§304δὲ νύκτες ἀνθʼ ἡμερῶν ἦσαν ἄγρυπνοι.
And the nights were sleepless instead of days.
"τίς κεν ἐκεῖνα
πάντα γε μυθήσαιτο καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων; "
οὐ γὰρ πεντάετες οὐδʼ ἑξάετες οὐκ ἀρκεῖ.
"τίς κεν ἐκεῖνα πάντα γε μυθήσαιτο καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων;" "Who of mortal men could tell all those things?" For five or even six years would not suffice.
ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐλαττόνων ἴσως ἐστὶ χρόνων ἡ διήγησις ἢ ἐν ὅσοις τὰ πράγματα ἐγίγνετο.
Indeed, the narrative would perhaps take no less time than that in which the events themselves occurred.
εἰ δὴ ταῦτά τις προσλογίσαιτο καὶ σκέψαιτο ἐφʼ ὅσων καὶ οἵων τῶν παθημάτων καὶ ὁποίας τῆς περὶ ταῦτα ἀνάγκης εἰς θάλατταν καὶ ποταμοὺς καὶ φρέατα ἐκόμιζε, καὶ τῷ χειμῶνι μάχεσθαι προσέταττε, φήσει πᾶν ὡς ἀληθῶς περαιτέρω θαυμάτων εἶναι, καὶ τοῦ τε θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν μειζόνως ὄψεται, κἀμοὶ συνησθήσεται τῆς τιμῆς ἣν ἐτιμώμην, καὶ οὐκ ἂν τῆς ἀσθενείας μᾶλλον συνάχθοιτο.
If anyone should take these things into account and consider under how many and what kind of sufferings, and under what kind of necessity regarding them, He brought me to the sea, rivers, and wells, and commanded me to fight against winter, he will say that everything is truly beyond wonders, and he will see the power and providence of the god more greatly, and he will rejoice with me in the honor with which I was honored, and would not grieve more for my illness.
πόθεν οὖν συνεσκευάσθη τοσοῦτον πρᾶγμα ἴσως ἄν τις ἀκοῦσαι δεηθείη.
Someone perhaps might wish to hear from what source such a great trouble was compounded.
τὸ δʼ ἐστὶ μὲν πέρα ἢ κατʼ Ἀλκίνου ἀπόλογον, πειράσομαι δέ πως ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς εἰπεῖν.
But it is beyond even the tale of Alcinous; nevertheless, I shall try to relate it somehow in brief.
ἐξῆλθον εἰς Ῥώμην χειμῶνος μεσοῦντος, κάμνων οἴκοθεν εὐθέως ἐξ ὑδάτων καὶ ψύξεως οὐδεμίαν τῶν παρόντων ὤραν ποιησάμενος, τῇ δʼ ἀσκήσει τοῦ σώματος πιστεύων καὶ τῇ περὶ πάντα ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ.
I set out for Rome in the middle of winter, suffering from home straightway because of dampness and cold, taking no care for the present circumstances, but trusting in the training of my body and in good fortune in all things.
καὶ προελθὼν ἄχρι Ἑλλησπόντου τό τε οὖς ἔκαμνον καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν καὶ τἄλλα οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε διεκείμην, καὶ μικρόν τι ῥαΐσας τὸ πέρα προῄειν.
And having advanced as far as the Hellespont, I suffered excessively in my ear and was in no ordinary state in other respects, and having recovered slightly, I proceeded further.
μετὰ ταῦτα ὑετοὶ, πάγοι, κρύσταλλοι, ἄνεμοι πάντες· Ἕβρος μὲν ἄρτι κεκομμένος, ὥστʼ εἶναι πλοίοις διαβατὸς, εἰ δὲ μὴ, πᾶς ἠπείρωτο ὑπὸ κρυστάλλου· πεδία δὲ λιμνάζοντα ὅσον ὀφθαλμὸς ἐπεῖχε· καταγωγίων δὲ ἀπορία, καὶ πλέον ἐκ τῶν ὀροφῶν τὸ ὕδωρ ἢ ἐκ Διὸς ἔξω ῥέον· καὶ τούτοις ἅπασιν ἔπειξις καὶ δρόμος παρὰ τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν ὥραν τε καὶ δύναμιν τοῦ σώματος.
After this there were rains, frosts, ice, and all kinds of winds; the Hebrus had just been broken up so as to be passable by boats, but otherwise it was all turned into dry land by ice; and the plains were flooded as far as the eye could reach; and there was a lack of lodging, and more water flowed from the roofs than from Zeus outside; and in all these things there was urgency and a rush, contrary to the established season and the strength of the body.
οὔτε γὰρ οἱ τὰς ἀγγελίας κομίζοντες τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἡμᾶς γε παρῆλθον, ἵνα μηδὲν εἴπω πλέον, τῶν τε οἰκετῶν ἐπὶ σχολῆς ὡδοιπόρουν οἱ πλείους.
For not even the soldiers carrying dispatches passed us, to say nothing more, and most of the servants journeyed at leisure.
ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀγωγοὺς αὐτὸς ἀνεζήτουν, εἴ που δεήσειε, καὶ ἦν οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥᾴστου γιγνόμενον.
And I myself looked for guides, if there was need anywhere, and this too was not done in the easiest manner.
ἔδει γὰρ ὑποφεύγοντας οἷα βαρβάρους ἀνθρώπους ἕλκειν, τὰ μὲν πείθοντα, ἔστι δʼ ᾗ καὶ χειρούμενον.
For it was necessary to drag them along, fleeing as they were like barbarians, partly by persuading them, and partly by overpowering them.
ἐκ δὴ τούτων ἁπάντων ἡ νόσος ᾔρετο.
From all these things indeed, the disease arose.
καὶ τοῦτο μὲν περὶ τῶν ὀδόντων ἐν παντὶ κατέστην, ὥσθʼ ὑπεῖχον τὰς χεῖρας, ὡς ἀεὶ δεξόμενος.
And on the one hand, in respect to my teeth, I was in such a state overall that I held my hands underneath, as if always about to receive them.
τροφῆς δὲ §305καὶ παντάπασιν ἀπεκεκλείμην, ὅτι μὴ γάλακτος μόνου· τοῦ τε ἄσθματος περὶ τὸ στῆθος ᾐσθόμην τότε πρῶτον καὶ πυρετοὶ κατέλαβον ἰσχυροὶ καὶ ἄλλα ἀμύθητα· καὶ ἐκείμην ἐν Δέσσῃ πρὸς τῷ καταρράκτῃ, καὶ μόλις ἡμέρᾳ ἑκατοστῇ ὕστερον ᾗ ἐκινήθην οἴκοθεν ἐν Ῥώμῃ γίγνομαι.
And as for food, I was completely shut off from it, except for milk alone; and then for the first time I felt asthma around my chest, and severe fevers seized me, and other unspeakable ills; and I lay sick in Edessa near the waterfall, and only with difficulty on the hundredth day after I had set out from home did I arrive in Rome.
καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ τὰ σπλάγχνα ᾠδήκει καὶ τὰ νεῦρα κατέψυκτο καὶ φρίκη διέθει διὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπεκέκλειτο.
And not long after, my inner organs swelled and my sinews were chilled, and a shivering ran through my whole body, and my breath was cut off.
καὶ οἱ ἰατροὶ καθάρσεις προσῆγον καὶ πιὼν ἐλατήριον εἰς δύο ἡμέρας ἐκαθαιρόμην, ἕως εἰς αἷμα ἀπέσκηψε.
And the doctors administered purges, and having drunk elaterium, I was purged for two days, until it ended in blood.
καὶ πυρετοὶ κατέλαβον καὶ πάντʼ ἦν ἄπορα ἤδη καὶ σωτηρίας οὐδʼ ἡτισοῦν ἐλπίς.
And fevers seized me, and everything was now desperate, and there was not any hope of recovery at all.
καὶ τέλος οἱ ἰατροὶ κατέτεμνον ἐκ τοῦ στήθους ἀρξάμενοι πάντα ἑξῆς ἄχρι πρὸς τὴν κύστιν κάτω· καὶ ὡς ἀνθήψαντο αἱ σικύαι, παντάπασι τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπελήφθη, καὶ διῆλθεν ὀδύνη ναρκώδης καὶ ἄπορος φέρειν, καὶ πάντα αἵματι ἐπέφυρτο καὶ γίγνομαι ὑπεραλγεινός.
And finally, the doctors made incisions, beginning from the chest and going all the way down in order to the bladder; and when the cupping glasses were applied, my breath was completely cut off, and a numbing pain, impossible to bear, passed through me, and everything was defiled with blood, and I became in extreme pain.
καὶ τῶν σπλάγχνων ᾐσθανόμην οἷον ψυχρῶν τε καὶ ἐκκρεμαμένων, καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀμηχανίας τῆς περὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν ἐπετάθη.
And I felt my inner organs as if cold and hanging down, and the distress concerning my breathing was intensified.
καὶ τί χρὴ ποιεῖν οὐκ ἦν, καὶ γὰρ σῖτον αἱρουμένῳ καὶ διαλεγομένῳ μεταξὺ προσίστατο καὶ ἔδει πεπνῖχθαι δοκεῖν.
And there was nothing to be done, for even when I took food and in the midst of conversation, it choked me, and I seemed to be suffocated.
καὶ ἡ ἄλλη τοῦ σώματος ἀσθένεια κατὰ λόγον τούτων ἦν.
And the rest of the body's weakness was in proportion to these.
φάρμακα δὲ θήρειά τε καὶ ἄλλα παντοῖα τηνάλλως ἐδίδοτο.
And antidotes against wild beasts and all other kinds of medicines were given in vain.
ἐδόκει δὴ χρῆναι κομίζεσθαι οἴκαδε, εἴ πως εἴη διαρκέσαι.
Indeed, it seemed necessary to be carried home, if somehow I might survive.
κατὰ γῆν μὲν οὖν ἄπορον ἦν, οὐ γὰρ ἔφερε τὸ σῶμα τὸν σεισμόν· πλῷ δὲ ἐπεχειροῦμεν.
By land indeed it was impossible, for my body could not bear the shaking; but we attempted a voyage.
τῶν δʼ ὑποζυγίων τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν χειμώνων ἐτεθνήκει, τὰ δὲ περιόντα ἀπεδιδόμεθα.
And of the beasts of burden, some had died from the winter storms, and the remaining ones we sold.
καὶ συμβαίνει τις Ὀδύσσεια, εὐθὺς μὲν ἐν τῷ Τυρρηνικῷ πελάγει ζάλη καὶ ζόφος καὶ λὶψ καὶ ταραχὴ τῆς θαλάττης ἀκατάσχετος, καὶ ὁ κυβερνήτης μεθῆκε τοὺς οἴακας, καὶ ὁ ναύκληρος καὶ οἱ ναῦται σποδὸν καταχεάμενοι σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς ἀπῴμωζον καὶ τὸ πλοῖον.
And a kind of Odyssey occurred: immediately in the Tyrrhenian Sea there was a storm, darkness, a southwest wind, and an uncontrollable tempest of the sea, and the helmsman let go of the rudders, and the shipowner and the sailors, pouring ashes on themselves, lamented both themselves and the ship.
ἡ δὲ ἐπεισέρρει πολλὴ κατὰ πρῷραν καὶ κατὰ πρύμναν ἡ θάλαττα, καὶ κατεκλυζόμην τῷ τε ἀνέμῳ καὶ τοῖς κύμασι, καὶ ταῦτα ἐγίγνετο ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα.
And the sea rushed in heavily at the bow and at the stern, and I was overwhelmed by the wind and the waves, and these things went on day and night.
μέσαι νύκτες σχεδὸν ἦσαν, ἡνίκα πρὸς τὴν Πελωρίδα ἄκραν
It was almost midnight when we [approached] the Peloridan promontory...