§258Περσικῆς ἀρχῆς ἦν κατασχόντων, πολλὰ μὲν τῶν ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἱερῶν ἐμπίμπραται, καὶ πρός γε ἡ κορυφὴ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἡ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πόλις·
...was under the Persian empire, when they took possession of it, many of the sanctuaries among the Greeks were burned, and moreover the very summit of Greece, the city of the Athenians.
τῇ δʼ Ἐλευσῖνι τοσοῦτον περιῆν, ὥστʼ οὐκ ἀπόρθητος μόνον ὡς εἰπεῖν διεγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ συνιούσης τῆς ναυμαχίας ἐξεφοίτα μὲν ὁ Ἴακχος συνναυμαχήσων, νέφος δὲ ὁρμηθὲν ἀπʼ Ἐλευσῖνος καὶ ὑψωθὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν νεῶν ἐγκατέσκηψεν εἰς τὰς τῶν βαρβάρων ναῦς ἅμα τῷ μέλει τῷ μυστικῷ.
But Eleusis had such a surplus of fortune that it not only remained, so to speak, unsacked throughout, but also, when the naval battle was coming together, Iacchus went forth to fight alongside them, and a cloud, starting from Eleusis and rising high above the ships, descended upon the ships of the barbarians along with the mystic song.
Ξέρξης δʼ ἐκπλαγεὶς ἔφευγε, καὶ τὰ Μήδων πράγματʼ ἀπώλλυτο.
And Xerxes, struck with panic, fled, and the affairs of the Persians were destroyed.
πολέμου δὲ συμβάντος τοῖς Ἕλλησι πρὸς ἀλλήλους πολλοῦ καὶ πάντων ἄνω καὶ κάτω γενομένων, μόνη δὴ τρόπον γέ τινα Ἐλευσὶς ἠρέμει· καὶ οὔτε Βοιωτῶν ἵππος οὔτε Λακεδαιμονίων καὶ Πελοποννησίων εἰσβολαὶ οὐ τοῦ περιβόλου προσήψαντο, οὐ τὸν νεὼν εἶδον ἑτέροις ἢ προσῆκεν ὀφθαλμοῖς.
And when much war occurred among the Greeks against one another, and all things were turned upside down, Eleusis alone, in a certain manner, remained at peace; and neither the cavalry of the Boeotians nor the invasions of the Lacedaemonians and Peloponnesians touched the enclosure, nor did they look upon the temple with other eyes than was fitting.
Σφοδρίου τοίνυν ὕστερον ὁρμηθέντος ἐκ Θηβῶν ἤρκεσαν αἱ δᾷδες φανεῖσαι κατασβέσαι τὴν τόλμαν.
Afterwards, when Sphodrias set out from Thebes, the torches, merely appearing, were sufficient to extinguish his daring.
σπονδαὶ τοίνυν αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι παρηνομήθησαν, καὶ τοῦτο μὲν Πυθίων ὄντων ἡ Καδμεία κατελήφθη, τοῦτο δʼ εἰς Ἴσθμια τὴν αὐτὴν θεωρίαν ἦγον μὲν Ἀργεῖοι, ἦγον δὲ Κορίνθιοι, τοῖς ὅπλοις οἱ ἕτεροι τοὺς ἑτέρους κρατήσαντες.
Then, other treaties were transgressed, and on one hand, while the Pythian games were being held, the Cadmea was seized, and on the other hand, for the Isthmian games, both Argives and Corinthians led the same sacred embassy, the one party having overcome the other by force of arms.
τὴν δʼ ἐπʼ Ἀλφειῷ μάχην σιωπῶ, πλὴν ὅσα καὶ ταύτῃ σύμβολον οὐ φαῦλον ἐπέστη παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς, ἡ τῶν ἀποστερουμένων τόλμα καὶ νίκη.
I remain silent about the battle at the Alpheus, except for what great and not insignificant sign was set upon it by Zeus, namely the daring and victory of those who were deprived.
μόναι δʼ αἱ μυστηριώτιδες σπονδαὶ τοὔνομα ἔσωσαν καὶ μόνοις Ἐλευσινίοις ὑγίαινεν ἡ Ἑλλάς.
But only the mystic truce preserved its name, and only for the Eleusinians was Greece healthy.
καὶ σαφέστατα δὴ πανήγυρις αὕτη καθάρσιον ἦν καὶ μανιῶν καὶ πάσης ἀτόπου συμφορᾶς.
And indeed, most clearly, this festival was a purification both of madness and of every strange misfortune.
καὶ τί δεῖ καθʼ ἕκαστα ἐπεξιέναι;
And what need is there to go through each detail?
ἀλλὰ Φίλιπποι καὶ Ἀλέξανδροι καὶ Ἀντίπατροι καὶ πᾶς ὁ τῶν κάτω δυναστῶν οὗτος κατάλογος, μυρία δὴ τῶν ἐν τοῖς Ἕλλησι κινήσαντες, μόνην τὴν Ἐλευσῖνα ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄβατόν τι καὶ κρεῖττον ἑαυτῶν ἡγήσαντο.
But Philips and Alexanders and Antipatres and this entire catalogue of later rulers, though they disturbed countless things among the Greeks, considered Eleusis alone to be truly an inviolable place and something superior to themselves.
καὶ σιωπῶ Κελτοὺς τοὺς τὰ τελευταῖα ἐπεισκωμάσαντας τῇ Ἑλλάδι, καὶ ὅσα τις τοιαῦτα προσθείη, ἐν ἅπασιν ἀθῶον τὸ ἱερὸν διέφυγε.
And I pass over in silence the Celts who in recent times raided Greece, and whatever such things one might add, in all of them the sanctuary escaped unharmed.
§259μόνον τοίνυν καὶ ὑπόμνημα τῆς παλαιᾶς εὐδαιμονίας ἅμα καὶ σεμνότητος ἐλείπετο τοῦτο τῇ τε πόλει καὶ τῇ Ἑλλάδι.
Therefore, this alone was left to both the city and Greece as a memorial at once of their ancient happiness and dignity.
ναυμαχίαι μὲν γὰρ καὶ πεζομαχίαι καὶ νόμοι καὶ πολιτεῖαι καὶ φρονήματα καὶ φωναὶ καὶ πάνθʼ ὡς εἰπεῖν ἐπέλιπεν, ἀντεῖχε δὲ τὰ μυστήρια.
For naval battles, land battles, laws, constitutions, pride, speech, and so to speak all things failed, but the mysteries held out.
πανηγύρεις τοίνυν αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι διʼ ἔτους πέμπτου καὶ τρίτου πληροῦνται, μόνη δὲ ἡ τῶν μυστηρίων παντὸς ἔτους ἐνίκησεν εἶναι.
Indeed, while other festivals are completed every fifth and third year, that of the mysteries alone won the right to be celebrated every year.
τὸ δὲ δὴ μέγιστον καὶ θειότατον, μόνην γὰρ ταύτην πανηγύρεων εἷς οἶκος συλλαβὼν εἶχε, καὶ ταυτὸν ἦν τῆς τε πόλεως πλήρωμα καὶ τοῦ Ἐλευσινίου.
And the greatest and most divine thing: for this alone of the festivals did a single household embrace and hold, and the fullness of the city and that of the Eleusinian sanctuary were the same.
πλάσματα τοίνυν καὶ γραφὰς καὶ τὸν κύκλῳ κόσμον τοῦτον τίς ἂν οὐχὶ καὶ ἐν ταῖς τριόδοις ὁρῶν ἐγανώθη, μή τί γε δὴ ἐν προσθήκῃ τῶν σεμνοτέρων εἶδεν;
Who indeed would not have been gladdened seeing sculptures, paintings, and this surrounding ornament even at the crossroads, not to mention seeing them in addition to more sacred things?
ἀλλὰ μὴν τό γε κέρδος τῆς πανηγύρεως οὐχ ὅσον ἡ παροῦσα εὐθυμία οὐδʼ αἱ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ πρότερον χρόνου δυσκολιῶν λύσεις καὶ ἀπαλλαγαὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς ἡδίους ἔχειν τὰς ἐλπίδας ὡς ἄμεινον διάξοντας, καὶ οὐκ ἐν σκότῳ τε καὶ βορβόρῳ κεισομένους, ἃ δὴ τοὺς ἀμυήτους ἀναμένειν.
Moreover, the profit of the festival is not only the present cheerfulness, nor the release and deliverance from the difficulties of former times, but also to have sweeter hopes concerning the end of life, that we shall pass our time better, and not lie in darkness and mire, which indeed await the uninitiated.
ταῦτα μὲν δὴ μέχρι τῆς σχετλίας ἡμέρας· ἃ δὲ νῦν ὁρᾶν τε καὶ ὑμνεῖν ὁ δαίμων παρέδωκε τίς θρῆνος Ἀργεῖος, τίνες Αἰγυπτίων ἢ Φρυγῶν ᾠδοὶ συμμετρήσονται;
These things indeed up to that wretched day; but what things the deity has now delivered to us to see and lament, what Argive dirge, what songs of Egyptians or Phrygians will match the measure?
τίς Ἐλευσίνιος Αἰσχύλος πρὸς χορὸν ᾁσεται;
What Eleusinian Aeschylus will sing to the chorus?
ποίας Ναυπλίου πάγας ὑποπύρους, ὡς ἔφη Σοφοκλῆς, ἄξιον τῇ πυρκαϊᾷ ταύτῃ παραβαλεῖν;
What fiery snares of Nauplius, as Sophocles said, is it worthy to compare to this conflagration?
ὦ δᾷδες, ὑφʼ οἵων ἀνδρῶν ἀπέσβητε.
O torches, by what kind of men were you extinguished!
ὦ δεινὴ καὶ ἀφεγγὴς ἡμέρα, ἣ τὰς φωσφόρους νύκτας ἐξεῖλες.
O terrible and lightless day, which took away the torch-bearing nights!
ὦ πῦρ οἷον ὤφθης Ἐλευσῖνι, οἷον ἀνθʼ οἵου.
O fire, what a kind you were seen at Eleusis, what a kind in place of what!
ὦ νεφέλη καὶ σκοτόμαινα, ἣ νῦν ἐπέχεις τὴν Ἑλλάδα.
O cloud and dark night, which now cover Greece!
ὦ Δήμητερ, ἣ πάλαι μὲν αὐτόθι τὴν κόρην εὗρες, νῦν δέ σοι ζητεῖν ὁ νεὼς λείπεται.
O Demeter, who of old didst find thy daughter there, but now it remains for thee to search for thy temple.
καὶ δὴ προσάγει μὲν, ὦ γῆ καὶ θεοὶ, τὰ μυστήρια.
Indeed, the mysteries are approaching, O earth and gods!
Βοηδρομιὼν δὲ οὗτος ἑτέρας τὰ νῦν δεῖται βοῆς, οὐχ οἵας ὅτε Ἴων Ἀθήναζε ἐβοήθησεν.
But this month Boedromion now stands in need of another cry, not of such a kind as when Ion came to help Athens.
ὦ πρόρρησις, ὦ τῶν ἱερῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ νυκτῶν κατάλογος, §260εἰς οἵαν ἡμέραν ἐτελευτήσατε.
O proclamation, O catalogue of sacred days and nights, into what kind of day have you ended!
ποτέροις καὶ ἄξιον στενάξαι μεῖζον;
For which of the two is it worthy to groan more?
πότερον τοῖς ἀμυήτοις, ἢ τοῖς μεμυημένοις;
For the uninitiated, or for the initiated?
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὧν εἶδον, οἱ δʼ ὧν εἶχον ἰδεῖν τὰ κάλλιστα ἀπεστέρηνται.
For the latter have been deprived of the most beautiful things they saw, and the former of what they were destined to see.
ὦ κακῶς ἐξορχησάμενοι τὰ μυστήρια.
O you who have badly danced out the mysteries!
ὦ τὰ ἄφαντα φήναντες, κοινοὶ τῶν ὑπὸ γῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ γῆς θεῶν πολέμιοι.
O you who have revealed the unrevealed, common enemies of the gods below the earth and above the earth!
ὦ πάλαι τε δὴ καὶ νῦν ὡς ἀληθῶς παῖδες Ἕλληνες, οἳ τοσούτου κακοῦ προσιόντος περιείδετε.
O you who of old and now are truly children, you Greeks, who allowed so great an evil to approach.
οὐκ ὦ θαυμάσιοι νῦν γέ τι ἐν ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἔσεσθε;
O admirable men, will you not now at last be something in yourselves?
οὐ τάς γε Ἀθήνας αὐτὰς περισώσετε;
Will you not save Athens itself?