[50] οὐδὲ σπουδάζοντα. τὸν γοῦν Κᾶρα τὸν χρυσῷ καλλωπιζόμενον εἰς τὸν πόλεμον μάλα ὑβριστικῶς ἐλοιδόρησεν, εἰπών, [p. 27]
ὃς καὶ χρυσὸν ἔχων πόλεμόνδ᾽ ἴεν ἠύτε κούρη
νήπιος, οὐδ᾽ ἄρα οἱ τό γ᾽ ἐπήρκεσε λυγρὸν ὄλεθρον
ἀλλ᾽ ἐδάμη ὑπὸ χερσὶ ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο
ἐν ποταμῷ: χρυσὸν δ᾽ Ἀχιλεὺς ἐκόμισσε δαΐφρων:
[50] He roundly rebuked the Carian, for instance, who decked himself out for war in trappings of gold. These are his words:
‘who, madly vain,
Went to the battle pranked like a young girl
In golden ornaments. They spared him not
The bitter doom of death; he fell beneath
The hand of swift Aeacides within
The river’s channel. There the great in war,
Achilles, spoiled Nomion of his gold.’
[51] καταγελῶν αὐτοῦ τῆς τρυφῆς ἅμα καὶ τῆς ἀφροσύνης, ὅτι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἆθλα ἐκόμιζε τοῦ θανάτου σχεδόν. οὔκουν φαίνεται χρυσοφορίας ἐπαινῶν ὁ Ὅμηρος, καὶ ταῦτα εἰς πόλεμον, ψελίων τε καὶ στρεπτῶν, ἔτι δὲ χρυσῶν φαλάρων καὶ χαλινῶν, ὁποῖα τοὺς Πέρσας φασὶν ἐπιτηδεύειν: οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσιν ἐπιτιμητὴν Ὅμηρον τῶν πολεμικῶν.
[51] Thus he ridicules him for his folly as well as his vanity in that he practically carried to the foemen a prize for slaying him. Homer, therefore, clearly does not approve the wearing of gold, particularly on going into a battle, whether bracelets and necklaces or even such golden head-gear and bridles for one’s horses as the Persians are said to affect; for they have no Homer to be their censor in affairs of war.
[52] ἐκ δὲ τούτων τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τούς τε ἄρχοντας πεποίηκεν. ἀγαθοὺς καὶ τὸ πλῆθος εὔτακτον. προΐασι γοῦν αὐτῷ σιγῇ, ῾δειδιότες σημάντορασ᾽, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι μετὰ πολλοῦ θορύβου καὶ ἀταξίας, ταῖς γεράνοις ὁμοίως: ὡς τοῦτο μάλιστα σωτήριον ὂν καὶ νικηφόρον ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις, τὸ μὴ ἀδεεῖς εἶναι τῶν ἡγεμόνων τοὺς στρατιώτας. ὅσοι δ᾽ ἂν ὦσιν ἄφοβοι τῶν σφετέρων ἀρχόντων, οὗτοι τάχιστα ἂν φοβοῖντο τοὺς πολεμίους.
[52] “By inculcating such conduct as the following, he has made his officers good and his soldiers well disciplined. For instance, he has them advance
‘silently, fearing their leaders’
whereas the barbarians advance with great noise and confusion, like cranes, thus showing that it is important for safety and victory in battle that the soldiers stand in awe of their commanders. For those who are without fear of their own officers would be the first to be afraid of the enemy.
[53] καὶ μέντοι καὶ νικῶντας τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς καθ᾽ ἡσυχίαν φησὶ στρατοπεδεύειν: παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Τρωσὶν ἐπειδή τι πλεονεκτεῖν ἔδοξαν, εὐθὺς εἶναι δι᾽ ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς
αὐλῶν συρίγγων τ᾽ ἐνοπὴν ὅμαδόν τ᾽ ἀνθρώπων:
ὡς καὶ τοῦτο ἱκανὸν ὂν σημεῖον ἀρετῆς ἢ κακίας, οἵτινες ἂν ἐγκρατῶς τὰς εὐτυχίας ἢ τοὐναντίον μεθ᾽ ὕβρεως φέρωσιν.
[53] Furthermore, he says that even when they had won a victory the Achaeans kept quiet in their camp, but that among the Trojans, as soon as they thought they had gained any advantage, at once there were throughout the night
‘the sound
Of flutes and fifes, and tumult of the crowd.’
implying that here also we have an excellent indication of virtue according as men bear their successes with self-restraint, or, on the contrary, with reckless abandon.
[54] ἐμοὶ μὲν οὖν, ὦ πάτερ, ἱκανώτατος σωφρονιστὴς Ὅμηρος καὶ ὁ τούτῳ πειρώμενος τὸν νοῦν προσέχειν εὐτυχέστατός τε καὶ ἄριστος βασιλεύς. αὐτὸς γὰρ σαφῶς ὑποτίθεται δύο τὰς βασιλικωτάτας ἀρετὰς τήν τε ἀνδρείαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ὅπου φησίν,
ἀμφότερον, βασιλεύς τ᾽ ἀγαθὸς κρατερός τ᾽ αἰχμητής,
[54] And so to me, father, Homer seems a most excellent disciplinarian, and he who tries to give heed to him will be a highly successful and exemplary king. For he clearly takes for granted himself that pre-eminently kingly virtues are two — courage and justice. Mark what he says,
‘An excellent king and warrior mighty withal.’
as though all the other virtues followed in their train.
[55] ὡς τῶν ἄλλων ταύταις συνεπομένων. οὐ μέντοι μόνον αὐτὸν οἶμαι [p. 28] δεῖν διαφέρειν τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς τὸ ἀνδρεῖον καὶ σεμνόν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκούειν μήτ᾽ αὐλούντων μήτε κιθαριζόντων μήτε ᾀδόντων ἀνειμένα μέλη καὶ τρυφερά, μηδὲ αὖ λόγων διεφθορότων κακοὺς ζήλους παραδέχεσθαι, πρὸς ἡδονὴν τῶν ἀμαθεστάτων γεγονότας,
[55] “However, I do not believe that the king should simply be distinguished in his own person for courage and dignity, but that he should pay no heed to other people either when they play the flute or the harp, or sing wanton and voluptuous songs; nor should he tolerate the mischievous craze for filthy language that has come into vogue for the delight of fools;
[56] ἀλλὰ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα πρῶτον μὲν καὶ μάλιστα ἐκβαλεῖνὡς πορρωτάτω καὶ ἀποπέμψαι τῆς αὑτοῦ ψυχῆς, ἔπειτα τῆς βασιλευούσης πόλεως, γέλωτάς τε ἀκράτους καὶ τοιούτου γέλωτος ποιητὰς μετὰ σκωμμάτων, ἐμμέτρου τε καὶ ἀμέτρου, ὀρχήσεις τε πρὸς τούτοις καταλύειν ἀσελγεῖς καὶ σχήματα ἑταιρικὰ γυναικῶν ἐν ὀρχήσεσιν ἀκολάστοις, αὐλημάτων τε ὀξεῖς καὶ παρανόμουσῥυθμοὺς καὶ κατεαγότα μέλη ἀμούσοις καμπαῖς καὶ πολυφώνων ὀργάνων ποικιλίας.
[56] nay, he should cast out all such things and banish them to the uttermost distance from his own soul, first and foremost, and then from the capital of his kingdom — I mean such things as ribald jests and those who compose them, whether in verse or prose, along with scurrilous gibes — then, in addition, he should do away with indecent dancing and the lascivious posturing of women in licentious dances as well as the shrill and riotous measures played on the flute, syncopated music full of discordant turns, and motley combinations of noisy clanging instruments.
[57] μόνην δὲ ᾠδὴν μὲν ᾄσεται καὶ παραδέξεται τὴν τῷ Ἐνυαλίῳ πρέπουσαν μάλα ἰσχυρὰν καὶ διάτορον, οὐχ ἡδονὴν οὐδὲ ῥᾳθυμίαν φέρουσαν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀμήχανον φόβον καὶ θόρυβον, οἷον ὅ τε Ἄρης αὐτὸς ἤγειρεν,
ὀξὺ κατ᾽ ἀκροτάτης πόλιος Τρώεσσι κελεύων,
ὅ τε Ἀχιλλεὺς ὅτε φ�
�εγξάμενος μόνον, πρὶν ὀφθῆναι, τροπὴν ἐποίησε τῶν Τρώων, καὶ δώδεκα ἀνδράσιν αἴτιος ὑπῆρξεν ὀλέθρου περὶ τοῖς αὐτῶν ἅρμασι καὶ ὅπλοις:
[57] One song only will he sing or permit to be sung — the song that comports with the God of War, full of vigour, ringing clear, and stirring in the hearer no feeling of delight or languidness, but rather an overpowering fear and tumult; in short, such a song as Ares himself awoke, as he
‘shrilly yelled, encouraging
The men of Troy, as on the city heights
He stood.’
or as Achilles when, at the mere sound of his voice and before he could be seen, he turned the Trojans to flight and thus caused the destruction of twelve heroes midst their own chariots and arms.
[58] καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ ποιηθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν Μουσῶν τὴν ἐπινίκιον, οἷον ἐκέλευεν Ἀχιλλεὺς, τοῖσἈχαιοῖς τὸν παιᾶνα λέγειν ἅμα τῇ τοῦ Ἕκτορος ἀγωγῇ πρὸς τὰς ναῦς αὐτὸς ἐξάρχων,
νῦν δ᾽ ἄγ᾽ ἀείδοντες παιήονα κοῦροι Ἀχαιῶν
νηυσὶν ἐπὶ γλαφυρῇσι νεώμεθα, τόνδε δ᾽ ἄγωμεν.
ἠράμεθα μέγα κῦδος, ἐπέφνομεν Ἕκτορα δῖον,
ᾧ Τρῶες κατὰ ἄστυ θεῷ ὣς εὐχετόωντο.
[58] Or it might be like the triumphal song composed by the Muses for the celebration of victory, like the paean which Achilles bade the Achaeans chant as he brought Hector’s body to the ships, he himself leading:
‘Now then, ye Achaean youth, move on and chant
A paean, while, returning to the fleet,
We bring great glory with us; we have slain
The noble Hector, whom, throughout their town,
The Trojans ever worshipped like a god.’
[59] ἔτι δὲ οἶμαι τὴν παρακλητικήν, οἵα ἡ τῶν Λακωνικῶν ἐμβατηρίων, μάλα πρέπουσα τῇ Λυκούργου πολιτείᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασιν ἐκείνοις: [p. 29]
ἄγετ᾽, ὦ Σπάρτας εὐάνδρου
κοῦροι πατέρων πολιητᾶν,
λαιᾷ μὲν ἴτυν προβάλεσθε,
δόρυ δ᾽ εὐτόλμως πάλλοντες,
...
μὴ φειδόμενοι τᾶς ζωᾶς:
οὐ γὰρ πάτριον τᾷ Σπάρτᾳ.
[59] Or, finally, it might be the exhortations to battle such as we find in the Spartan marching songs, its sentiments comporting well with the polity of Lycurgus and the Spartan institutions:
‘Up, ye sons of Sparta,
Rich in citizen fathers;
Thrust with the left your shields forth,
Brandish bravely your spears;
Spare not your lives.
That’s not custom in Sparta.’
[60] χορεύματα δὲ καὶ χοροὺς ἀνάλογον τούτοις οὐ σφαλλομένους οὐδὲ ἀκρατεῖς, ἀλλὰ ὡς οἷόν τε ἰσχυροὺς καὶ σώφρονας ἐπάγειν ἐν καθεστῶτι ῥυθμῷ: ὄρχησίν γε μὴν τὴν ἐνόπλιον, τὴν γιγνομένην τοῖς θεοῖς ἀπαρχὴν ἅμα καὶ μελέτην τῶν πολεμικῶν, ἧς φησιν ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ τὸν Μηριόνην ἔμπειρον εἶναι: τῶν γὰρ Τρώων τινὰ πεποίηκε λέγοντα,
Μηριόνη, τάχα κέν σε καὶ ὀρχηστήν περ ἐόντα
ἔγχος ἐμὸν κατέπαυσε διαμπερές, εἴ σ᾽ ἔβαλόν περ.
[60] “In conformity with these songs, our king should institute dance movements and measures that are not marked by reeling or violent motions, but are as virile and sober as may be, composed in a sedate rhythm; the dance should be the ‘enoplic,’ the execution of which is not only a tribute to the gods but a drill in warfare as well — the dance in which the poet says Meriones was skilful, for he has put these words into the mouth of a certain Trojan:
‘Had I but struck thee, dancer though thou art,
Meriones, my spear had once for all
Ended thy dancing.’
[61] ἢ σὺ οἴει ἄλλην τινὰ λέγειν ἐπίστασθαι τὸν τοῦ Μόλου υἱόν, ἀριθμούμενον ἐν τοῖς ἀρίστοις τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, ἢ τὴν ἐνόπλιον, τὴν Κουρητικήν, ἥπερ ἦν ἐπιχώριος τοῖς Κρησίν, τὴν ὀξεῖαν καὶ ἐλαφρὰν κίνησιν πρὸς τὸ διακλῖναι καὶ φυλάξασθαι ῥᾳδίως τὸ βέλος;
[61] Or do you think that he can have meant that some other dance was known to the son of Molus, who was accounted one of the best of the Achaeans, and not the military dance of the Kouretes, a native Cretan dance, the quick and light movement designed to train the soldiers to swerve to one side and easily avoid the missile?
[62] τούτοις γε μὴν ξυνέπεται μηδὲ εὐχὰς εὔχεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁμοίας μηδὲ αὖ τοὺς θεοὺς καλεῖν οὕτως εὐχόμενον ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰώνων ποιητὴς Ἀνακρέων,
ὦναξ, ᾧ δαμάλης Ἔρως
καὶ Νύμφαι κυανώπιδες
πορφυρέη τ᾽ Ἀφροδίτη
συμπαίζουσιν, ἐπιστρέφεαι δ᾽
ὑψηλὰς ὀρέων κορυφάς,
γουνοῦμαί σε, σὺ δ᾽ εὐμενὴς [p. 30]
ἔλθοις μοι, κεχαρισμένης δ᾽
εὐχωλῆς ἐπακούειν:
Κλευβούλῳ δ᾽ ἀγαθὸς γενεῦ
σύμβουλος, τὸν ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἔρωτ᾽,
ὦ Δεύνυσε, δέχεσθαι.
Anacr. fr. 2
[62] From these considerations, moreover, it follows that the king should not offer such prayers as other men do nor, on the other hand, call upon the gods with such a petition as Anacreon, the Ionian poet, makes:
‘O King with whom resistless love
Disports, and nymphs with eyes so dark,
And Aphrodite, fair of hue,
O thou who rangest mountain crests,
Thee do I beseech, do thou
To me propitious come and hear
With kindly heart the prayer I make:
Cleobulus’ confessor be
And this love of mine approve,
O Dionysus.’
[63] ἢ νὴ Δία τὰς τῶν Ἀττικῶν σκολιῶν τε καὶ ἐποινίων εὐχάς, οὐ βασιλεῦσι πρεπούσας, ἀλλὰ δημόταις καὶ φράτορσιν ἱλαροῖς καὶ σφόδρα ἀνειμένοις, ῾β. π. λ. ιιι π. 649᾿
εἴθε λύρα καλὴ γενοίμαν ἐλεφαντίνη,
καὶ με καλοὶ παῖδες φορέοιεν Διονύσιον ἐς χορόν.
εἴθ᾽ ἄπυρον καλὸν γενοίμαν μέγα χρυσίον,
καί με γυνὴ καλὴ φοροίη.
[63] Nor, by heavens, should he ever utter such prayers as those we find in the ballads and drinking-songs of the Attic symposia, for these are suitable, not for kings, but for country folk and for the merry and boisterous clan-meetings. For instance,
‘Would that I became a lovely ivory harp,
And some lovely children carried me to Dionysus’ choir!
Would that I became a lovely massive golden trinket,
And that me a lovely lady wore!’
[64] πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον ὡς Ὅμηρος πεποίηκεν εὐχ�
�μενον τὸν βασιλέα τῶν πάντων Ἑλλήνων,
Ζεῦ κύδιστε, μέγιστε, κελαινεφές, αἰθέρι ναίων,
μὴ πρὶν ἐπ᾽ ἠέλιον δῦναι καὶ ἐπὶ κνέφας ἐλθεῖν,
πρίν με καταπρηνὲς βαλέειν Πριάμοιο μέλαθρον
αἰθαλόεν, πρῆσαι δὲ πυρὸς δηίοιο θύρετρα:
Ἑκτόρεον δὲ χιτῶνα περὶ στήθεσσι δαΐξαι,
χαλκῷ ῥωγαλέον, πολέες δ᾽ ἀμφ᾽ αὐτὸν ἑταῖροι
πρηνέες ἐν κονίῃσιν ὀδὰξ λαζοίατο γαῖαν.
[64] He would much better pray as Homer has represented the king of all the Greeks as praying:
‘O Zeus, most great and glorious, who dost rule
The tempest — dweller of the ethereal space!
Let not the sun go down and night come on
Ere I shall lay the halls of Priam waste
With fire, and give their portals to the flames,
And hew away the coat of mail that shields
The breast of Hector, splitting it with steel.
And may his fellow-warriors, many a one,
Fall round him to the earth and bite the dust.’
[65] πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἔχοι τις ἂν εἰπεῖν παρ᾽ Ὁμήρῳ παιδεύματα καὶ διδάγματα ἀνδρεῖα καὶ βασιλικά, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἴσως μακρότερον τοῦ νῦν ἐπεξιέναι. πλὴν ὅτι γε τὴν αὑτοῦ γνώμην ἅπασαν ἀποδείκνυται σαφῶς, ὅτι πάντων ἄριστον οἴεται δεῖν τὸν βασιλέα εἶναι,μάλιστα δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος, ὅτε τὸ πρῶτον παρατάττει τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας σύμπαντας καταλέγει καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν νεῶν.
Delphi Complete Works of Dio Chrysostom Page 177
