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ιβ

πόθεν μου τὴν ψυχὴν κατέλαβες; ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν ὀμμάτων, ἀφ᾽ ὧν μόνων κάλλος ἐσέρχεται; ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰς ἀκροπόλεις οἱ τύραννοι καὶ τὰ ἐρυμνὰ οἱ βασιλεῖς καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ οἱ ἀετοὶ καταλαμβάνουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἔρως τὴν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν [p. 231] ἀκρόπολιν, ἣν οὐ ξύλοις, οὐδὲ πλίνθοις, ἀλλὰ μόνοις βλεφάροις τειχίσας ἡσυχῆ καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐσδύεται, ταχέως μέν, ὡς πτηνός, ἐλευθέρως δέ, ὡς γυμνός, ἀμάχως δέ, ὡς τοξότης. τὰ δὲ ὄμματα, ἐπεὶ πρῶτα συνίησι κάλλους, διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα καὶ κᾴεται, θεοῦ τινος, οἶμαι, θελήσαντος αὐτοῖς τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν καὶ τῆς ἐς τὸ βλέπειν ἡδονῆς εἶναι καὶ τῆς ἐς τὸ λυπεῖσθαι προφάσεως. τί γάρ, ὦ κακοὶ δᾳδοῦχοι ἔρωτος καὶ τῆς τῶν σωμάτων ὥρας περίεργοι μάρτυρες πρῶτοι μὲν τὸ κάλλος ἡμῖν ἐπυρσεύσατε, πρῶτοι δὲ μνησθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐποιήσατε τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπιρροῆς, πρῶτοι δὲ ἐβιάσασθε τὸν ἥλιον καταλιπόντα πῦρ ἀλλότριον ἐπαινεῖν; τοιγαροῦν ἀγρυπνεῖτε καὶ κᾴεσθε, ἀπαλλαγὴν ὧν εἵλεσθε εὑρεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι.

Flavii Philostrati Opera, Vol 2. Philostratus the Athenian. Carl Ludwig Kayser. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1871. Keyboarding.

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