Isocrates, Panegyricus, George Norlin (Translator), 28

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[28] Now, first of all, that which was the first necessity of man’s nature was provided by our city; for even though the story¹ has taken the form of a myth, yet it deserves to be told again. When Demeter came to our land, in her wandering after the rape of Kore, and, being moved to kindness towards our ancestors by services which may not be told save to her initiates, gave these two gifts, the greatest in the world—the fruits of the earth,² which have enabled us to rise above the life of the beasts, and the holy rite³ which inspires in those who partake of it sweeter hopes⁴ regarding both the end of life and all eternity,

Panegyricus. Isocrates. George Norlin (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1928.

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Current edition Perseus

Panegyricus (English) (Isocrates, Vol. 1. Norlin, George, translator. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1928 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Πανηγυρικός Perseus (Isocrates, Vol. 1. Norlin, George, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1928 (printing).) — 28 focus

[28] πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν, οὗ πρῶτον ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν ἐδεήθη, διὰ τῆς πόλεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐπορίσθη· καὶ γὰρ εἰ μυθώδης ὁ λόγος γέγονεν, ὅμως αὐτῷ καὶ νῦν ῥηθῆναι προσήκει. Δήμητρος γὰρ ἀφικομένης εἰς τὴν χώραν ὅτʼ ἐπλανήθη τῆς Κόρης ἁρπασθείσης, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προγόνους ἡμῶν εὐμενῶς διατεθείσης ἐκ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἃς οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἄλλοις ἢ τοῖς μεμυημένοις ἀκούειν, καὶ δούσης δωρεὰς διττὰς αἵπερ μέγισται τυγχάνουσιν οὖσαι, τούς τε καρπούς, οἳ τοῦ μὴ θηριωδῶς ζῆν ἡμᾶς αἴτιοι γεγόνασι, καὶ τὴν τελετήν, ἧς οἱ μετασχόντες περί τε τῆς τοῦ βίου τελευτῆς καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος αἰῶνος ἡδίους τὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχουσιν,

Notes on the current edition

Panegyricus

1. For the story of Demeter and Persephone (here called Kore, “the maiden”) see HH Dem. ; Ovid, Fasti iv. 393-620, and Metamorphoses v. 385 ff.; Claudian, De raptu Proserpinae, and Walter Pater, “Demeter and Persephone” in his Greek Studies.

2. Cf. Plat. Menex. 237e ; Lucret. vi. 1 ff.

3. For the Eleusinian Mysteries see Lobeck, Aglaophamus, vol. i; Gardner and Jevons, Manual of Greek Antiquities, pp. 274 ff.; Gardner ’s New Chapters in Greek History, xiii; Diehl, Excursions in Greece viii.

4. Quoted in Isoc. 8.34 . For the blessedness of the Mystics see HH Dem. 480 ff. ; Pindar, Fr. 102; Sophocles, Fr. 753 Nauck.

Isocrates Panegyricus 28

George Norlin (Translator)

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