§329ἀποδοῦναι τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι τῷ Δηλίῳ τε καὶ σωτῆρι, ἐπειδήπερ ἐνταῦθʼ ἥκομεν τοῦ λόγου.
To pay our respects to Delian Apollo, who is also our savior, since indeed we have come to this point in our narrative.
ὡς γὰρ ἐξέβην εἰς τὴν Δῆλον, ἀχθεσθεὶς τῷ κυβερνήτῃ, ταραχώδει τε ὄντι καὶ ὑπεναντία τοῖς ἀνέμοις πλέοντι, καὶ οἷον ἀροῦντι τὸ πέλαγος, εὐθὺς ὅρκῳ καταλαμβάνω ἦ μὴν μήτε ἐκπλεύσεσθαι δυοῖν ἡμερῶν, ἀλλʼ εἰ φίλον αὐτῷ, πλείτω, ἔφην, ἐφʼ αὑτοῦ.
For when I disembarked at Delos, being annoyed with the captain because he was confused and sailing against the winds, as if plowing the sea, I immediately bound him by an oath that indeed he would not sail out for two days, but if it pleased him, let him sail, I said, by himself.
κἀγὼ μὲν τῷ θεῷ θύσας καὶ διατρίψας ὅσον οἷός τʼ ἦν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν, εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸ δωμάτιον καὶ προειπὼν τοῖς οἰκέταις, ἂν ἀφίκηταί τις ἐκ πλοίου, χαίρειν κελεύειν, ἀνεπαυόμην ἐν τῷ λιμένι τῶν Δηλίων.
And I, having sacrificed to the god and spent as much time as I could around the temple, entered into my room, and having pre-warned the servants that if anyone from the ship arrived, they should bid them welcome, I went to rest in the harbor of the Delians.
οἱ δʼ ἧκον οἴνῳ βεβαρηότες οἱ ναῦται περὶ πρῶτον ὕπνον σχεδὸν, καὶ προστάντες ἔκοπτον τὴν θύραν, καὶ ἐκέλευον ἐξιέναι καὶ χρῆσθαι πλῷ· καὶ γὰρ εἶναι θαυμαστὸν οἷον.
But they came, those sailors loaded with wine, almost at the time of the first sleep, and standing before the door they knocked and ordered me to go out and make use of the voyage, saying that the weather was indeed wonderful.
ἀποκριναμένων δὲ τῶν παίδων ὅτι ληροῖεν καὶ οὐδʼ ἂν εἴ τι γίγνοιτο κινησοίμην, ἀπιόντες ᾤχοντο πρὸς ὀργὴν, ὡς δὴ μεγάλων στερόμενοι.
But when the servants replied that they were talking nonsense and that I would not move even if anything should happen, they went away in anger, as if deprived of a great thing.
ἀλεκτρυόνων τε ᾠδαὶ πλησίον ἦσαν, καὶ καταρρήγνυται σκηπτὸς ἐξαίσιος, καὶ ἡ θάλαττα ἠλαύνετο λαίλαπι ἀγρίᾳ καὶ πάντα ἐπεκλύζετο, καὶ τὰ πλοιάρια τὰ ἐν τῷ λιμένι τὰ μὲν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐξέπιπτε, τὰ δʼ ἀλλήλοις ἐνέπιπτε καὶ συνετρίβετο·
And the songs of cocks were near, and an extraordinary thunderbolt broke, and the sea was driven by a wild tempest, and everything was flooded; and the small boats in the harbor were either cast onto the land or fell against one another and were shattered.
ἡ δʼ ὁλκὰς ἡ κομίζουσα ἡμᾶς ἀπορραγέντων τῶν καλωδίων ἐκυλινδεῖτο ἄνω καὶ κάτω, καὶ μόλις σὺν βοῇ πολλῇ καὶ ταραχῇ τῶν ναυτῶν διασώζεται· καὶ ἐπιγίγνεται ὕδωρ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πολὺ καὶ λάβρον, καὶ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ θόρυβος ἦν ὥσπερ ἐν νηί.
And the merchant vessel that carried us, its cables having broken, rolled up and down, and was saved with difficulty amidst much shouting and confusion of the sailors; and much violent rain came down from heaven, and there was a tumult on the island just as on a ship.
ἅμα δὲ τῇ ἕῳ παρῆσαν μὲν οἱ φίλοι σπουδῇ, οὓς ἔτυχον ἀνειληφὼς ἰδίοις τέλεσι πλέων, εὐεργέτην, σωτῆρα ὀνομάζοντες, συγχαίροντες τῆς παρὰ τῶν θεῶν προνοίας·
And at dawn, my friends, whom I happened to have taken with me at my own expense on the voyage, were present in haste, calling me benefactor and savior, and rejoicing together in the providence of the gods.
παρῆσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ναῦται χάριν ἤδη εἰδότες καὶ θαυμάζοντες ἐξ οἵων κακῶν ἐπικειμένων ἐσώθησαν.
The sailors also were present, now feeling grateful and wondering from what terrible impending evils they had been saved.
τὸ μὲν κέρδος τοσοῦτον καὶ ὁ μισθὸς τοῦ ᾁσματος, ὥσπερ Σιμωνίδῃ παρὰ τῶν Διοσκούρων φασὶ γενέσθαι, τὸ σωθῆναι μόνον ἀνθʼ ὧν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐποίησε, πλὴν ὅσον ἡμεῖς γε οὐ μόνοι τότε, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ φίλοι μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐσώθησαν.
This profit was so great, and the reward of the song was like what they say happened to Simonides from the Dioscuri—the mere being saved in return for what he composed for them—except that in our case not we alone, but also our friends with us were saved.
ἐχέτω δὲ ὁπότερά τις βούλεται εἴτε τοῦ Παιᾶνος ταύτην γενέσθαι τὴν ἐπικαρπίαν καὶ χάριν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπάρξαι σωθῆναι §330εἴτε τοῦτο μὲν πάντως ἂν οὕτω γενέσθαι, τὸν δὲ θεὸν προειδότα ἐφʼ ἅπασι τοῖς μέλλουσι σημῆναι τοῦτο μὲν ὡς ἐν θαλάττῃ κίνδυνοί τε συμβήσονται καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν σωτηρίαι, τοῦτο δὲ ὡς τῶν περὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀποριῶν ἔσται παιὼν αὐτός τε καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων ὁ πρῶτός τε καὶ πάντα παύειν εἰδὼς ὁπόσοις κάμνουσιν ἄνθρωποι.
But let anyone take it whichever way he wishes, whether this was the harvest and gratitude of the Paean, and because of this survival was granted, or whether this would by all means have happened in this way, but the god, foreknowing all future things, signified on one hand that dangers would occur at sea and salvation from them, and on the other hand that he himself and the first of his children, who knows how to cure all the ills from which men suffer, would be a healer for the difficulties of the body.
λόγος δὲ ἥκει λόγῳ συνεχὴς καὶ λέγωμεν πάλιν ὡς μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ σωτὴρ Ἀσκληπιὸς καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐπέταξεν ἡμῖν, διατρίβειν ἐν ᾁσμασι καὶ μέλεσι, καὶ δὴ καὶ παίζειν τε καὶ τρέφειν παῖδας.
And a story comes following upon this story, and let us say again that among other things the savior Asclepius commanded us this also, to pass our time in songs and melodies, and indeed to play and to bring up children.
ὅσα μὲν δὴ καὶ ἄλλα τῆς συμβουλῆς ταύτης ἀπελαύσαμεν εἰς εὐθυμίαν καὶ τὸ ἀνταρκεῖν ἀπέραντον ἂν εἴη λέγειν, τὰ δʼ ᾁσματα ᾖδον οἱ παῖδες, καὶ ὁπότε ἢ πνίγεσθαι συμβαίνοι, τοῦ τραχήλου ταθέντος ἐξαίφνης ἢ τοῦ στομάχου καταστάντος εἰς ἀπορίας, ἤ τις ἄλλη γένοιτο ἄπορος προσβολὴ, παρὼν ἂν Θεόδοτος ὁ ἰατρὸς καὶ μεμνημένος τῶν ἐνυπνίων ἐκέλευε τοὺς παῖδας ᾁδειν τῶν μελῶν, καὶ μεταξὺ ᾀδόντων λάθρα τις ἐγίγνετο ῥᾳστώνη, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ παντελῶς ἀπῄει πᾶν τὸ λυποῦν.
Now, as to how many other benefits we derived from this advice for our cheerfulness and infinite self-sufficiency, it would be endless to relate; but the children sang the songs, and whenever it happened that I was choking because my neck was suddenly stretched, or my stomach was reduced to distress, or some other helpless attack occurred, the physician Theodotus, being present and remembering the dreams, ordered the children to sing some of the melodies, and while they were singing, a certain relief came in secret, and sometimes all that was painful went away completely.
καὶ τοῦτο δὴ τοσοῦτον κέρδος ἦν καὶ τὸ τῆς τιμῆς ἔτι τούτου μεῖζον· εὐδοκίμει γὰρ καὶ τὰ μέλη παρὰ τῷ θεῷ.
And this was indeed so great a profit, and the honor of this was still greater; for the melodies were also in high esteem with the god.
ἐκέλευε δʼ οὐ μόνον εἰς ἑαυτὸν ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρους ἐσήμαινεν, οἷον δὴ Πᾶνα καὶ Ἑκάτην καὶ Ἀχελῶον καὶ εἰ δή τι ἕτερον.
And he ordered me to compose not only for himself, but also indicated others, such as Pan, Hecate, Achelous, and indeed if there was anyone else.
ἧκε δὲ καὶ παρʼ Ἀθηνᾶς ὄναρ ὕμνον ἔχον τῆς θεοῦ καὶ ἀρχὴν τοιάνδε Ἵκεσθε Περγάμῳ νέοι, καὶ ἕτερον ἐκ Διονύσου, οὗ τὸ ἐπᾳδόμενον ἦν Χαῖρʼ ὦ ἄνα κισσεῦ Διόνυσε. ᾀδομένου δʼ αὐτοῦ καθʼ ὕπνον περιέρρει τὰ ὦτα καὶ ἠχὴ θαυμαστή.
And there came also from Athena a dream containing a hymn to the goddess with a beginning like this: 'Come to Pergamum, young men,' and another from Dionysus, of which the refrain was: 'Hail, O lord Dionysus of the ivy!' And while it was being sung in sleep, a wonderful sound flowed around my ears.
καὶ ἔδει τὸ γόνυ τὸ δεξιὸν κλίναντα ἱκετεύειν τε καὶ καλεῖν Λύσιον τὸν θεόν· καὶ ἔνεστι ταῦτα ἐν τοῖς ᾁσμασι.
And it was necessary to bend the right knee and supplicate and call upon Lysius, the god; and these things are contained in the songs.
καὶ ἕτερον ἧκεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ Διὸς, ὅ τι δὲ ἦν δὴ τούτων ἢ πρῶτον ἢ ὕστερον οὐχὶ μέμνηνται, καὶ ἕτερον ἐκ Διονύσου πάλιν, οὐλοκόμην φράζον προσειπεῖν τὸν θεόν. ὤφθη δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἑρμῆς τήν τε κυνῆν ἔχων καὶ τὸ κάλλος θαυμαστὸς καὶ τὴν κίνησιν ὑπερφυής.
And another came from Zeus himself—though which of these was first or later they do not remember—and another from Dionysus again, directing me to address the god as 'curly-haired.' And Hermes also was seen, wearing his helmet, wonderful in beauty and extraordinary in his movement.
καὶ ᾁδων αὐτὸν καὶ γανύμενος ὡς ῥᾳδίως τε καὶ τὰ προσήκοντα εἰρηκὼς ἀφυπνιζόμην.
And singing of him and rejoicing because I had spoken easily and fittingly, I awoke.
ἔδοξα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν Σμύρνῃ θεῶν ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ τροφέως, οἶμαι, ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῶς αὐτῶν ἐπιλελησμένος τυγχάνοιμι, εἰκὸς γὰρ εἶναι καὶ ταύταις ὕπνου ἐπιμεληθῆναι.
And I seemed to hear, perhaps from my foster-father, about the goddesses in Smyrna, that I happened to have unjustly forgotten them, for it was natural that these also should have a care for sleep.
πλεῖστα δὲ εἰς
And most of all...