Texte grec :
| [10] ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΓΑΛΜΑ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΙΑΝΟΣ.
Εἶτα τὸ μὲν Ἀργῷον σκάφος ἔμφωνον γενέσθαι
πειθόμεθα τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηνᾶς τεχνηθὲν χειρῶν,
ὃ καὶ τὴν ἐν ἄστροις ἐκληρούχησε τύχην, ἄγαλμα
δὲ οὐ πιστεύσομεν, εἰς ὃ τὰς δυνάμεις Ἀσκληπιὸς
ἀνίησι τὸν προνοητικὸν ἐπεισάγων νοῦν ἐπὶ τὴν
ἑαυτοῦ κοινωνίαν, τοῦ συνοικοῦντος τὴν δύναμιν
πρέπειν, ἀλλ´ εἰς μὲν ἀνθρώπινα κατάγεσθαι τὸ
θεῖον δώσομεν, ἔνθα καὶ μιανθῆναι παθήμασιν, οὐ
πιστεύσομεν δέ, ᾗ μηδὲν ἔγγονον κακίας παραπέφυκεν;
ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν οὐ τύπος εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ ὁρώμενον,
ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀληθείας πλάσμα. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὡς
οὐκ ἀνηθοποίητος ἡ τέχνη, ἀλλ´ ἐνεικονισαμένη τὸν
θεὸν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐξίσταται. ὕλη μὲν οὖσα θεοειδὲς
ἀναπέμπει νόημα, δημιούργημα δὲ χειρὸς τυγχάνουσα
ἃ μὴ δημιουργίαις ἔξεστι πράττει τεκμήρια ψυχῆς
ἀρρήτως ἀποτίκτουσα. πρόσωπον δέ σοι θεασαμένῳ
δουλοῦται τὴν αἴσθησιν· οὐ γὰρ εἰς κάλλος ἐπίθετον
ἐσχημάτισται, ἀλλὰ πάναγνον καὶ ἵλεων ἀνακινῶν ὄμμα
βάθος ἄφραστον ὑπαστράπτει σεμνότητος αἰδοῖ μιγείσης.
πλοκάμων δὲ ἕλικες ῥεόμενοι χάρισιν οἱ μὲν
εἰς νῶτα τεθηλότες ἄφετοι κέχυνται, οἱ δὲ ὑπὲρ μετώπου
πρὸς τὰς ὀφρῦς ἐπιβαίνοντες τοῖς ὄμμασιν εἱλοῦνται. οἷον
δὲ ἐκ ζωτικῆς αἰτίας καὶ αὐτοὶ καταρδόμενοι εἰς τὴν τῶν
βοστρύχων καμπὴν συνελίττονται
τῷ νόμῳ τῆς τέχνης μὴ πειθομένης τῆς ὕλης, ἀλλὰ
νοούσης ὅτι σχηματίζει θεὸν καὶ δεῖ δυναστεύειν. τῶν
δὲ γενομένων εἰωθότων φθείρεσθαι ἡ τοῦ ἀγάλματος
ἰδέα ἅτε δὴ τῆς ὑγείας τὴν οὐσίαν ἐν ἑαυτῇ φέρουσα
ἀκμὴν ἀνώλεθρον ἐπικτωμένη θάλλει. ἡμεῖς μὲν
δή σοι καὶ λόγων, ὦ Παιάν, νεαρῶν καὶ μνήμης ἐγγόνων
ἀπηρξάμεθα· κελεύεις γὰρ οἶμαι· πρόθυμος δέ
σοι καὶ τὸν νόμον ᾄδειν, εἰ νέμοις ὑγείαν.
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Traduction française :
| [10] ON THE STATUE OF PAEAN.
Are we then to believe that the vessel Argo,
which was wrought by the hands of Athena and
after assumed its allotted place among the stars,
became capable of speech, and yet in the case of a
statue into which Asclepius infused his own powers,
introducing purposeful intelligence therein and thus
making it a partner with himself, not believe
that the power of the indwelling god is clearly
manifest therein ? Nay, more, shall we admit that
the divine spirit descends into human bodies, there
to be even defiled by passions, and nevertheless not
believe it in a case where there is no attendant
engendering of evil ? To me, at any rate, the object
before our eyes seems to be, not an image, but
a modelled presentment of truth ; for see how
Art not only is not without power to delineate
character, but, after having portrayed the god in
an image, it even passes over into the god himself.
Matter though it is, it gives forth divine intelligence,
and though it is the work of human hands, it
succeeds in doing what handicrafts cannot accomplish,
in that it begets in a marvellous way tokens of
a soul. The face as you look at it enthralls the
senses ; for it has not been fashioned to an adventitious
beauty, but as it raises a saintly and
benignant eye it flashes forth an indescribable depth
of majesty tempered with modesty. Curly locks
abounding in grace,—some fall luxuriant and unconfined
on the back, while others come down over the
forehead to the eyebrows and hang thick about the
eyes. But, as if stirred by life and kept moist of
themselves, they coil themselves into the bending
curls, the material not rendering obedience to the
law of art, but realizing that represents a god and
that he must work bis own will. And although all
things that are born are wont to die, yet the form
of the statue, as though carrying within itself the
essence of health, flourishes in the possession of
indestructible youth. And so we, O Paean, have
offered to you the first fruits of discourse, freshly
made, and the offspring of memory; for you bid us
do so, I think ; and I am eager also to sing the
strains to you if you allot me health.
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