Letter 657: Who will win the crown at our festival — whether in wrestling, the pankration, or boxing — Zeus and Heracles know,...
Σωπάτρῳ. (361)
Ὅστις μὲν στεφανώσεται παρ’ ἡμῖν ἢ παλαίων ἢ παγ-
κρατιάζων ἢ πυγμῇ νικῶν, Ζεύς που τοῦτο οἶδε καὶ Ἡρακλῆς
καὶ ὅσοις μέλει τῶν ἄθλων ἐκείνων δαίμοσι· σὺ δ’ ἡμῖν πρὸ
τῶν ἀθλητῶν νενίκηκας ἅπαντας οὓς ἐπεῖδεν ἥλιος ἀθλοθέτας
ἀρετῇ τε καὶ πλήθει τῶν ἀγωνιστῶν καὶ ἔτι γε μᾶλλον τῷ
μεγέθει τῶν δώρων, ἃ ταῖς τραπέζαις ἀνέμιξας οὔτε παρα-
δείγματι βιασθεὶς οὔθ’ ἕξων τὸν μιμησόμενον.
ἡ μὲν οὖν
δαπάνη σή, τὸ δὲ ἀπ’ αὐτῆς καλὸν κοινὸν τοῦ γένους. ἔγωγέ
τοι τῶν λαβόντων ἐπιδεικνύντων τε καὶ διηγουμένων ἡβρυ-
νομὴν τε καὶ μεῖζον ἐφρόνουν καθάπερ αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ θεὶς τὰ
Ὀλύμπια.
ἀλλά τοι τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους κινῶ καὶ πέμπω,
κάθημαι δὲ ὑπ’ ἀνάγκης ἐνθάδε τοιαῦτα ἀπολαύων τῆς κε-
φαλῆς. παραμυθοῦμαι δὲ ὅμως τὸ μὴ θεάσασθαι τῷ τῶν
ποιουμένων θαύματι.
καί τινα τρόπον ἐσοφισάμην, ὅπως
μὴ παντάπασιν ἀπείην. ἀνέστησα γὰρ ἀπὸ λύπης ἰσχυρᾶς
Ὀλύμπιον καὶ πανηγυρίζειν ἔπεισα παυσάμενον οἰμωγῶν. καὶ
νῦν ἐγὼ πάντα μὲν ὁρᾶν, πάντα δὲ ἀκούειν ὠσί τε ἡγοῦμαι
τοῖς τοῦδε καὶ ὄμμασιν.
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