45

to be rid of it? "This one should have been examined," he says, "this one should have been held accountable, who exists today and tomorrow is no more?" 114 14,4 For who will be clean from filth? No one, 14,5a even if his life on earth is but a single day, 5b and his months are numbered with him. 5c You have set a time, and he shall not pass it. 14,6a Depart from me, that I may be quiet 6b and find pleasure in my life like a hired hand. Do you see how he again takes refuge in nature? "For it is not even possible," he says, "to be clean, not only because of what is worthless, nor because of the shortness of life, nor because life is full of despair, but because it is not even possible to be clean, depart from me," he says, "that I may be quiet and find pleasure in my life like a hired hand. The short-lived again, and toilsome and wretched, worn out and miserable, command it to be at peace." Then he shows that man is more wretched than all things, than trees and rivers and the sea; 14,7a for there is, he says, hope for trees; 7b for if it is cut down, it will blossom again 7c and its shoot will not fail. 14,8a For if its root grows old in the earth, 8b and its stem dies among the rocks, 14,9a it will blossom at the scent of water 9b and will produce a harvest like a new plant. 14,10a But a man who has died is gone 10b and a fallen mortal will be no more. Then he says: 14,11a But in time the sea fails, 11b and will rivers, having become desolate, be dried up? 14,12a But a man who has fallen asleep will not rise, nor will he be awakened, 12b until the heaven grows old, 12c and they will not be roused from their sleep. This he says, that not even the sea suffers this over time, but 115 these things are immortal, as some of the outsiders have said: "as long as," he says, "rivers flow and the shadows of trees exist." "No sea, no river is cut off, but man endures this. Would that this were so, that we should die and live again; but this is not so." 14,13a For would that you would keep me in Hades, he says, 13b and you will hide me, until your anger ceases, 13c and you will set a time for me, in which you will make remembrance of me. 14,14a For if a man dies, will he live 14b having completed the days of his life? 14c I will wait, until I come to be again. 14,15a Then you will call me, and I will obey you. 15b But do not reject the works of your hands. "It is not, then," he says, "possible to wait; for if this were so, I would have waited, until I should rise again. For would that," he says, "you would hide me in Hades, and I would wait, until I should become such, and when you called, I would obey. But these things are not so. What then? Even if none of these things is so, because I am your work, do not cast me off." 14,16a But you have numbered my deeds, 16b and not one of my sins will escape you. 14,17a But you have sealed up my sins in a bag 17b and you have marked, if I have transgressed anything unwillingly. "From this I wish to be saved," he says, "from being the work of your hands, but not at all from justice, nor from your being able to be deceived or to forget my offenses. For it is not possible for any of my evils to escape you." Then he says: 14,18a And yet a falling mountain will fall, 18b and a rock will be worn away from its place. 14,19a Waters have worn away stones 19b and waters have flooded the topsoil of the earth, 19c and you have destroyed the patience of man. 14, 20a You pushed him to the end and he was gone, 20b and you set 116 your face against him and he was sent away. 14,21a And though his sons become many, he does not know, 21b and if they become few, he does not understand. 14,22a But his flesh felt pain, 22b and his soul mourned for him. "A man is punished," he says, "because even having many sons, he does not know. For after he dies he is often deprived even of the prosperity which he would have enjoyed while living. For what is the benefit of leaving children behind, when he himself departs?" Do you see? Everywhere he blames the shortness of life and the inability to return or come back here. "Let us suppose," he says, "that he leaves behind sons, but he does not perceive their good fortune. Whether his children become few or many, he does not know. What then is more wretched? When one does well and is ignorant of it? When he departs alone knowing his own things

45

ἀπαλλαγῆναι; «τοῦτον ἔδει ἐξετασθῆναι», φησίν, «τοῦτον ἔδει εὐθύνας ἀπαιτηθῆναι, τὸν σήμερον ὄντα καὶ αὔριον οὐκέτι;» 114 14,4 τίς γὰρ ἔσται καθαρὸς ἀπὸ ῥύπου; οὐδείς, 14,5a ἐὰν καὶ μιᾶς ἡμέρας γένηται ὁ βίος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, 5b ἀριθμητοὶ δὲ μῆνες αὐτοῦ παρ' αὐτῷ. 5c εἰς χρόνον ἔθου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπερβῇ. 14,6a ἀπόστα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἵνα ἡσυχάσω 6b καὶ εὐδοκήσω τὸν βίον μου ὥσπερ μισθωτός. ὁρᾷς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν φύσιν καταφεύγοντα; «ὅτι οὐδὲ δυνατόν», φησίν, «εἶναι καθαρόν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ εὐτελὲς οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον οὐδὲ διὰ τὸ ἀθυμίας γέμειν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐδὲ δυνατὸν καθαρὸν εἶναι, ἀπόστα ἀπ' ἐμοῦ», φησίν, «ἵνα ἡσυχάσω καὶ εὐδοκήσω τὸν βίον μου ὥσπερ μισθωτός. τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον πάλιν καὶ ἐπίπονον καὶ ταλαίπωρον, καταπονούμενον καὶ ταλαιπωρούμενον, κέλευσον ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ εἶναι.» εἶτα δείκνυσιν, ὅτι πάντων ἀθλιώτερος ὁ ἄνθρωπος καὶ δένδρων καὶ ποταμῶν καὶ θαλάσσης· 14,7a ἔστι γάρ, φησίν, δένδρων ἐλπίς· 7b ἐὰν δὲ καὶ ἐκκοπῇ, πάλιν ἀνθήσει 7c καὶ ὁ ῥάδαμνος αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ ἐκλίπῃ. 14,8a ἐὰν γὰρ γηράσῃ ἐν γῇ ἡ ῥίζα αὐτοῦ, 8b ἐν δὲ πέτραις τελευτήσῃ τὸ στέλεχος αὐτοῦ, 14,9a ἀπὸ ὀσμῆς ὕδατος ἀνθήσει 9b καὶ ποιήσει θερισμὸν ὥσπερ νεόφυτον. 14,10a ἀνὴρ δὲ τελευτήσας ᾤχετο 10b καὶ πεσὼν βροτὸς οὐκέτι ἔσται. εἶτά φησιν· 14,11a χρόνῳ δὲ σπανίζεται θάλασσα, 11b ποταμοὶ δὲ ἐρημωθέντες ξηρανθήσονται; 14,12a ἄνθρωπος δὲ κοιμηθεὶς οὐ μὴ ἀναστῇ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξεγερθῇ, 12b ἕως ἂν ὁ οὐρανὸς παλαιωθῇ, 12c καὶ οὐκ ἐξυπνισθήσονται ἐξ ὕπνου αὐτῶν. τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι οὐδὲ θάλασσα τοῦτο πάσχει τῷ χρόνῳ, ἀλλὰ 115 ταῦτα μὲν ἀθάνατα, ὡς καί τινες τῶν ἔξωθεν εἰρήκασιν· «ἕως ἄν», φησίν, «ποταμοὶ ῥεύσωσι καὶ σκιαὶ τῶν δένδρων ὦσιν.» «οὐ θάλασσα, οὐ ποταμὸς διακόπτεται, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ὑπομένει τοῦτο. εἴθε γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν ὥστε ἀποθανεῖν ἡμᾶς καὶ πάλιν ἀναζῆν· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο.» 14,13a εἰ γὰρ ὤφελον ἐν ᾅδῃ με, φησίν, φυλάξεις, 13b καλύψεις δέ με, ἕως ἂν παύσηταί σου ἡ ὀργή, 13c καὶ τάξεις μοι χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ μνείαν μου ποιήσῃ. 14,14a ἐὰν γὰρ ἀποθάνῃ ἄνθρωπος, ζήσεται 14b συντελέσας τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ; 14c ὑπομενῶ, ἕως πάλιν γένωμαι. 14,15a εἶτα καλέσεις με, ἐγὼ δέ σοι ὑπακούσομαι. 15b τὰ δὲ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου μὴ ἀποποιοῦ. «οὐ τοίνυν ἔστιν», φησίν, «ὑπομεῖναι· εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο ἦν, ὑπέμεινα ἄν, ἕως πάλιν ἀναστῶ. εἰ γὰρ ὤφελον», φησίν, «ἐν ᾅδῃ με καλύψεις, καὶ ὑπέμενον, ἕως ἂν τοιοῦτος γένωμαι, καὶ καλέσαντός σου ὑπήκουον. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα. τί οὖν; εἰ καὶ μὴ ἔστιν ἓν τούτων, διὰ τὸ ἔργον εἶναι σὸν μὴ ἀπορρίψῃς με.» 14,16a ἠρίθμησας δέ μου τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, 16b καὶ οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ σε οὐδὲν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου. 14,17a ἐσφράγισας δέ μου τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ἐν βαλαντίῳ 17b καὶ ἐπεσημήνω δέ, εἴ τι ἄκων παρέβην. «ἀπὸ τούτου βούλομαι σωθῆναι», φησίν, «ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔργον εἶναι χειρῶν σου, ἀπὸ δὲ δικαιοσύνης οὐδαμῶς οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ δύνασθαί σε ἀπατᾶσθαι ἢ ἐπιλελῆσθαι τῶν πλημμελημάτων τῶν ἐμῶν. οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν λαθεῖν σέ τι τῶν ἐμῶν κακῶν.» εἶτά φησιν· 14,18a καὶ πλὴν ὄρος πῖπτον πεσεῖται, 18b καὶ πέτρα παλαιωθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς. 14,19a λίθους ἐλέαναν ὕδατα 19b καὶ κατέκλυσαν ὕδατα ὕπτια τοῦ χώματος τῆς γῆς, 19c καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἀνθρώπου ἀπώλεσας. 14, 20a ὤσας αὐτὸν εἰς τέλος καὶ ᾤχετο, 20b καὶ ἐπέστησας 116 αὐτῷ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ ἐξαπεστάλη. 14,21a πολλῶν δὲ γενομένων τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ οὐκ οἶδεν, 21b ἐάν τε ὀλίγοι γένωνται, οὐκ ἐπίσταται. 14,22a ἀλλ' ἢ αἱ σάρκες αὐτοῦ ἤλγησαν, 22b ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἐπένθησεν. «κολάζεται», φησίν, «ἄνθρωπος, ὅτι καὶ πολλοὺς ἔχων υἱοὺς οὐκ οἶδεν. μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτὸν πολλάκις καὶ τῆς εὐπραγίας, ἧς ζῶν ἀπήλαυσεν ἄν, ἀποστερεῖται. τί γὰρ ὄφελος παῖδας καταλιπεῖν, ὅταν αὐτὸς ἀπέλθῃ;» ὁρᾷς; πανταχοῦ τὸ ὀλιγοχρόνιον αἰτιᾶται καὶ τὸ μηκέτι ἔχειν ἀναστρέψαι μηδὲ ἐπανελθεῖν ἐνταῦθα. «θῶμεν», γάρ φησιν, «ὅτι καταλιμπάνει υἱούς, ἀλλ' οὐκ αἰσθάνεται τῶν ἀγαθῶν. ἄν τε ὀλίγοι γένωνται ἄν τε πολλοὶ οἱ παῖδες, οὐκ οἶδεν. τί τοίνυν ἀθλιώτερον; ὅταν εὖ πράττων ἀγνοῇ; ὅταν μόνος ἀπέρχηται εἰδὼς τὰ οἰκεῖα