Plutarch, De exilio, ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs, 12

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

[12] ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέν, ὦ φίλε, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἐκείνους λέγωμεν κἀκείνοις ἐπᾴδωμεν, οἷς εἰς νῆσον ἀπῳκισμένοις ἀνεπίμικτα ποιεῖ τἄλλα¹; 25

πόντος ἁλὸς, ὃ πολεῖς² ἀέκοντας ἐρύκει·

σοὶ δʼ οὐχ ἑνὸς δεδομένου μόνον,³ ἀλλʼ ἀπειρημένου τόπου, πασῶν ἐστιν ἐξουσία πόλεων ἡ μιᾶς κώλυσις. ἀλλὰ μὴν τῷ οὐκ ἄρχομεν οὐδὲ βουλεύομεν οὐδʼ ἀγωνοθετοῦμεν ἀντίθες⁴ τὸ οὐ στασιάζομεν οὐδʼ⁵ 5 ἀναλίσκομεν οὐδὲ προσηρτήμεθα θύραις ἡγεμόνος· οὐδὲν οὖν⁶ μέλει ἡμῖν⁷, ὅστις ὁ κεκληρωμένος τὴν ἐπαρχίαν ἐστίν, εἰ ἀκράχολος⁸ εἰ ἐπαχθής. ἀλλʼ⁹ ἡμεῖς, καθάπερ Ἀρχίλοχος τῆς Θάσου τὰ καρποφόρα καὶ 604c οἰνόπεδα παρορῶν, διὰ τὸ τραχὺ καὶ ἀνώμαλον διέβαλε 10 τὴν νῆσον εἰπών

ἣδε δʼ ὥστʼ ὄνου ῥάχις

¹⁰

ἕστηκεν ὕλης; ἀγρίας ἐπιστεφής,

οὕτω τῆς φυγῆς πρὸς ἓν μέρος τὸ ἄδοξον ἐντεινόμενοι παρορῶμεν τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην καὶ τὴν σχολὴν 15 καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. καίτοι τούς γε Περσῶν βασιλέας ἐμακάριζον ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τὸν χειμῶνα διάγοντας, ἐν δὲ Μηδίᾳ τὸ θέρος, ἐν δὲ Σούσοις τὸ ἥδιστον τοῦ ἔαρος. ἔξεστι δήπου¹¹ καὶ τῷ, μεθεστῶτι μυστηρίοις ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι διατρίβειν Διονυσίοις ἐν 20 Ἀθήναις, Ὀλύμπιʼ ἐν Πίσῃ Νέμεʼ ἐν¹² Ἄργει πανηγυρίζειν, Πυθίων ἀγομένων εἰς Δελφοὺς παρελθεῖν, 604d Ἰσθμίων εἰς Κόρινθον, ἄνπερ ᾖ φιλοθέωρος· εἰ δὲ μή, σχολὴ περίπατος ἀνάγνωσις ὕπνος ἀθορύβητος· τὸ τοῦ Διογένους Ἀριστοτέλης ἀριστᾷ, ὅταν δοκῇ Φιλίππῳ, Διογένης, ὅταν Διογένει μήτε πραγματείας μήτʼ ἄρχοντος μήθʼ ἡγεμόνος τὴν συνήθη δίαιταν περισπῶντος.

De exilio. Plutarch. ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs. Leipzig. 1891.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Περὶ φυγῆς (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol 3. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1891.)

Translations (1)

Of Banishment, or Flying One's Country. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 3. Goodwin, William W., editor; Patrick, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 12 focus

[12] These things, my friend, and such like we say and sing to those who, by being banished into an island, have no correspondence or commerce with other people,

Hindered by waves of the surrounding deep,

Which many ’gainst their mind close prisoners keep.

But as for thee, who art not assigned to one place only, but forbidden only to live in one, the prohibiting thee one is the giving thee leave to dwell anywhere else besides. If on one hand it is urged thus against you: You are in no office, you are not of the senate, nor preside as moderator at the public games, you may oppose on the other hand thus: We head no factions, we make no expensive treats, nor give long attendance at the governor’s gates; we care not at all who is chosen into our province, though he be choleric or unsufferably vexatious.

But just as Archilochus disparaged the island of Thasos because of its asperity and inequality in some places, overlooking its fruitful fields and vineyards, saying thus of it,

Like ridge of ass’s back it stood,

Full of wild plants, for nothing good;

so we, whilst we pore upon one part of banishment which is ignominious, overlook its vacancy from business, and that leisure and freedom it affords us.

Men admired the happiness of the Persian kings, that passed their winter in Babylon, their summer in Media, and the pleasant spring-time at Susa. And he that is an exile may, if he pleases, when the mysteries of Ceres are celebrated, go and live at Eleusis; and he may keep the feasts of Bacchus at Argos; at the time of the Pythian games, he may pass over to Delphi, and of the Isthmian, to Corinth, if public spectacles and shows are the things he admires; if not, then he may be idle, or walk, or read, or sleep quietly; and you may add that privilege Diogenes bragged of when he said, Aristotle dines when it seems good to King Philip, but Diogenes when he himself pleases, having no business, no magistrate, no prefect to interrupt and disturb his customary way of living.

Notes on the current edition

Περὶ φυγῆς

1. τἄλλα *: τὰ ἄλλα

2. πόντος - πολεῖς] ἀλὸς πολιῆς ὃ πολέας Hom. Φ 59

3. μόνον] μόνου Duebnerus. Deleverim

4. ἀντίθες scripsi cum Emperio: ἂν ἀντιθῇς

5. οὐδʼ Stegmannus: οὐκ

6. οὐδὲν οὖν R: οὐδὲ νῦν

7. ἡμῖν μέλει Benselerus

8. ἀκράχολος *: ἀκρόχολος

9. ἀλλʼ Basileensis: ἀλλ’ ὡς. unde ἐπαχθὴς ἄλλως, ἀλλʼ R

10. Bergk. 2 p. 389

11. δέ που R. malim δὲ δήπου

12. Ἀθήναις, Ὀλύμπι’ ἐν Πίσῃ, Νέμε’ ἐν ego addidi

Plutarch De exilio 12

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers