Aelian: On the Nature of Animals
Sandy /
- Created on 2024-04-15 18:25:33
- Translated by A.F.Scholfield (1958)
- Aligned by Sandy
Ἑλληνική Transliterate
English
Aelian, De Natura Animalium
AELIAN: ON THE NATURE OF ANIMALS
ἄνθρωπον μὲν εἶναι σοφὸν καὶ δίκαιον καὶ τῶν οἰκείων παίδων προμηθέστατον , καὶ τῶν γειναμένων ποιεῖσθαι τὴν προσήκουσαν φροντίδα , καὶ τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ μαστεύειν καὶ ἐπιβουλὰς φυλάττεσθαι καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὅσα αὐτῷ σύνεστι δῶρα φύσεως , παράδοξον ἴσως οὐδέν · καὶ γὰρ λόγου μετείληχεν ἄνθρωπος τοῦ πάντων τιμιωτάτου , καὶ λογισμοῦ ἠξίωται , ὅσπερ οὖν ἐστι πολυαρκέστατός τε καὶ πολυωφελέστατος · ἀλλὰ καὶ θεοὺς αἰδεῖσθαι οἶδε καὶ σέβειν . τὸ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀλόγοις μετεῖναί τινος ἀρετῆς κατὰ φύσιν , καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πλεονεκτημάτων καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἔχειν συγκεκληρωμένα , τοῦτο ἤδη μέγα . καὶ εἰδέναι γε μὴ ῥᾳθύμως τὰ προσόντα αὐτῶν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ , καὶ ὅπως ἐσπουδάσθη οὐ μεῖον τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων , εἴη ἄν τινος πεπαιδευμένης φρενὸς καὶ μαθούσης πολλά . ὡς μὲν οὖν καὶ ἑτέροις ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐσπούδασται , καλῶς οἶδα · ἐγὼ δὲ ἐμαυτῷ ταῦτα ὅσα οἷόν τε ἦν ἀθροίσας καὶ περιβαλὼν αὐτοῖς τὴν συνήθη λέξιν , κειμήλιον οὐκ ἀσπούδαστον ἐκπονῆσαι πεπίστευκα . εἰ δέ τῳ καὶ ἄλλῳ φανεῖται ταῦτα λυσιτελῆ , χρήσθω αὐτοῖς · ὅτῳ δὲ οὐ φανεῖται , ἐάτω τῷ πατρὶ θάλπειν τε καὶ περιέπειν · οὐ γὰρ πάντα πᾶσι καλά , οὐδὲ ἄξια δοκεῖ
There
is
perhaps
nothing
extraordinary
in
the
fact
that
man
is
wise
and
just
,
takes
great
care
to
provide
for
his
own
children
,
shows
due
consideration
for
his
parents
,
seeks
sustenance
for
himself
,
protects
himself
against
plots
,
and
possesses
all
the
other
gifts
of
nature
which
are
his
.
For
man
has
been
endowed
with
speech
,
of
all
things
the
most
precious
,
and
has
been
granted
reason
,
which
is
of
the
greatest
help
and
use
.
Moreover
,
he
knows
how
to
reverence
and
worship
the
gods
.
But
that
dumb
animals
should
by
nature
possess
some
good
quality
and
should
have
many
of
man
'
s
amazing
excellences
assigned
to
them
along
with
man
,
is
indeed
a
remarkable
fact
.
And
to
know
accurately
the
special
characteristics
of
each
,
and
how
living
creatures
also
have
been
a
source
of
interest
no
less
than
man
,
demands
a
trained
intelligence
and
much
learning
.
Now
I
am
well
aware
of
the
labour
that
others
have
expended
on
this
subject
,
yet
I
have
collected
all
the
materials
that
I
could
;
I
have
clothed
them
in
untechnical
language
,
and
am
persuaded
that
my
achievement
is
a
treasure
far
from
negligible
.
So
if
anyone
considers
them
profitable
,
let
him
make
use
of
them
;
anyone
who
does
not
consider
them
so
may
give
them
to
his
father
to
keep
and
attend
to
.
For
not
all
things
give
pleasure
to
all
men
,
nor
do
all
men
consider
all
subjects
worthy
of
study
.
Although
I
was
born
later
than
many
accomplished
writers
of
an
earlier
day
,
the
accident
of
date
ought
not
to
deprive
me
of
praise
,
if
I
too
produce
a
learned
work
whose
ampler
research
and
whose
choice
of
language
make
it
deserving
of
serious
attention
.