§268ὀχήματα καὶ πορείας ἐπιπεμπόντων, ἔτι δʼ οἰκήσεις καὶ συνεδρίων κοινωνίας καὶ πάσας ἀφορμὰς παρασκευαζόντων, ὥσπερ γονεῦσιν ἢ παισὶν αὑτῶν, παραπλήσιά τε τῶν μεγέθει μὲν ἀπολειπομένων, προθυμίας δὲ καὶ τιμῆς οὐδὲν ἐλλειπόντων.
sending carriages and means of travel, and further preparing lodgings, common assemblies, and every resource, as if for their own parents or children; and those who fell short in size, but lacked nothing in zeal and honor, did likewise.
τίς γὰρ οὐχ ἕρμαιον ἑαυτοῦ ἐποιήσατο;
For who did not make this his own godsend?
τίς γὰρ οὐχ εὑρίσκεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ τίθεσθαι ταύτην χάριν ᾠήθη, δέξασθαι συνοίκους τοὺς τοσοῦτον πρωτεύσαντας;
For who did not think that to receive as fellow-citizens those who had held such primacy was rather to receive a favor than to bestow one?
χρημάτων τοίνυν συντέλειαν καὶ πρὸς τὰ μέλλοντα ὑποσχέσεις ἀφʼ ἑκατέρας τῆς ἠπείρου καὶ πολλὰς ἄλλας φιλανθρωπίας εἰς δύναμιν τὴν ἑκάστων γενομένας τίς ἂν ἐκπεράνειε διηγούμενος;
Who then could describe in full the contribution of money, the promises for the future from both continents, and many other acts of humanity done according to the power of each?
καὶ οὐ τούτου γε ἕνεκα ἡ πόλις ἠξίωσε πάντα ἐφεξῆς δέχεσθαι, οὐδʼ ὡς οἱ διδόντες ἐβούλοντο, ἀλλʼ ὡς αὐτῇ καλὸν ἦν λαβεῖν.
And not for this reason did the city think fit to accept everything in succession, nor as the givers wished, but as it was honorable for her to receive.
καὶ τί δεῖ ταῦτʼ ἐν μέρει καταλέγειν;
And why is it necessary to list these things in detail?
πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πληροῦνθʼ ἡμῖν τὴν Ἀσίαν φιλοτιμίαν κοινὴν φιλοτιμεῖται πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, τὰ κράτιστα τῶν ἀρχαίων ἀνιστάντα.
For all the nations that fill our Asia vie with one another in a common ambition for the city, raising up the best of her ancient things.
ἐπὶ μόνης δὲ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως τὸ παλαιὸν ῥῆμα ἐξηλέγχθη ψευδῶς ἔχον, τὸ κακῶς πραξάντων λήθην εἶναι παρὰ τοῖς φίλοις· τοσοῦτον αὐτῇ καὶ παρὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ἐπιφανείας καὶ χαρίτων καὶ δόξης ἐφυλάχθη παρὰ τοῦ δαίμονος.
On this city alone has the ancient saying been proved false, that "the unfortunate are forgotten by their friends"; so much prestige, favor, and glory was preserved for her by the divinity even during her misfortune.
νῦν δʼ ὅσα μὲν θρηνώδους ἁρμονίας καὶ σχημάτων ἀχαρίτων καὶ παρὰ τῆς λύπης ἔχοντα τὴν εὐφημίαν ἐκποδὼν ἀπελήλυθε, λευχειμονεῖ δὲ ἡ ἤπειρος, πανηγυρίζει δʼ ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἐπὶ χρηστῆς ὑποθέσεως, ἡ πόλις δʼ ὥσπερ ἐν δράματι καὶ δὴ πάλιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀναφύεται μεταβαλοῦσα τὴν ἡλικίαν, ἡ αὐτὴ παλαιὰ καὶ νέα γενομένη, ὥσπερ τὸν φοίνικα ἀναβιώσκεσθαι λόγος αὐτὸν ἐξ αὑτοῦ· οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτʼ ἄρα δόξαι τῷ θεῷ ἕτερον φοίνικα ἀντʼ ἐκείνου τε καὶ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον γενέσθαι.
But now, all that belonged to mournful music, ungraceful forms, and ill-omened words arising from grief has departed out of the way; the continent wears white, Greece celebrates a festival on a good occasion, and the city, as in a drama, is rising anew once more from the beginning, changing her age, becoming at once old and new, just as the story goes that the phoenix revives from itself; for indeed, it did not seem fit to the god that another phoenix should arise instead of and after that one.
πάντα δʼ ὥσπερ ὁδῷ κεχωρηκέναι φαίνεται.
All things seem to have proceeded as on a path.
Θησέως μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς οἰκίσαντος, Ἀλέξανδρος ὕστερον εἰς τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα προήγαγε.
For while Theseus founded her at the beginning, Alexander later advanced her to this form.
τρίτη δὲ χεὶρ τῶν πάντα νικώντων ἀνίστησι τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ συντίθησι· μεταθεῖναι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἠξίωσαν, ἔρωτι τῆς §269ὑπαρχούσης, οἱ δʼ ἐπὶ τῶν ἰχνῶν ἐγείρουσιν.
And a third hand of those who conquer all things raises up and reconstructs the same city; for they did not think fit to relocate her, because of their love for the existing one, but they raise her upon her own tracks.
ἐπόθει δʼ ἄρα καὶ ἡ τῆς πόλεως φύσις οἰκιστὰς διττοὺς, δύο τὰς ἀρχηγέτιδας νέμουσα.
And so the very nature of the city desired double founders, since she possessed two protectress-goddesses.
καὶ δὴ λιμένες τε κομίζονται τὰς τῆς φιλτάτης πόλεως ἀγκάλας καὶ πάλιν αὖ κατακοσμεῖται, καὶ τῷ Μέλητι οὐδὲν ἐμποδὼν τὸ μὴ τοὺς προσοίκους ἔχειν, ἦρος δὲ πύλαι καὶ θέρους ὑπὸ στεφάνων ἀνοίγνυνται.
And indeed the harbors receive the embrace of the dearest city, and she is adorned once again; and there is nothing to prevent the Meles from having neighbors, and the gates of spring and summer are opened under crowns of flowers.
χοροὶ δὲ Νυμφῶν καὶ Μουσῶν ἐν αὐτῇ τε καὶ περὶ αὐτὴν χορεύουσι, ζέφυροι δὲ οὐ λυπήσουσι πνέοντες.
Choruses of Nymphs and Muses dance in and around her, and the west winds will not harm as they blow.
ὦ μακάριοι μὲν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οἱ πρὸς ταύτην ἀφιξόμενοι τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν Σμύρναν ὄψονται τὸν ἑαυτῆς ἔχουσαν κόσμον· παῖδες δὲ οὐδὲν ζημιωσόμενοι, ἀλλʼ ὀψόμενοι τὴν πατρίδα οἵαν οἱ γονεῖς ᾤκουν· οἱ δʼ ἐν ἡλικίᾳ τὰ μὲν συμπράξαντές τε καὶ συμπονήσαντες, τὰ δὲ συνθύσοντες καὶ συνεορτάσοντες ἑαυτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς εἰσαφικνουμένοις· ὡς τῶν παρόντων ἀγαθῶν ἔτι καλλίους αἱ τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδες.
O blessed among the elders are those who shall reach this day on which they will see Smyrna possessing her own adornment; and the children will suffer no loss, but will see their fatherland such as their parents inhabited; and those in the prime of life, having partly helped and labored together, will partly sacrifice and celebrate together both for themselves and for those who arrive; since the hopes of the future are even more beautiful than the present goods.
ἀλλὰ Ζεῦ πολιεῦ τε καὶ θεαὶ κληροῦχοι τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως καὶ Πόσειδον, ὃς ἀμφότερα εἴληχας, κινεῖν τε καὶ σώζειν, καὶ θεοὶ βασίλειοί τε καὶ Ἑλλήνιοι, γενέσθαι τόνδε ἡμῖν τὸν οἰκισμὸν δευτέρων ἀμεινόνων βεβαιοτέρων ἐπὶ πολλῇ μὲν εὐφροσύνῃ καὶ δόξῃ τῶν οἰκιστῶν, χρηστοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἀπαντησομένοις τῇ πόλει διὰ παντὸς τοῦ μέλλοντος χρόνου, εἶναι δέ τι καὶ τοὐμὸν ἐν Ἕλλησι νῦν τε καὶ ὕστερον.
But, O Zeus, guardian of the city, and goddess-patrons of this city, and Poseidon, who have received both lots, to shake and to save, and gods of the emperors and of the Greeks, may this rebuilding turn out for us to be better and firmer than the first, with great joy and glory for the founders, and with good fortune meeting the city through all time to come, and may my own part also be of some account among the Greeks both now and hereafter.