English & Greek Trans 1 (Epicurus)

Jimmy Harrington /
English
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
122 :
Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary
of it when old . For no one is either too young or too old for the health of
the soul . He who says either that the time for philosophy has not yet
come or that it has passed is like someone who says that the time for
happiness has not yet come or that it has passed . Therefore , both young
and old must philosophize , the latter so that although old he may stay
young in good things owing to gratitude for what has occurred , the
former so that although young he too may be like an old man owing to his
lack of fear of what is to come . Therefore , one must practise the things
which produce happiness , since if that is present we have everything and
if it is absent we do everything in order to have it .

123 :
Do and practise what I constantly told you to do , believing these
to be the elements of living well . First , believe that god is an indestructible and blessed animal , in accordance with the general conception of god commonly held , and do not ascribe to god anything foreign to his indestructibility or repugnant to his blessedness . Believe of him everything which is able to preserve his blessedness and indestructibility . For gods do exist , since we have clear knowledge of them . But they are not such as the many believe them to be . For they do not adhere to their own views about the gods . The man who denies the gods of the many is not impious , but rather he who ascribes to the gods the opinions of the many .

124 :
For the pronouncements of the many about the gods are not basic
grasps but false suppositions . Hence come the greatest harm from
the gods to bad men and the greatest benefits [ to the good ] . For the
gods always welcome men who are like themselves , being congenial
to their own virtues and considering that whatever is not such is uncongenial .
Get used to believing that death is nothing to us . For all good and
bad consists in sense-experience , and death is the privation of sense-
experience . Hence , a correct knowledge of the fact that death is nothing
to us makes the mortality of life a matter for contentment , not by adding
a limitless time [ to life ] but by removing the longing for immortality .
122 :
μήτε νέος τις ὢν μελλέτω φιλοσοφεῖν , μήτε γέρων ὑπάρχων κοπιάτω φιλοσοφῶν . οὔτε γὰρ ἄωρος οὐδείς ἐστιν οὔτε πάρωρος πρὸς τὸ κατὰ ψυχὴν ὑγιαῖνον . δὲ λέγων μήπω τοῦ φιλοσοφεῖν ὑπάρχειν ὥραν παρεληλυθέναι τὴν ὥραν , ὅμοιός ἐστιν τῷ λέγοντι πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν μὴ παρεῖναι τὴν ὥραν μηκέτι εἶναι . ὥστε φιλοσοφητέον καὶ νέῳ καὶ γέροντι , τῷ μὲν ὅπως γηράσκων νεάζῃ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς διὰ τὴν χάριν τῶν γεγονότων , τῷ δὲ ὅπως νέος ἅμα καὶ παλαιὸς διὰ τὴν ἀφοβίαν τῶν μελλόντων · μελετᾶν οὖν χρὴ τὰ ποιοῦντα τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν , εἴπερ παρούσης μὲν αὐτῆς πάντα ἔχομεν , ἀπούσης δέ πάντα πράττομεν εἰς τὸ ταύτην ἔχειν .

123 :
δέ σοι συνεχῶς παρήγγελλον , ταῦτα καὶ πρᾶττε καὶ μελέτα , στοιχεῖα τοῦ καλῶς ζῆν ταῦτ’ εἶναι διαλαμβάνων .
πρῶτον μὲν τὸν θεὸν ζῷον ἄφθαρτον καὶ μακάριον νομίζων , ὡς κοινὴ τοῦ θεοῦ νόησις ὑπεγράφη , μηθὲν μήτε τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἀλλότριον μήτε τῆς μακαριότητος ἀνοίκειον αὐτῷ πρόσαπτε · πᾶν δὲ τὸ φυλάττειν αὐτοῦ δυνάμενον τὴν μετὰ ἀφθαρσίας μακαριότητα περὶ αὐτὸν δόξαζε . θεοὶ μὲν γὰρ εἰσίν · ἐναργὴς γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐστιν γνῶσις · οἵους δ’ αὐτοὺς < οἱ > πολλοὶ νομίζουσιν , οὐκ εἰσιν · οὐ γὰρ φυλάττουσιν αὐτοὺς οἵους νομίζουσιν . ἀσεβὴς δὲ οὐχ τοὺς τῶν πολλῶν θεοὺς ἀναιρῶν , ἀλλ’ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν δόξας θεοῖς προσάπτων .

124 :
οὐ γὰρ προλήψεις εἰσίν ἀλλ’ ὑπολήψεις ψευδεῖς αἱ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπὲρ θεῶν ἀποφάσεις . ἒνθεν αἱ μέγισται βλάβαι ἐκ θεῶν ἐπάγονται καὶ ὠφέλειαι . ταῖς γὰρ ἰδίαις οἰκειούμενοι διὰ παντὸς ἀρεταῖς τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀποδέχονται , πᾶν τὸ μὴ τοιοῦτον ὡς ἀλλότριον νομίζοντες .
συνέθιζε δὲ ἐν τῷ νομίζειν μηδὲν πρὸς ἡμᾶς εἶναι τὸν θάνατον ἐπεὶ πᾶν ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν ἐν αἰσθήσει · στέρησις δέ ἐστιν αἰσθήσεως θάνατος . ὅθεν γνῶσις ὀρθὴ τοῦ μηθὲν εἶναι πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὸν θάνατον ἀπολαυστὸν ποιεῖ τὸ τῆς ζωῆς θνητόν , οὐκ ἄπειρον προστιθεῖσα χρόνον , ἀλλὰ τὸν τῆς ἀθανασίας ἀφελομένη πόθον .



( 432 ) 97% ENG
( 12 ) 3% ENG - GRC

( 8 ) 2% ENG - GRC
( 323 ) 98% GRC