[12,23] ἆρ´ οὖν κατὰ Ἡσίοδον ἄνδρα ἀγαθὸν καὶ Μούσαις φίλον ἀρκτέον, ὡς ἐκεῖνος μάλα ἐμφρόνως οὐκ αὐτὸς ἐτόλμησεν ἄρξασθαι παρ´ αὑτοῦ διανοηθείς, ἀλλὰ τὰς Μούσας παρακαλεῖ διηγήσασθαι περὶ τοῦ σφετέρου πατρός; τῷ παντὶ γὰρ μᾶλλον πρέπον τόδε τὸ ᾆσμα ταῖς θεαῖς ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ Ἴλιον ἐλθόντας ἀριθμεῖν, αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ σέλματα τῶν νεῶν ἐφεξῆς, ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ ἀνόητοι ἦσαν· καὶ ποιητὴς σοφώτερός τε καὶ ἀμείνων ὁ παρακαλῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον ὧδέ πως·

[12,23] Should I, then, begin in the manner of Hesiod, a man good and beloved of the Muses, imitating the way in which he, quite shrewdly, does not venture to begin in his own person and express his own thoughts, but invites the Muses to tell about their own father ? For this hymn to the goddesses is altogether more fitting than to enumerate those who went against Ilium, both themselves and the benches of their ships seriatim, although the majority of the men were quite unknown. And what poet is wiser and better than he who invokes aid for this work in the following manner ?—

[12,24] Μοῦσαι Πιερίηθεν ἀοιδῇσι κλείουσαι, δεῦτε Δί´ ἐννέπετε σφέτερον πατέρ´ ὑμνείουσαι, ὅντε διὰ βροτοὶ ἄνδρες ὁμῶς ἄφατοί τε φατοί τε ῥητοί τ´ ἄρρητοί τε, Διὸς μεγάλοιο ἕκητι· ῥέα μὲν γὰρ βριάει, ῥέα δὲ βριάοντα χαλέπτει, ῥεῖα δ´ ἀρίζηλον μινύθει καὶ ἄδηλον ἀέξει, ῥεῖα δέ τ´ ἰθύνει σκολιὸν καὶ ἀγήνορα κάρφει Ζεὺς ὑψιβρεμέτης, ὃς ὑπέρτατα δώματα ναίει.

[12,24] O ye Pierian Muses, who glorify man by your lays, Draw nigh me, and sing for me Zeus your father, and chant his praise. It is he through whom mortal men are renowned or unrenowned ; At the pleasure of Zeus most high by fame are they crowned or discrowned ; For lightly he strengtheneth this one, and strength unto that one denies ; Lightly abases the haughty, the lowly he magnifies ; Lightly the crooked he straightens, and withers the pride of the proud, Even Zeus who thunders on high, who dwelleth in mansions of cloud?