§247πέλαγος δὲ οὐδείς πω διὰ τέλους ᾖσεν οὔτε ποιητὴς οὔτε λογογράφος, ἀλλʼ Ὅμηρος λέγει ἰοειδέα §248πόντον καὶ οἴνοπα πόντον, καὶ Εὐριπίδης ἅλα πορφυρέην, καὶ εἰ δή τις ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον·
But no one yet, whether poet or prose-writer, has sung of the sea fully, but Homer calls it "violet-colored sea" and "wine-dark sea," and Euripides calls it "purple brine," and if indeed anyone else says anything else of the sort; but for the most part they even speak ill of the sea, calling it "salty" and "heavy-roaring" and the like.
τὰ δὲ πολλὰ καὶ βλασφημοῦσιν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν, ἁλμυρὰν καὶ βαρύβρομον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτʼ ὀνομάζοντες. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸν μὲν ὑπὲρ πάσης τῆς θαλάττης λόγον ὅσην καὶ οἵαν χρείαν ἀνθρώποις ἔχει καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡλίκων αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἐάσομεν ἐν τῷ παρόντι, τῷ δὲ Αἰγαίῳ τὸ ὀφείλημα ἀποδώσομεν καὶ ὑμνήσομεν, πρῶτον ὅτι θέσεως ἄριστα εἴληχεν, ὡς καὶ πόλεως ἄν τις ἐπαινέσειε πρῶτον τὴν θέσιν.
But we, while leaving aside for the present the discourse concerning the whole sea, how great and of what kind of usefulness it has for humans, and for what great purposes God made it, will pay our debt to the Aegean and praise it, first because it has obtained the best position, just as one would praise the position of a city first.
ἐν γὰρ τῷ μέσῳ τῆς πάσης οἰκουμένης τε καὶ θαλάττης μάλιστα ἵδρυται, πρὸς ἄρκτον μὲν Ἑλλήσποντον καὶ Προποντίδα καὶ πόντον καταλιπὼν, πρὸς δὲ μεσημβρίαν τὴν λοιπὴν θάλατταν, διαιρῶν μὲν τὴν Ἀσίαν ἀπὸ τῆς Εὐρώπης, ᾗ πρῶτον μεθʼ Ἑλλήσποντον διίστασθον· γένη δὲ τὰ ἐνδοξότατα καὶ ἡμερώτατα ἐφʼ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἀκτῆς ἔχων, ἔνθεν μὲν Ἰωνίαν καὶ τὴν Αἰολίδα γῆν, ἑτέρωθεν δὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα.
For it is situated preeminently in the middle of the whole inhabited world and sea, leaving to the north the Hellespont, the Propontis, and the Pontus, and to the south the rest of the sea, separating on the one hand Asia from Europe, where they first stand apart after the Hellespont; and having on each coast the most glorious and civilized races, on one side Ionia and the Aeolian land, on the other Greece.
ὥστε μόνον τοῦτο ἂν εἴη πελαγῶν μέσον εἶναι τῆς πάσης Ἑλλάδος ἄξιον εἰπεῖν, εἴ τις ἓν τοῦτο γένος Ἑλλήνων ἐφʼ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἠπείρου τιθείη.
So that this alone of seas might be worthy to be called the center of all Greece, if one were to place this single race of Greeks on each of the two continents.
καίτοι εἰ ποταμῶν εὐδοκιμοῦσιν ὄχθαι δένδρα ἔχουσαι καὶ λειμῶνας, ἦ που σφόδρα γε τὰς τοῦ Αἰγαίου δίκαιον εὐδοκιμεῖν ἀκτὰς, τοιούτοις γένεσι κεκοσμημένας, καὶ ταῦτα ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς προσοικοῦσιν Ἕλλησιν·
And yet, if the banks of rivers are renowned when they have trees and meadows, surely it is highly right that the shores of the Aegean should be renowned, adorned as they are with such races, and that too among the Greeks who dwell near them.
ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος τὸ μετριώτατον καὶ πρὸς πάσας τὰς ὥρας τὸ αὐτὸ ἀνεκτότατον, τοῦτʼ ἂν εἴη τὸ ὑπερέχον τὸν Αἰγαῖον, καὶ περὶ ταύτας τὰς χώρας μάλιστα ἱδρυμένον.
For indeed, the most temperate climate, and that which is most supportable in the same way through all seasons, this would be the supreme excellence of the Aegean, and it is established especially around these regions.
δῆλον δὲ κατʼ ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς λόγους.
And this is clear from both arguments.
οἵ τε γὰρ τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐν τῷ καλλίστῳ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φάσκοντες εἶναι οἵ τʼ αὖ τὴν Ἰωνίαν ὁμολογοῦσι δήπουθεν ἀμφότεροι περὶ τοῦτον ὅλως τὸν τόπον εἶναι τὸ βέλτιστον.
For both those who say that Attica is in the fairest part of the sky, and those who say Ionia, surely both agree that the best is around this region as a whole.
καθότι γὰρ ἀμφοτέρας παρατείνει τὰς ἀκτὰς, ὁποτέραν ἄν τις αὐτῶν τιθῇ κρατεῖν, ἔχει ταύτην, καὶ εἰ δεήσειεν αὖ κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας ἀμφισβητήσεις ἐπιχωρήσαντας ἀλλήλοις ἐπὶ τὸ μέσον ἐλθεῖν, ὅπερ εἶπον, ὁ Αἰγαῖός ἐστι τοῦτο.
For insofar as it stretches along both coasts, whichever of them one posits as superior, it holds this one; and if on the other hand, in other disputes, it should be necessary for them, yielding to one another, to meet in the middle, as I said, this is the Aegean.
ὥστε τὸ κάλλιστον τῶν ἀέρων οὗτος εἴληχεν.
So that it has obtained the fairest of climates.
§249ἡ μὲν δὴ θέσις αὐτοῦ τοιαύτη τε καὶ ἐν τοιούτῳ τοῦ παντός· ἡ δὲ φύσις θαυμαστή.
Now its position is such and in such a part of the universe; and its nature is wonderful.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ μέγεθος τοῦ πελάγους ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις ἐλλόγιμόν τε καὶ πάντη τεταμένον, εἴ τις ἀκριβῶς αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς τέλος ἐξετάζοι πανταχῆ, καὶ περὶ κύκλῳ πλέοντι ἡμερῶν πλῆθος ἀμύθητον τριφθήσεται.
For the size of the sea is famous among the first, and extended in every direction, if one should examine it accurately from beginning to end everywhere, and for one sailing around it an unspeakable number of days will be spent.
οὐ μὴν ἐψίλωταί γε οὐδʼ εἰς ἀπέραντον καθιστῶν τὴν ὄψιν ἀθυμίαν καὶ ἀπορίαν παρέχει, ἀλλὰ πολλὰ μὲν Αἰγαίου πελάγη, πολλοὶ δὲ κόλποι, ἄλλο δὲ ἀλλαχοῦ θαλάττης εἶδος.
Yet it is by no means bare, nor does it, by presenting the sight with boundless space, cause despondency and helplessness; but there are many seas within the Aegean, many gulfs, and different aspects of the sea in different places.
προκαταλύσαις δʼ ἂν καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῷ πελάγει τὸν πλοῦν καὶ ἐντύχοις ἂν καὶ γῇ καὶ πόλεσι καὶ χωρίοις ὥσπερ τισὶ μικραῖς ἠπείροις περιρρύτοις, καὶ ταμίας ἂν γένοιο αὐτὸς τοῦ πλοῦ, καὶ πρὶν ἐκπερᾶσαι πᾶν τὸ πέλαγος, αὖθις ἂν ὀπίσω κομίζοιο, ὁμοίως ἐκτελέσας τὸν σκοπόν.
And you might put an end to your voyage even in the middle of the sea, and you would encounter land, cities, and places like small, sea-girt continents; and you yourself would become the master of your voyage, and before crossing the whole sea, you might return back again, having equally accomplished your purpose.
οὐ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ Ὁμήρου πέλαγος διʼ ἐρήμου δεῖ διελθεῖν καὶ ἐπί τι τῶν οἰκουμένων ἀνύσαι, ὥστε μηδενὶ θεῶν κεχαρισμένην εἶναι τὴν ὁδὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐρημίας, ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ δὴ καὶ
"Νηρῄδων χοροὶ
κάλλιστον ἴχνος ἐξελίσσουσιν ποδί· "
ὅτι τὸ μάλιστα οἰκούμενον καὶ ἀκμάζον τῆς θαλάττης τοῦτό ἐστι, καὶ τοσαῦτά ἐστι πλεῖν ὁπόσα τις βούλεται, καὶ τοσαῦτά γε αὖ πεζεῦσαι ὁπόσα τις μὴ περιπλεῖν βούλεται, ἀλλὰ διεξελθὼν ἐπʼ ἄλλην ἀκτὴν κατάρας ἐκεῖθεν ἀφιέναι.
For one does not have to traverse a desert, as in Homer's sea, and reach some inhabited place, with the result that the journey is pleasing to none of the gods due to its desolation; but here indeed also "choirs of Nereids unfold their fairest steps with their feet"; because this is the most inhabited and flourishing part of the sea, and there is as much sailing as one wishes, and on the other hand, as much walking on foot as one wishes who does not want to sail around, but having gone across and landed on another shore, to depart from there.
μόνον γὰρ τοῦτο πελαγῶν οὐχ ἧττον οἰκεῖται ἢ αὐτὴ ἡ γῆ· πόλεις τε ἔχει τοσοῦτον ἀλλήλων διεχούσας ὅσον ἂν καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ ἠπείρῳ πόλεις αἱ μεταξὺ χῶραι διακρίνοιεν.
For this alone of seas is no less inhabited than the land itself; and it has cities separated from one another by as much distance as the intervening lands would separate cities on the continent.
ὥστε διὰ μὲν ὀξύτητά τε τοῦ πελάγους καὶ πλῆθος τοῦ παντὸς πλοῦ φοβερώτατός ἐστι, διὰ δʼ αὖ τὰς ἀναπαύσεις ἡμερώτατος.
So that, on the one hand, because of the depth and the extent of the whole voyage, it is most terrifying, but on the other hand, because of the places of rest, it is most gentle.
τάχιστα δὲ κινούμενος μάλιστα καὶ σώζει τὸ θεῖον διαφυλάττων.
And moving most swiftly, it also especially preserves, keeping watch over the divine element.
δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸ φρικῶδες μὲν διʼ ἰσχὺν, σωτήριον δὲ εἶναι διὰ πραότητα.
For it must be awesome on account of its power, but saving on account of its gentleness.
ἠχεῖ δὲ πελαγῶν λιγυρώτατον περὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ δῶρά τε καὶ γεννήματα· οἷόν περ τοὺς Πᾶνας καὶ Σατύρους φασὶ ποιηταὶ κατά τε τὰ ὄρη καὶ περὶ τὰ δένδρα ἠχεῖν ὥρᾳ
And it resounds most clearly of seas around its own gifts and offspring; just as poets say the Pans and Satyrs resound through the mountains and around the trees in season.