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Ares deceived the young man who was occupied with the hunt—for Aphrodite was not present—and he concealed his appearance and seemed to be a wild boar. And the youth lay dead. And the news about this is announced to Aphrodite. The goddess was immediately struck in her hearing; and just as she was, she went, driven by passion and love. Terrible indeed are both desire despaired of and grief over love. Her feet happened to be bare, and she chanced upon a rose. For she stepped on it, not knowing. For when reason suffers, one who sees does not see, and one who hears does not understand. So when she stepped on the rose, she pricked her foot on its thorns. and it was white before, but from there it was tinged with blood, into an image of the goddess and a memory of her love. 2 πρατυμ But since winter and clouds are out of the way, and nothing mars the view and spring has shone forth, come, let us too break our silence, which is like a winter of words; for it would be a terrible thing. if swallows, flying about the air here and there, sing, wishing, I think, to sing of the spring, while for us the Muses become more dishonored than birds; since now also the swans, because of the season, are reminded of their song, and I think they fly up by the river Xanthus or the banks of the Ister or along the plains by that Lydian river Pactolus, and entrusting their wings to the Zephyr they sing hymns to Apollo and recall his musical lyre; and he most gladly hears them; and seeing the laurel, both flourishing and priding itself on its abundant foliage, and the hyacinth just now appearing, coming to the memory of old loves, he takes up his lyre and sings of the spring, and sings of his love for them; how Daphne was a beautiful maiden, and Hyacinthus was a Laconian youth; but she flees, and rejected her lover and is transformed. But Apollo, having a plant instead of a maiden, does not deny his love. And Hyacinthus, the beautiful boy, having two lovers, naturally preferred Apollo, but Zephyr grew angry; and the youth died, and became a flower and preserves his beauty. And a similar passion seized Pan. For which reason, I think, he too welcomes the spring, seeing the pine with its full foliage. For she was a maiden, even if she became a tree. And having entered into a contest of lovers, she disdained Boreas; for he is a wind; and she chose Pan instead, seeing how sweetly he leaped, and how sweetly he blew upon his syrinx. But when Boreas pushed her from a cliff, she became the pine that is now seen. Thus indeed the pleasure of the season reaches the gods. And of men, the one who makes his living from trade is delighted, seeing the sea calm, gently falling upon the shores, and as if making a libation to the beaches. Therefore he dares to embark on a ship, and carries cargo with light hope, as the season's breezes kindly escort the merchant vessel from city to city; and there is brought across to men what they happen to need in exchange for what they have in abundance. And a farmer, having toiled with very much sweat over the furrows, now sees the cornfield, how like a wave it is bent and bowed by the breeze. Gazing at these things and seeing the reward, he forgets his past labors. And now also the shepherds their flocks, and the goatherds the goats, and the cowherds the cattle, now lead them to pasture, and now guide them to springs and streams. And the herdsmen pipe, and the livestock, receiving the long-awaited music, both prick up their ears and leap with bounds. And one, seeing a goat full of milk, puts his mouth under its teat and draws forth the stream. And he sings of the Nymphs, and hymns Pan. And "dear Seasons" he often uttered. And I, yesterday or the day before, when I perceived the season, immediately throwing my books from my hands, went before the city as the day was declining. And being outside the wall, I travel by myself, bearing groves and trees. And letting my eyes wander here and there, I came to the memory of Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus. For a certain ancient discourse once led him too out of the city, and arriving by the Ilissus—this is an Attic river—he puts his feet into the cool waters, and on some soft grass

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τὸν νέον περὶ θήραν ἠσχολημένον ἠπάτα μὲν ὁ Ἄρης οὐ γὰρ παρῆν Ἀφροδίτηκαὶ κρύπτει μὲν τὴν θέαν καὶ ὗς ἄγριος ἐδόκει. καὶ ἔκειτο τὸ μειράκιον. ὁ περὶ τούτου δὲ λόγος εἰς Ἀφροδίτην ἀγγέλλεται. ἐπλήγη μὲν αὐτίκα τὴν ἀκοὴν ἡ θεός· ὡς δὲ εἶχεν ἐφοίτα, σεσοβημένη πάθει καὶ ἔρωτι. δεινὰ δὲ ἄρα καὶ πόθος ἀπογνωσθεὶς καὶ πένθος ἐπ' ἔρωτι. ἔτυχε δὲ γυμνὴ τὼ πόδε, εἰσέτυχέ τέ του ῥόδου. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἐπέβαινε ἀγνοοῦσα. λογισμοῦ γὰρ παθόντος καὶ βλέπων οὐχ ὁρᾷ καὶ ἀκούων ἠγνόηκεν. ὡς οὖν ἐπέβη τοῦ ῥόδου ταῖς περὶ αὐτὸ ἀκάνθαις ἀμύττει τὸν πόδα. καὶἦν ἄρα πρόσθεν λευκόναἵματι ἐκεῖθεν ὑπηρυθαίνετο, εἰς εἰκόνα τῆς θεοῦ καὶ μνήμην τοῦ ἔρωτος. 2 πρατυμ Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ χειμὼν ἐκποδὼν καὶ νέφη, οὐδὲν δὲ τὴν θέαν λυπεῖ καὶ τὸ ἔαρ ὑπέλαμψε, φέρε δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὥσπερ τινὰ χειμῶνα λόγων τὴν σιωπὴν διαλύσωμεν· δεινὸν γὰρ ἂν εἴη. εἰ χελιδόνες μὲν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε τὸν ἀέρα περιφοιτῶσαι ᾄδουσιν, οἶμαι τὸ ἔαρ οἷον ᾄδειν ἐθέλουσαι, παρ' ἡμῖν δὲ γένοιντο ἀτιμότεραι τῶν ὀρνέων αἱ Μοῦσαι· ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ κύκνοι νῦν ἐκ τῆς ὥρας εἰς μνήμην ἔρχονται τῆς ᾠδῆς, καὶ παρὰ Ξάνθον οἶμαι ποταμὸν ἢ καὶ Ἴστρου τὰς ὄχθας ἢ καὶ ἀνὰ πεδία παρὰ Πακτωλὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν Λύδιον ποταμὸν ἀνίπτανταί τε, καὶ τῷ Ζεφύρῳ τὸ πτερὸν ἐπιτρέψαντες ὑμνοῦσί τε τὸν Ἀπόλλω καὶ τῆς μουσικῆς ὑπομιμνῄσκουσι λύρας· κἀκεῖνος ἥδιστα μὲν τούτων ἀκούει· ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ τὴν δάφνην εὐθαλῆ τε καὶ πολλῇ τῇ κόμῃ σεμνυνομένην, καὶ τὸν ὑάκινθον ἄρτι φαινόμενον, παλαιῶν ἐρώτων εἰς μνήμην ἐλθὼν, ἀναλαμβάνει τὴν λύραν καὶ ᾄδει μὲν τὸ ἔαρ, ᾄδει δὲ ἐκείνων τὸν ἔρωτα· ὡς ἡ ∆άφνη παρθένος καλή, ὁ δὲ Ὑάκινθος Λακωνικὸν ὑπῆρχε μειράκιον· ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ὑποφεύγει, καὶ τὸν ἐραστὴν ἠρνεῖτο καὶ μεταβάλλεται. ἀλλ' Ἀπόλλων, φυτὸν ἀντὶ κόρης ἔχων, οὐκ ἀρνεῖται τὸν ἔρωτα. ὁ δὲ Ὑάκινθος, ὁ παῖς ὁ καλός, δυοῖν ἐρασταῖν τυχὼν προὔκρινε μὲν ὡς εἰκὸς τὸν Ἀπόλλω, χαλεπαίνει δὲ ὁ Ζέφυρος· καὶ τέθνηκε τὸ μειράκιον, καὶ ἄνθος ἐγένετο καὶ διασώζει τὸ κάλλος. παραπλήσιον δέ τι πάθος τὸν Πᾶνα κατείληφε. ὅθεν οἶμαι καὶ ἀσπάζεται τὸ ἔαρ, τὴν πίτυν κομῶσαν ὁρῶν. ἦν γὰρ αὕτη παρθένος, εἰ καὶ δένδρον ἐγένετο. ἐμβαλοῦσα δὲ εἰς ἅμιλλαν ἐραστῶν, ὑπερεῖδε τὸν Βορέαν· ἄνεμος γάρ· αἱρεῖται δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν Πᾶνα, ὁρῶσα ὡς ἡδύ τε ἐσκίρτα, ἡδύ τε προσέπνει τῇ σύριγγι. ἀλλὰ τοῦ Βορέου κατὰ κρημνοῦ ταύτην ἀπώσαντος, ἡ νῦν ὁρωμένη πίτυς ἐγένετο. οὕτω μὲν εἰς θεοὺς ἡ τῆς ὥρας ἡδονὴ διικνεῖται. ἀνθρώπων δ' ὁ μὲν ἐξ ἐμπορίας ἔχων τὸν βίον ἥδεται, τὴν θάλασσαν ὑπτίαν ὁρῶν, ταῖς ἀκταῖς ἠρέμα προσπίπτουσαν, καὶ ὥσπερ τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς σπενδομένην. ὅθεν θαρρεῖ μὲν ἐπιβαίνειν νηός, ἄγει δὲ φορτία μετὰ κούφης ἐλπίδος, τῶν τῆς ὥρας πνευμάτων ἐκ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν εὐμενῶς τὴν ὁλκάδα παραπεμπόντων· καὶ διακομίζεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀντὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς πλεοναζόντων ὧν ἐν χρείᾳ τυγχάνουσι. γεωργὸς δέ τις πλείστους ὅσους ἱδρῶτας περὶ τὰς αὔλακας ἐκπονέ σας, νῦν ὁρᾷ τὸ λήϊον, ὡς κύματος δίκην ὑπὸ τῆς αὔρας κυρτοῦται καὶ ἐπικλίνεται. ταῦτα θεώμενος καὶ τὴν ἀμοιβὴν ὁρῶν, τῶν πάλαι πόνων ἐπιλανθάνεται. ἤδη δὲ καὶ ποιμένες τὰ ποίμνια, αἰπόλοι δὲ τὰς αἶγας, καὶ τὰς βοῦς οἱ βουκόλοι, νῦν μὲν ἐπὶ πόαν ἄγουσι, νῦν δὲ ἐπὶ πηγὰς ἡγοῦνται καὶ νάματα. καὶ συρίττουσι μὲν οἱ νομεῖς, τὰ δὲ θρέμματα χρονίαν μουσικὴν εἰσδεχόμενα, ὀρθά τε ἵστη τὰ ὦτα, καὶ τοῖς πηδήμασιν αἴρεται. ὁρῶν δέ τις αἶγα πλήρη τοῦ γάλακτος ὑπὸ τὴν θηλὴν ὑπέχει τὸ στόμα καὶ ἐπισπᾶται τοῦ νάματος. καὶ ᾄδει μὲν τὰς Νύμφας, ὑμνεῖ δὲ τὸν Πᾶνα. καὶ "Ὧραι φίλαι" πολλάκις ἐφθέγξατο. Ἐγὼ δὲ χθές που καὶ τρίτης ἡμέρας, ἐπειδὴ τῆς ὥρας ᾐσθόμην, εὐθὺς ἐκ χειρῶν ἐκβαλὼν τὰ βιβλία, ᾔειν πρὸ τοῦ ἄστεος ἐπικλινούσης ἡμέρας. καὶ ἔξω τείχους γενόμενος ἐπ' ἐμαυτὸν ἐμπορεύομαι, ἄλση τε φέρων καὶ δένδρα. καὶ τῇδε κἀκεῖσε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πλανώμενος, εἰς μνήμην ἀφικόμην Σωκράτους τοῦ Σωφρονίσκου. ἐξάγει γάρ ποτε καὶ τοῦτον λόγος ἀρχαῖος τοῦ ἄστεος, καὶ παρὰ τὸν Ἰλισσὸν ἀφικνούμενοςἈττικὸς δὲ οὗτος ὁ ποταμόςψυχροῖς τοῖς ὕδασιν ἐμβάλλει τὼ πόδε, καὶ ἐπὶ πόᾳ τινὶ μαλθακῇ