Texte grec :
| [1,45] οὕτω δὴ καὶ τῶν βασιλέων, ἅτε οἶμαι παρὰ τοῦ Διὸς ἐχόντων τὴν
δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἐπιτροπήν, ὃς μὲν ἂν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον βλέπων {πρὸς} τὸν
τοῦ Διὸς νόμον τε καὶ θεσμὸν κοσμῇ καὶ ἄρχῃ δικαίως τε καὶ
καλῶς, ἀγαθῆς τυγχάνει μοίρας καὶ τέλους εὐτυχοῦς·
(46) ὃς δ´ ἂν παραβῇ καὶ ἀτιμάσῃ τὸν ἐπιτρέψαντα ἢ δόντα τὴν δωρεὰν
ταύτην, οὐδὲν ἀπώνατο τῆς πολλῆς ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως ἢ τοσοῦτον
μόνον ὅσον φανερὸς πᾶσι γενέσθαι τοῖς καθ´ αὑτὸν καὶ τοῖς
ὕστερον πονηρὸς καὶ ἀκόλαστος ὤν, τὸν μυθευόμενον Φαέθοντος
ἀναπληρώσας πότμον, ἅτε ἰσχυροῦ καὶ θείου παρὰ μοῖραν ἐπιβὰς
ἅρματος, οὐχ ἱκανὸς ὢν ἡνίοχος.
(47) λέγει δὲ καὶ Ὅμηρος ὧδέ πως·
ὃς μὲν ἀπηνὴς αὐτὸς ἔῃ καὶ ἀπηνέα εἰδῇ,
τῷ δὲ καταρῶνται πάντες βροτοὶ ἄλγε´ ὀπίσσω
ζωῷ, ἀτὰρ τεθνεῶτί γ´ ἐφεψιόωνται ἅπαντες·
ὃς δ´ ἂν ἀμύμων αὐτὸς ἔῃ καὶ ἀμύμονα εἰδῇ,
τοῦ μέντοι κλέος εὐρὺ διὰ ξεῖνοι φορέουσι
πάντας ἐπ´ ἀνθρώπους, πολλοί τέ μιν ἐσθλὸν ἔειπον.
(48) τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐμόν, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἥδιστα καὶ προθυμότατα τοῦτον
εἴποιμ´ ἂν τὸν λόγον, τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Διὸς καὶ τῆς τοῦ παντὸς
φύσεως. ἐπεὶ δὲ πλείων ἐστὶ {παντὸς} τοῦ καιροῦ τοῦ παρόντος
καὶ δεόμενος ἀποδείξεων ἀκριβεστέρων, αὖθίς ποτε ἴσως γένοιτ´
ἂν σχολὴ διελθεῖν αὐτόν.
(49) εἰ δ´ ἄρα μῦθον ἐθέλοις τινὰ ἀκοῦσαι,
μᾶλλον δὲ ἱερὸν καὶ ὑγιῆ λόγον σχήματι μύθου λεγόμενον, τυχὸν
οὐκ ἄτοπός σοι φανήσεται νῦν τε καὶ ὕστερον ἐνθυμουμένῳ κατὰ
σαυτὸν ὃν ἐγώ ποτε ἤκουσα γυναικὸς Ἠλείας {ἢ Ἀρκαδίας} ὑπὲρ
Ἡρακλέους διηγουμένης.
|
|
Traduction française :
| [1,45] so too among kings, since they, I ween,
derive their powers and their stewardship from Zeus,
the one who, keeping his eyes upon Zeus, orders and
governs his people with justice and equity in accordance
with the laws and ordinances of Zeus, enjoys a
happy lot and a fortunate end, while he who goes
astray and dishonours him who entrusted him with
his stewardship or gave him this gift, receives no
other reward from his great authority and power
than merely this : that he has shown himself to all
men of his own time and to posterity to be a wicked
and undisciplined man, illustrating the storied end of
Phaethon, who mounted a mighty chariot of heaven
in defiance of his lot but proved himself a feeble
charioteer. In somewhat this wise Homer too speaks
when he says :
" Whoso bears A cruel heart, devising cruel things,
On him men call down evil from the gods
While living, and pursue him, when he dies,
With scoffs. But whoso is of generous heart
And harbours generous aims, his guests proclaim
His praises far and wide to all mankind,
And numberless are they who call him good."
(48) For my part, I should be most happy and eager, as
I have said, to speak on this subject—on Zeus and the
nature of the universe. But since it is altogether
too vast a theme for the time now at my command
and requires a somewhat careful demonstration,
perhaps in the future there may be leisure for its
presentation. But if you would like to hear a myth,
or rather a sacred and withal edifying parable told
under the guise of a myth, perhaps a story which I
once heard an old woman of Elis or Arcadia relate
about Heracles will not appear to you out of place,
either now or hereafter when you corne to ponder
it alone.
|
|
