About the immortality, then, enough has been said (Peri\ me\n ou]n a0qanasi/aj au0th=j i9kanw&j); about its form we now must say the following (peri\ de\ th=j i0de/aj au0th=j w{de lekte/on). To say what kind of thing it is would require a long exposition, and one calling for utterly superhuman powers (oi[on me/n e0sti, pa/nth| pa/ntwj qei=aj ei]nai kai\ makra~j dihgh/sewj); to say what it resembles requires a short one, and one within human capacities (w{| dh\ e1oiken, a0nqrwpi/nhj te kai\ e0la/ttonoj). So let us speak in the latter way (tau/th=| ou]n le/gwmen). Let it then resemble to the combined power of a winged team of horses and their charioteer (e0oike/tw dh\ sumfu/tw| duna/mei u9popte/rou zeu/gouj te kai\ h9nio/xou).
***
C.J. Rowe says in the commentary on his translation of ‘the
combined power of a winged team of horses and their charioteer’: ‘combined’ is
an inadequate rendering of sumphutos, ‘born together’ or ‘grown together’,
suggesting that ‘the whole is thought of as a single organism’ (de Vries). Cf.
d2 (‘combined = sumpephukota). – ‘winged’ qualifies both nouns’ [i.e. winged
are both the horses and the charioteer].
***
Now in the
case of gods (qew~n me\n ou]n),
horses and charioteers are all both good (i3ppoi te kai\ h9ni/oxoi pa/ntej au0toi\
te a0gaqoi/) and of good
stock (kai\
e0c a0gaqw~n); whereas
in the case of the rest there is a mixture (to\ de\ tw~n a1llwn me/meiktai). In the first place our driver has
a charge of a pair (kai\ prw~ton h9mw~n o9 a1rxwn sunwri/doj h9nioxei=); secondly (ei]ta) one of them he finds noble and good
(tw~n
i3ppwn o9 me\n au0tw~| kalo\j te kai\
a0gaqo\j), and of similar stock (kai\ e0k
toiou/twn), while the
other is of the opposite stock (o9 d’ e0c e0nanti/wn te), and opposite in its nature (kai\ e0nanti/oj); so that the driving in our case is
necessarily difficult and troublesome (xaleph= dh\ kai\ du/skoloj e0c a0na/gkhj
h9 peri\ h9ma=j h9nio/xhsij). How then it is that some living creatures are called mortal and some
immortal we must now try to say (ph=| dh\ ou]n qnhto\n te kai\ a0qa/naton zw~|on
e0klh/qh peirate/on ei0pei=n). All soul has the care of all that is soulless (yuxh\ pa=sa panto\j
e0pimelei=tai tou= a0yu/xou), and ranges about the whole universe (pa/nta de\ ou0rano\n peripolei=), coming to be now in one form, now
in another (a1llot’ e0n a1lloij ei1desi gignome/nh). Now when it is perfectly winged (tele/a me\n ou]n
ou]sa kai\ e0pterwme/nh),
it travels above the earth and governs the whole cosmos (metewroporei= te
kai\ pa/nta to\n ko/smon dioikei=); but the one that has lost its wings (h9 de\
pterorruh/sasa) is swept
along until it lays hold of something solid (fe/retai e3wj a3n stereou= tinoj a0ntila/bhtai), where it settles down (ou[
katoikisqei=sa), taking
on an earthy body (sw~ma gh/i+non labou=sa), which seems to move itself (au0to\ au9to\ dokou=n kinei=n) because of the power of the soul (dia\ th\n e0kei/nhj
du/namin), and the whole
is called a living creature (zw~|on to su/mpan e0klh/qh), soul and body fixed together (yuxh\ kai\ sw~ma page/n), and acquires the name “mortal” (qnhto/n t’ e1sxen
e0pwnumi/an); immortal
it is not on the basis of any argument which has been reasoned through (a0qa/naton de\
ou0d’ e0c e9no\j lo/gou
lelogisme/nou), but
because we have not seen or adequately conceived of a god we imagine a kind of
immortal living creature which has both a soul and a body, combined for all
time (a0lla\
pla/ttomen ou1te i0do/ntej ou1te i9kanw~j noh/santej qeo/n, a0qa/nato/n ti
zw~|on, e1xon me\n yuxh/n, e1xon de\ sw~ma, to\n a0ei\ de\ xro/non tau=ta
sumpefuko/ta). But let
this, and our account of it, be as is pleasing to god (a0lla\ tau=ta
me\n dh/, o3ph| tw~| qew~| fi/lon, tau/th| e0xe/tw te kai\ lege/sqw); let us grasp the reason for the
loss of wings – why they fall off a soul (th\n de\ ai0ti/an th=j tw~n pterw~n
a0pobolh=j di’ h4n yuxh=j a0porrei=, la/bwmen). It is something like this (e1sti de/ tij
toia/de).
The natural property of a wing (Pe/fuken de\ h9
pterou= du/namij) is to carry
what is heavy upwards (to\ e0mbriqe\j a1gein a1nw), lifting it aloft (metewri/zousa) to the region where (h[|) the race of the gods resides (to\ tw~n qew~n
ge/noj oi0kei=), and in
a way, of all the things belonging to the sphere of the body, it has the
greatest share in the divine (kekoinw&nhke de\ ph=| ma/lista tw~n peri\ to\ sw~ma
tou= qei/ou), the divine
being noble (to\ de\ qei=on kalo/n), good, and everything which is of that kind (sofo/n, a0gaqo/n,
kai\ pa=n o3ti toiou=ton);
so it is by these things that the plumage of the soul is most nourished and
increased (tou/toij dh\ tre/fetai/ te kai\ au1cetai ma/lista/ ge to\ th=j yuxh=j
pte/rwma), while the
shameful, the bad and in general the opposites of the other things make it
waste away and perish (ai0sxrw~| de\ kai\ kakw~| kai\ toi=j e0nanti&oij fqi/nei
te kai\ dio/llutai). First
in the heavens travels Zeus, the great leader, driving a winged chariot (o9 me\n dh\
me/gaj h9gemw_n e0n ou0ranw~| Zeu/j e0lau&nwn pthno\n a3rma, prw~toj poreu/etai), putting all things in order (diakosmw~n pa/nta) and caring for all (kai\
e0pimelou/menoj); after
him there follows an army of gods and divinities (tw~| d’ e3petai stratia\
qew~n te kai\ daimo/nwn),
ordered in eleven companies (kata\ e3ndeka me/rh kekosmhme/nh). For Hestia remains in the house of
the gods alone (me/nei ga\r E(sti/a e0n qew~n oi1kw| mo/nh); of the rest (tw~n de\ a1llwn), all those who have their place among
the number of the twelve (o3soi e0n tw~| tw~n dw&deka a0riqmw~| tetagme/noi
qeoi/) take the lead as
commanders (a1rxontej h9gou=ntai) in the station given to each (kata\ ta/cin h4n e3kastoj e0ta/xqh). Many, then, and blessed are the
paths to be seen along which the happy race of gods turn within the heavens (pollai\ me\n ou]n
kai\ maka/riai qe/ai te kai\ die/codoi e0nto\j ou0ranou=, a4j qew&n ge/noj
eu0daimo/nwn e0pistre/fetai), each of them performing what belongs to him (pra/ttwn e3kastoj
au0tw~n to\ au9tou=);
and after them follows anyone who wishes (e3petai de\ o9 a0ei\ e0qe/lwn te) and is able to do so (kai\ duna/menoj), for jealousy is excluded from the
divine chorus (fqo/noj ga\r e1cw qei/ou xorou= i3statai). But when they go to their feasting
and to banquet (o3tan de\ dh\ pro\j dai=ta kai\ e0pi\ qoi/nhn i1wsin), then they travel to the arch of
heaven, and the climb is steep (a1kran e0pi\ th\n u9poura/nion a9yi=da
poreu/ontai pro\j a1nantej): the chariots of the gods travel easily, being well-balanced and easily
controlled (h[| dh\ ta\ me\n qew~n o0xh/mata i0sorro/pwj eu0h/nia o1nta r9a|di/wj poreu/etai), while the rest do so with
difficulty (ta\ de\ a1lla mo/gij); for the horse which is partly bad weighs them down (bri/qei ga\r o9
th=j ka/khj i3ppoj mete/xwn), inclining them to the earth through its weight (e0pi\ th\n gh\n
r9e/pwn te kai\ baru/nwn),
if any of the charioteers has not trained him well (w$| mh\ kalw~j
h]n teqramme/noj tw~n h9nio/xwn). Here the harshest toil and struggle awaits a soul (e1nqa dh\ po/noj te
kai\ a0gw_n e1sxatoj yuxh=| pro/keitai). When those souls that are called immortal are at the top (ai9 me\n ga\r
a0qa/natoi kalou=menai, h9ni/k’ a2n pro\j a1krw| ge/nwntai), they travel outside (e1cw poreuqei=sai) and take their stand upon the outer
part of the heavens (e1sthsan e0pi\ tw~| tou= ou0ranou= nw&tw|), and positioned like this (sta/saj de\ au0ta/j) they are carried around by its
revolution (peria/gei h9 perifora/), and gaze on the things outside the heavens (ai9 de\ qewrou=si
ta\ e1cw tou= ou0ranou=).
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