[12,71] τὸ δὲ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ἀνάγκη παραμένειν τῷ δημιουργῷ τὴν εἰκόνα ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀεί, μέχρις ἂν ἐκτελέσῃ τὸ ἔργον, πολλάκις καὶ πολλοῖς ἔτεσι. καὶ δὴ τὸ λεγόμενον, ὡς ἔστιν ἀκοῆς πιστότερα ὄμματα, ἀληθὲς ἴσως· πολύ γε μὴν δυσπειστότερα καὶ πλείονος δεόμενα ἐναργείας. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ὄψις αὐτοῖς τοῖς ὁρωμένοις συμβάλλει, τὴν δὲ ἀκοὴν οὐκ ἀδύνατον ἀναπτερῶσαι καὶ παραλογίσασθαι, μιμήματα εἰσπέμποντα γεγοητευμένα μέτροις καὶ ἤχοις.

[12,71] "But the most difficult thing of all is that the sculptor must keep the very same image in his mind continuously until he finishes his work, which often takes many years. Indeed, the popular saying that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears is perhaps true, yet they are much harder to convince and demand much greater clearness ; for while the eye agrees exactly with what it sees, it is not impossible to excite and cheat the ear by filling it with representations under the spell of metre and sound.

[12,72] καὶ μὴν τά γε ἡμέτερα τῆς τέχνης ἀναγκαῖα μέτρα πλήθους τε πέρι καὶ μεγέθους· τοῖς δὲ ποιηταῖς ἔξεστι καὶ ταῦτα ἐφ´ ὁποσονοῦν αὐξῆσαι. τοιγαροῦν Ὁμήρῳ μὲν ῥᾴδιον ἐγένετο εἰπεῖν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς Ἔριδος, ὅτι οὐρανῷ ἐστήριξε κάρη καὶ ἐπὶ χθονὶ βαίνει· ἐμοὶ δὲ ἀγαπητὸν δήπουθεν πληρῶσαι τὸν ὑπὸ Ἠλείων ἢ Ἀθηναίων ἀποδειχθέντα τόπον.

[12,72] Then again, while the measures of our art are enforced upon us by considerations of numbers and magnitude, the poets have the power to increase even these elements to any extent. For this reason it was easy enough for Homer to give the size of Eris by saying, "With humble crest at first, anon her head, While yet she treads the earth, affronts the skies". But I must be content, I suppose, merely to fill up the space designated by Eleans or Athenians.