§263ἐμοὶ δὲ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, συνέβη ταυτὸν ὅπερ τοῖς ἐν ταῖς τραγῳδίαις μέχρι πολλοῦ σιωπῶσιν, ἔπειτα καιροῦ παρασχόντος φθεγξαμένοις ἢ πρὸς χορὸν, ἢ πρὸς ὁντιναδήποτε.
to me, O men of Greece, there has happened the very same thing as to those characters in tragedies who remain silent for a long time, and then, when the opportunity presents itself, speak either to the chorus or to anyone else.
πάντα γὰρ τὸν ἄνω χρόνον κατασχὼν ἐμαυτὸν ἐξ οὗ ταῦθʼ ἃ σύνιστε ἐγένετο, καὶ οὔτε πρὸς παραμυθίαν τῶν πολιτῶν ὁρμήσας οὔτʼ ἄλλο πράξας οὐδὲν ἀλλʼ ἢ τοῖς προστάταις ὅσα καιρὸς ἦν ἐπιστείλας καὶ τἀκεῖθεν ἀποσκοπῶν, ἐπειδὴ καλῶς ποιοῦντες οἱ θεοὶ καὶ οἱ θεῶν γνώμῃ βασιλεῖς ἡμῖν αὐτοί τε κυβερνώμενοι καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἄγοντες πράγματα τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν τῆς πόλεως ἀπωσάμενοι τύχην τὴν χρηστὴν καὶ πάλαι προσήκουσαν ἀντεισήγαγον, οἶμαί τι κἂν αὐτὸς ἐν καιρῷ τυχεῖν εἰπών.
For during all the preceding time, restraining myself since these events which you know of took place, and neither rushing to comfort the citizens nor doing anything else except sending instructions to the leaders as far as there was opportunity and watching the developments from there, now that the gods acting graciously, and the emperors by the will of the gods—being themselves guided and directing the affairs of men—have driven away the fortune alien to our city and introduced in its stead the good fortune that has of old belonged to it, I think that I too might happen to speak something in season.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐξῆν ἐμοὶ κινεῖσθαι ὅποι βούλομαι, παρὼν ἂν ὑμῖν διελεγόμην· κατέχοντος δὲ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡ διὰ τῶν γραμμάτων ὁμιλία κατελείπετο.
If, then, it were permitted to me to move wherever I wish, I would be speaking to you in person; but since the Savior detains me, the communication through letters was left to me.
καὶ τοῦτʼ εἰ μέν ἐστιν εἰς παράδειγμα ἀνενεγκεῖν, οὐ χρὴ θαυμάσαι· εἰ δʼ ἄλλῳ μὲν οὐδενί πω μέχρι τούτου πέπρακται, προσήκει δὲ ἡμῖν, οὐκ §264ὀρθῶς ἔχει νεμεσῆσαι. ἡνίκα μὲν οὖν τὰ συμβάντα ἐπυθόμην, —οὐ γὰρ παρών γε ἔτυχον, ἀλλʼ ἔφθην προεξελθὼν, ὅτου δὲ γνώμῃ λογίζεσθε—μονῳδίας τινὰς ᾖδον, ἕως ἔλαθον λόγους τινὰς σωθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους.
And if this can be referred to a precedent, one should not wonder; but if it has been done by no one else up to this time, but is fitting for us, it is not right to feel resentment., therefore, I learned of what had happened—for I did not happen to be present, but had already departed beforehand, by whose will, you may reckon—I sang certain monodies, until, before I knew it, I was guided safely to certain speeches by my grief.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ἄλλως ἀνταρκέσαι, μὴ τούτοις ἐφέντα ἑαυτόν.
For indeed it was not possible to hold out otherwise, without giving oneself up to these.
νῦν δʼ ὥρα μοι τὸν Στησίχορον μιμήσασθαι τῇ παλινῳδίᾳ, καὶ μὴ τότε ἀβούλητα ᾁδοντα τἀκ τῶν εὐχῶν νυνὶ σιωπῆσαι.
But now it is time for me to imitate Stesichorus in his palinode, and not, after having then sung involuntary things, to keep silent now about the things that come from our prayers.
τοσοῦτον δὲ τοῦ Στησιχόρου διοίσειν μοι δοκῶ, ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθʼ ὧν κακῶς εἶπε τὴν Ἑλένην, ἀντὶ τούτων ὕμνησε τὰ δεύτερα, ἐγὼ δὲ ἃ τηνικαῦτα ἐκόσμουν ὀδυρόμενος, ταῦτα νῦν ἐπὶ τοῦ γεγηθέναι κοσμήσω, καθαρὰν ὀδυρμοῦ τὴν εὐφημίαν παρεχόμενος.
And in this much I think I shall differ from Stesichorus: for he, in return for having spoken ill of Helen, sang her praises in his second song in stead of those words; but I, the very things which I then adorned with lamentations, these I will now adorn in joy, offering a song of praise pure of lamentation.
ἡμῖν γὰρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, πταῖσαι μὲν συνέβη κατὰ τὴν κοινὴν ἀνθρώπων τύχην, ἣν οὐχ οἷόν τε ἀμοίρους κακῶν εἰς τέλος διεξελθεῖν, ἀναφέρειν δὲ τῇ τῆς πόλεως τύχῃ, διʼ ἣν οὐδενὸς τῶν καλῶν ἄμοιρος πώποτε ἐγένετο.
For to us, O men of Greece, it happened on the one hand to stumble according to the common fortune of men, which it is impossible to pass through to the end without a share of evils, and on the other hand to recover by the fortune of our city, because of which she has never been without a share of any of the beautiful things.
γνοίη δʼ ἄν τις καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ τεκμαιρόμενος.
And one might know this, judging also by the time.
τὸ γὰρ ἡνίκʼ ἔμελλεν οὐ πεσοῦσα κείσεσθαι, οὐδʼ ἀνθρώπου τελευτῇ παραπλησίως πράξειν, ὥσπερ ἄλλαι τινὲς ἤδη πρότερον πόλεις, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ κρειττόνων κρηπίδων ἀναστήσεσθαι, τηνικαῦτα ὑπολισθεῖν, πῶς οὐκ εὐτυχίας μέρει προσθείη τις ἂν εὖ φρονῶν;
For that she should slip precisely at the time when she was destined not to lie fallen, nor to fare like a dying human being, as some other cities have done before, but to rise up on better foundations—how could any man of sense not reckon this as a part of good fortune?
συζυγίαν δὲ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ δαίμων ἐσκέψατο.
But, as it seems, the deity devised a conjunction.
τοῖς τε γὰρ πάντα ἀρίστοις βασιλεῦσι καὶ πάσας πόλεις ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῖς ἔχουσι τὴν καλλίστην οἰκίσαι φιλοτιμίαν εἶχε, τῇ τε πόλει τὸ διὰ τούτων ἀνεγερθῆναι καὶ τοιούτους ἀρχηγέτας ἐπιγράψασθαι τὴν συμφορὰν εἰς εὐπραξίαν μετέβαλε.
For on the one hand, for the emperors, who are best in all things and have all cities under them, it was an object of noble ambition to rebuild the fairest city; and on the other hand, for the city, to be raised up by their means and to inscribe such leaders as her founders turned her misfortune into prosperity.
πρότερον μὲν γὰρ Θησέα καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον ᾔδομεν, τὸν μὲν τῶν ἐν Ἕλλησιν, οἶμαι, φιλανθρωπότατον, τὸν δὲ συμπάντων βασιλέων μάλιστα δὴ θαυμασθέντα τῆς εἰς τοὺς πολέμους τόλμης ἕνεκα.
For formerly we used to sing of Theseus and Alexander, the former being, I think, the most humane of those among the Greeks, and the latter being most admired of all kings because of his daring in wars.
νῦν δʼ ἔτι λαμπροτέρους καὶ μείζονας οἰκιστὰς προσελάβομεν· οἷς πᾶσα μὲν γῆ καὶ §265θάλαττα ὑπήκοος, ἐκ πατέρων τε καὶ ἐξ ὧν αὐτοὶ προσεκτήσαντο· σοφίας δὲ καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀληθείας καὶ χρηστότητος οὐκ ἔλαττον, εἰ μὴ καὶ πλέον τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἰσχύος περίεστι.
But now we have obtained even more illustrious and greater founders; to whom all land and sea are subject, both from their fathers and from what they themselves have acquired in addition; and who possess no less of wisdom, justice, truth, and goodness—if not indeed more—than of their strength in arms.
τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἔξω στηλῶν Ἡρακλέους ἢ τίς ὑπὲρ τὸν Καύκασον, ὥστʼ ἀνήκοος τῆς τούτων φιλανθρωπίας καὶ μεγαλοψυχίας εἶναι;
For who is so far outside the Pillars of Heracles, or who beyond the Caucasus, as to be unheard of their humanity and magnanimity?
οἳ καὶ τὸ τῆς Σμύρνης ὄνομα οὐ περιεῖδον ἐν μύθου τάξει γενόμενον, ἀλλʼ ἀπορροήν τινα τῆς αὑτῶν τύχης ἀφεῖσαν εἰς αὐτὴν, καὶ παρέσχον οὐ τὸ πτῶμα θρηνεῖν, ἀλλὰ συνοικία ἑορτάζειν.
Who also did not allow the very name of Smyrna to fall into the category of a myth, but sent forth a certain outflow of their own fortune into it, and made it possible not to lament its fall, but to celebrate its restoration.
Ἀλεξάνδρου μὲν οὖν ὕπνος ᾁδεται, προοίμιον τῆς κατοικίσεως ἔχων· οἱ δὲ τοσαύτην ἄρα τὴν ἐγρήγορσιν παρέσχοντο, ὥστʼ ἔφθησαν ἡμᾶς ἀνιστάντες, πρὶν ἐξελθεῖν τὸν ἐροῦντα πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἃ πεπόνθαμεν.
On the one hand, the sleep of Alexander is sung, containing the prelude of the settlement; but they, on the other hand, showed such great vigilance that they anticipated us in raising us up, before anyone could go out to tell them what we had suffered.
ὀργάνοις δὲ θειοτάτοις ἅμα καὶ λαμπροτάτοις ἐχρήσαντο, λόγοις μὲν παραμυθησάμενοι καὶ δείξαντες, ὅ ποτε Ἡσίοδος ἐμαντεύσατο, ὅσον τι χρῆμα ἡ μουσικὴ τῇ βασιλικῇ προσγενομένη χορηγίαν δὲ πᾶσαν παρασχόμενοι πρός τε τὴν τῶν συμβεβηκότων θεραπείαν καὶ προσέτι ἑτέρων κόσμων περιβολήν.
And they used instruments at once most divine and most illustrious, on the one hand comforting us with words and showing what Hesiod once prophesied, how great a thing music is when added to royalty, and on the other hand providing every contribution both for the healing of what had happened and furthermore for the surrounding of other adornments.
καὶ οὐδὲ ταῦτʼ ἀπέχρησεν, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ πόλει πολιτευόμενοι χρημάτων τε πόρους ἀπεδείκνυσαν καὶ τοὺς φιλοτιμησομένους ὑπʼ ἐλπίδων ἐκήλουν καὶ εἰς χειρῶν βοήθειαν ἐκάλουν καὶ ἐπηγγέλλοντο βουλομένους, οὐκ ἐθέλοντας δὲ οὐκ ἐνοχλήσειν, κἂν αὐτίκα πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερόν τι βουλώμεθα, λέγειν ἐκέλευον, ὡς χαριούμενοι.
And not even this was sufficient, but, as if they were citizens in the city itself, they both designated resources of money and charmed with hopes those who would show public spirit, and called them to the help of their hands, and promised that they would not trouble those who were willing—no, rather, those who were not willing—and if we should wish anything else immediately in addition to these things, they bade us speak, as those who would gratify us.
ὥστʼ ἐμοὶ μὲν οὐδὲ σύμπαντα τὰ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων χρήματα ἀντάξια τῆς συνεχείας ταύτης εἶναι δοκεῖ· πεποίηκε γὰρ, εἰ θέμις εἰπεῖν, συνενεγκεῖν τῇ πόλει τὸν σεισμόν.
So that to me, not even all the riches of mankind seem to be of equal value to this continuity of care; for it has made, if it is permitted to say so, the earthquake turn out to the benefit of the city.
πρὶν μὲν γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ γενέσθαι τύχης οὔπω δῆλον ἦν εἰς ὅσον τιμᾶται οὐδὲ ὅπως δέοι πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔχειν τοὺς ἄλλους, νῦν δὲ τὸ τοῦ Θεμιστοκλέους ἔξεστιν εἰπεῖν, εἰ δὴ τοῦτό γε πιστευτέον κατʼ ἐκείνου, ὡς ἐπὶ ταῖς δωρεαῖς ταῖς παρὰ τοῦ Πέρσου γενομέναις αὐτῷ φθέγξαιτό τι τοιοῦτον πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας, ὅτι
For before she came to this state of fortune, it was not yet clear to what extent she is honored, nor how others ought to behave toward her; but now it is possible to say the saying of Themistocles—if indeed this must be believed of him, that upon the gifts made to him by the Persian, he uttered some such thing to his children, namely: