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Encomium in matrem

1. The encomium is for my mother; but I do not bestow this speech as a favor on the one who bore me, nor have I been ambitious to offer this praise, but I am "paying back" to nature her just debt and bringing to virtue its fitting contribution, not separating the two, but as it happens, through one subject apportioning what is suitable to both. For if each, taken separately, draws forth words of praise—the one because of the necessity of nature, the other because of the dignity of her being—how should we not, when they are intertwined and made more beautiful by each other, also bring forth the praises of our speech in a more excellent form? For to those in whom goodness is great in itself, to them must also be added more splendid praise from those who are esteemed in speech, and all the more so when the one composing the speech does not use another's experience, but his own, which is familiar and kindred; which is precisely what "has turned out well" for us. For one ought not to boldly praise strangers and those distant in kinship who have provided splendid starting-points for encomia, while neglecting one's own kin, and, on account of suspicious outsiders, deprive them of the fitting honor of praise, so that estrangement might overcome kinship and what is foreign have more than what is related. For since it is agreed to be a fine thing "to repay" to fathers and mothers and other close relations as much gratitude as possible, how are we to break such an agreement, perhaps keeping the covenants in other matters, but failing in the critical ones, and while they are alive providing them with reasonable contributions, but when they are dead neglecting our sacred duty and taking away the speech that adorns them, the only thing left to them when they have passed to another life? Furthermore, "this fear must be feared" by those whose encomia are made for "their ancestors," whose virtues perhaps the hearers of the speeches do not know, but are now hearing the praise for the first time, as it both recounts and adorns. But I am confident in this, giving my speech for my mother in the presence of those who know, and attributing to her things to which there are many witnesses; and at the same time I would be doing my mother an injustice by failing in this contribution, since I received my speech from her, as we shall say as we proceed, and not repaying even a small part of the debt. Therefore, I do not "fear this fear," that someone might suspect us of falsifying the greater part of the encomia, but rather that many might condemn the imperfect power of my words, as having set out to discharge the innate debt to my mother, but having been found wanting in enthusiasm, and giving not as much as ought to be given, but as much as we have wished or have been able. And I would have shrunk from the undertaking, if this very fact did not give my mother the reputation of greater virtue, having appeared superior to our will and power. Since, therefore, from all considerations the speech for her has been shown to be most safe and most fitting for us, we must begin the encomia. But be gracious to me, mother, if I do not make the praise equal to your virtue; for I have not undertaken to do this, but so as to sketch out for those who do not know the image of your virtues. For those who know will not pay attention to the speech, but will bear witness to the truth. And to those after us I declare beforehand this much, that my speech is measured not by your standard and your power for good, but by that of my own enthusiasm. 2. To my mother, therefore, from her ancestors and from her family, by inheritance as it were,

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Encomium in matrem

1. Τῇ μητρὶ τὸ ἐγκώμιον· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς τεκούσῃ τὸν λόγον καταχαρίζομαι, οὐδὲ τὴν εὐφημίαν πεφιλοτίμημαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ φύσει «τὸ δίκαιον

ἀποδίδωμι» ὄφλημα καὶ τῇ ἀρετῇ τὴν πρέπουσαν εἰσάγω συνεισφοράν, οὐχὶ διαιρῶν ἑκάτερα, ἀλλ' οὕτω τυχόν, διὰ μιᾶς ὑποθέσεως τὸ εἰκὸς

ἀμφοῖν ἐπιμεριζόμενος. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ διῃρημένον ἑκάτερον τοὺς ἐπαινέτας λόγους ἐφέλκεται, ἐκεῖνο μὲν διὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς φύσεως τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας ἀξίωμα, πῶς οὐ δεῖ συμπλακεῖσιν ἀλλήλοις καὶ γενομένοις παρ' ἑκατέρων καλλίοσι καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἐπαίνους μετὰ τοῦ κρείττονος συνεισενεγκεῖν σχήματος; οἶς γὰρ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐν μεγέθει τὸ ἀγαθόν, τούτοις καὶ παρὰ τῶν εὐδοκιμούντων ἐν λόγοις λαμπροτέραν δεῖ προσεῖναι τὴν εὐφημίαν, καὶ τόσῳ μᾶλλον ὅσῳπερ καὶ ὁ τὸν λόγον ἐξεργαζόμενος οὐκ ἀλλοτρίᾳ χρῆται τῇ πείρᾳ, ἀλλ' οἰκείᾳ καὶ συγγενεῖ· ὅπερ καὶ ἡμῖν «συμβέβηκεν εὖ ποιοῦν». Οὐ γὰρ δεῖ τοὺς μὲν ἀλλοτρίους καὶ πόρρω τοῦ γένους ἐγκωμιάζειν θαρρούντως λαμπρὰς ἀφορμὰς τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις παρεσχηκότας, κατολιγωρεῖν δὲ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων, καὶ διὰ τοὺς ἔξωθεν ὑποπτεύοντας ἀποστερεῖν ἐκείνων τὴν προσήκουσαν τῆς εὐφημίας ἀξίωσιν, ἵν' οὕτως ἡ ἀλλοτρίωσις νικῴη τὴν οἰκειότητα καὶ πλέον ἔχῃ τὸ ξένον τοῦ συγγενοῦς. καλοῦ γὰρ ὁμολογηθέντος πατράσι τε καὶ μητράσι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλως οἰκειοτάτοις «χάριν ἐκτίνειν» ὁπόση δυνατή, πῶς ἀναλυτέον ἡμῖν τὴν τοιαύτην ὁμολογίαν, ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἴσως τὰς συνθήκας φυλάττουσιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς καιρίοις ἐλλείπουσι, καὶ ζῶσι μὲν ἐκείνοις παρέχουσι τὰς εὐλόγους συνεισφοράς, ἀποθανοῦσι δὲ τῆς ὁσίας καταμελοῦσι καὶ τὸν κοσμοῦντα λόγον ἀφαιροῦσι μόνον ἐκείνοις καταλελειμμένον πρὸς ἑτέραν ζωὴν μεταλλάξασιν; Ἔπειτα τοῦτον μὲν «φοβητέον τὸν φόβον» ἐκείνοις οἷς ἐς «τοὺς ἄνω τοῦ γένους» πεποίηται τὰ ἐγκώμια, ὧν ἴσως τὰς ἀρετὰς οὐκ ἴσασιν οἱ τῶν λόγων ἀκροαταί, ἀλλὰ νῦν πρῶτον ἀκούουσι τῆς εὐφημίας, ὁμοῦ μὲν ἱστορούσης ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ κοσμούσης. ἐγὼ δὲ κἀνταῦθα τεθάρρηκα ἐν εἰδόσι τῇ μητρὶ τὸν λόγον διδοὺς καὶ ὧν πολλοὶ μάρτυρες, ταῦτα ἐκείνῃ ἀνατιθείς· ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἀδικοίην ἂν τὴν μητέρα ἐλλείπων τοῦτον τὸν ἔρανον, ἐξ ἐκείνης μὲν τοὺς λόγους λαβών, ὡς προϊόντες ἐροῦμεν, καὶ μηδὲ βραχύ τι μέρος τοῦ χρέους ἀποπληρῶν. οὐ τοίνυν τοῦτον ἐγὼ «φοβοῦμαι τὸν φόβον», μή τις ἡμᾶς ὑποπτεύσειε ψεύδεσθαι τὰ πλείω τῶν ἐγκωμίων, ἀλλὰ μὴ πολλοὶ καταγνοῖεν τῆς ἀτελοῦς τῶν λόγων δυνάμεως, ὡς ὁρμήσαντας μὲν τὸ ἐγγενὲς χρέος τῇ μητρὶ διαλύσασθαι, ἐλάττους δὲ ὀφθέντας τῆς προθυμίας, καὶ διδόντας οὐχ ὅσον δέον διδόναι, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἡμεῖς βεβουλήμεθα ἢ δεδυνήμεθα. καὶ ἀπώκνησα ἂν τὴν ἐγχείρησιν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῇ μητρὶ ὑπόληψιν ἐδίδου μείζονος ἀρετῆς, κρείττονι φανείσῃ τῆς ἡμετέρας βουλήσεως καὶ δυνάμεως. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐκ πάντων ἡμῖν ὁ πρὸς ἐκείνην λόγος ἀσφαλέστατος ἀπεδείχθη καὶ πρεπωδέστατος, ἀρκτέον τῶν ἐγκωμίων. σὺ δέ μοι ἵλαθι, μῆτερ, εἰ μή σοι τῇ ἀρετῇ ἐξισώσω τὴν εὐφημίαν· οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπιβέβλημαι, ἀλλ' ὥστε παρασκιάσαι τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν σῶν ἀρετῶν. οἱ γὰρ εἰδότες οὐ τῷ λόγῳ προσέξουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ προσμαρτυρήσουσι. τοῖς δέ γε μεθ' ἡμᾶς τοσοῦτον προδιαστέλλομαι, ὅτι οὐ τῷ σῷ μέτρῳ καὶ τῇ σῇ τοῦ καλοῦ δυνάμει, τῷ δέ γε τῆς ἐμῆς προθυμίας ὁ λόγος παραμεμέτρηται. 2. Τῇ ἐμῇ τοίνυν μητρὶ ἄνωθεν καὶ παρὰ τοῦ γένους, κατὰ κλῆρον ὥσπερ,