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ἄγαμαι δὲ καὶ τοῦ 1 Διογένους, ὃς τὸν
ἐν Λακεδαίμονι, ξένον ὁρῶν παρασκευαζόμενον
εἰς ἑορτήν τινα καὶ φιλοτιμούμενον ‘ἀνὴρ
δ᾽’ εἶπεν ‘ἀγαθὸς οὐ πᾶσαν ἡμέραν
ἑορτὴν ἡγεῖται’ καὶ πάνυ γε λαμπράν, εἰ
σωφρονοῦμεν, ἱερὸν γὰρ ἁγιώτατον ὁ κόσμος
ἐστὶ καὶ θεοπρεπέστατον: εἰς δὲ τοῦτον ὁ
ἄνθρωπος
εἰσάγεται διὰ τῆς γενέσεως οὐ χειροκμήτων .
οὐδ᾽ ἀκινήτων ἀγαλμάτων θεατής,
ἀλλ᾽ οἷα νοῦς θεῖος αἰσθητὰ νοητῶν
μιμήματα, φησὶν ὁ Πλάτων, 2 ἔμφυτον ἀρχὴν
ζωῆς ἔχοντα καὶ κινήσεως ἔφηνεν, ἥλιον
καὶ σελήνην καὶ ἄστρα καὶ ποταμοὺς νέον
ὕδωρ ἐξιέντας
ἀεὶ καὶ γῆν φυτοῖς τε καὶ ζῴοις τροφὰς
ἀναπέμπουσαν. ὧν τὸν βίον μύησιν ὄντα
καὶ τελετὴν τελειοτάτην εὐθυμίας δεῖ μεστὸν
εἶναι καὶ γήθους . οὐχ ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοὶ
Κρόνια καὶ Διάσια καὶ Παναθήναια καὶ
τοιαύτας ἄλλας ἡμέρας περιμένουσιν;
ἵν᾽ ἡσθῶσι
καὶ ἀναπέμψωσιν ὠνητὸν γέλωτα, μίμοις καὶ
ὀρχησταῖς μισθοὺς τελέσαντες. εἶτ᾽
ἐκεῖ μὲν εὔφημοι καθήμεθα
κοσμίως: οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὀδύρεται μυούμενος
οὐδὲ θρηνεῖ Πύθια θεώμενος ἢ πίνων ἐν
Κρονίοις: ἃς δ᾽ ὁ θεὸς ἡμῖν ἑορτὰς
χορηγεῖ καὶ
μυσταγωγεῖ καταισχύνουσιν, ἐν ὀδυρμοῖς τὰ
πολλὰ καὶ βαρυθυμίαις καὶ μερίμναις
ἐπιπόνοις διατρίβοντες. καὶ τῶν μὲν
ὀργάνων χαίρουσι, [p. 241] τοῖς
ἐπιτερπὲς ἠχοῦσι καὶ τῶν ὀρνέων τοῖς
ᾁδουσι, καὶ τὰ παίζοντα καὶ σκιρτῶντα τῶν
ζῴων ἡδέως ὁρῶσι, καὶ τοὐναντίον
ὠρυομένοις καὶ βρυχωμένοις καὶ
σκυθρωπάζουσιν: ἀνιῶνται τὸν δ᾽ ἑαυτῶν βίον
ἀμειδῆ καὶ κατηφῆ καὶ τοῖς
ἀτερπεστάτοις καὶ πάθεσι καὶ πράγμασι καὶ
φροντίσι μηδὲν πέρας ἐχούσαις πιεζόμενον
ἀεὶ καὶ συνθλιβόμενον ὁρῶντες, οὐχ ὅπως
αὐτοὶ μὲν ἑαυτοῖς ἀναπνοήν τινα καὶ
ῥᾳστώνην πορίζουσί ποθὲν, 3 ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽
ἑτέρων παρακαλούντων προσδέχονται λόγον, χρώμενοι καὶ
τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀμέμπτως συνοίσονται καὶ τῶν
γεγονότων εὐχαρίστως μνημονεύσουσι, καὶ πρὸς
τὸ λοιπὸν ἵλεων τὴν ἐλπίδα καὶ φαιδρὰν
ἔχοντες ἀδεῶς καὶ ἀνυπόπτως
προσάξουσιν.
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1891. 3.
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