to narrate to mere children.
τοσόνδε μὲν γὰρ ἴσως καὶ ποιητὴς ἂν εἴποι καὶ ψυχαγωγήσειεν, ὡς ὁ μὲν λιμὴν ἐν ὀμφαλῷ τῆς πόλεως, τὸ δὲ πέλαγος ἐν ὀφθαλμῷ, τοῖς ἐπὶ θάτερα ἐσχάτοις οὐχ ἧττον σύνοπτον ἢ τοῖς προσοικοῦσι· καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀκρόπολις διὰ πάσης ἀνέχει τὴν πόλιν, ἡ δὲ θάλαττα παρατείνει καθάπερ βάσις, τοσοῦτον τοῦ Μέλητος πρὸς ἕω παραλλάττουσα ὅσον εἰς καμπὴν παρεξελθεῖν.
For perhaps even a poet might say this much and charm the soul, that the harbor is in the navel of the city, and the sea in its eye, no less visible to those at the opposite extremes than to those dwelling near; and the acropolis holds up the city through its entirety, and the sea stretches alongside like a base, diverging from the Meles towards the east by as much as to go out into a bend.
ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν καὶ ἐν μέρει κοσμοίη τις ἂν, ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ πᾶσι §235χάρις ὥσπερ Ἶρις τεταμένη καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὥσπερ λύραν ἁρμοττομένη σύμφωνον αὑτῇ τε καὶ τοῖς ἔξω κόσμοις, καὶ ἡ διὰ πάντων ὥσπερ τοῦ παρʼ Ὁμήρῳ χαλκοῦ μέχρι οὐρανοῦ διηνεκὴς αἴγλη, τῷ ταῦτα ἐφικτὰ διηγήσασθαι;
But though one might adorn these things even in part, yet the grace, stretched out like a rainbow and tuning the city like a lyre concordant both with itself and with the outer ornaments, and the continuous gleam through all things reaching to heaven like that of the bronze in Homer—by whom could these things be narratable in an attainable way?
οὐχ οὕτως οὔτε ὁ Μέλης καλλίπαις οὔτε τις εἰς λόγους εὐτυχής.
Neither is the Meles so beautiful-childed, nor is anyone so fortunate in words.
καὶ μὴν μόνη μὲν πόλεων ἱστορίας, οὐκ ἀκοῆς δεῖται, μόνη δὲ οὐχ ἱστορίας μᾶλλον ἢ διαίτης συνεχοῦς καὶ ὁμιλίας, ὅστις αὐτὴν μέλλει καλῶς θεάσεσθαι καὶ τοὺς μισθοὺς τῶν ἐπαίνων αὐτόθεν κομιεῖσθαι.
And indeed, alone of cities it requires personal inquiry, not hearing; and alone it requires not inquiry so much as continuous living and intercourse, for anyone who is going to behold it beautifully and carry off the rewards of praise from the place itself.
ἐγὼ δὲ τοσοῦτον ἔτι προσθήσω τῇ περιόδῳ· τοῦ μὲν γὰρ μυχοῦ τοῦ κόλπου μικρῷ τινι πρότερον ἐμνήσθην, ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ παντὸς βραχὺ τὸ λοιπόν.
And I will still add this much to the circuit: for of the innermost part of the gulf I made mention a little earlier, but concerning the whole, what remains is brief.
ἔστι γὰρ ἀκριβῶς κατʼ ἐπωνυμίαν τῆς πόλεως καὶ οὐχ ἑτέρα πρέπων.
For it is exactly according to the name of the city, and fitting no other.
πραότητι μὲν γὰρ καὶ χρείᾳ καὶ κάλλει καὶ σχήματι κόλπος ἐστὶ, δυνάμει δὲ θάλαττα ἐξώπιος· ἑνὸς δʼ ἔχων κόλπου προσωνυμίαν εἰς πολλοὺς κόλπους ἀνελίττεται, καθάπερ οἱ πίνακες οἱ πτυκτοί· ἄλλαι γὰρ ἄλλους ἄκραι σχηματίζουσι· λιμένες δὲ καὶ ἀναπαύσεις μυρίαι.
For in gentleness, usefulness, beauty, and shape it is a gulf, but in power it is an outer sea; and having the name of one gulf, it unfolds into many gulfs, just like folded tablets; for different capes shape different ones; and there are countless harbors and places of rest.
φαίης ἂν αὐτὸν ἐοικέναι ταῖς πολυκρούνοις φιάλαις, οὕτως ἀεὶ διʼ ὀλίγης χερρονήσου τοὺς ὅρμους ἔχει, περίπλους ἡμερῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων, εἴ τις κατὰ ὅρμον ὁρμίζοιτο.
You might say it resembles cups with many spouts, so constantly does it have its anchorages separated by a narrow peninsula, a circumnavigation of not a few days, if one were to anchor at harbor after harbor.
κἀμοὶ τὸν λόγον ἐνταυθοῖ ἤδη ὥρα ὁρμίζειν· περὶ γὰρ τοῦ δήμου τί δεῖ λέγειν;
And for me too, it is already time to anchor my speech here; for what need is there to speak about the people?
αὐτὸς γὰρ κρινεῖς καὶ ἔτι βελτίω ποιήσεις ἐξηγούμενος πρὸς τὸ κάλλιστον.
For you yourself will judge, and will make things still better as you lead them towards the most beautiful.
νῦν μὲν οὖν οἶδʼ ὅτι καὶ σοὶ καὶ τῶν παρόντων τοῖς πολλοῖς μετρίως δοκῶ διειλέχθαι· αὐτίκα δὲ ἐξελεγχθήσεται πάντα ταῦτα ἡττώμενα.
Now, therefore, I know that both to you and to most of those present I seem to have spoken moderately; but immediately all these things will be proved inferior.
καί μοι κέρδος ἡττᾶσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα.
And to be defeated in such things is a gain to me.