Ἰουλιανὸς Ὀριβασίῳ.

 

Ἰουλιανὸς Ὀριβασίῳ.

 Τῶν ὀνειράτων δύο πύλας εἶναί φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ὅμηρος, καὶ διάφορον εἶναι αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποβησομένων πίστιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ νομίζω σε νῦν, εἴπερ ποτὲ καὶ ἄλλοτε, σαφῶς ἑωρακέναι περὶ τῶν μελλόντων· ἐθεασάμην γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τοιοῦτον σήμερον· δένδρον γὰρ ᾠόμην ὑψηλὸν ἔν τινι τρικλίνῳ σφόδρα μεγάλῳ πεφυτευμένον εἰς ἔδαφος ῥέπειν, ἐν τῇ ῥίζῃ παραπεφυκότος ἑτέρου μικροῦ καὶ νεογενοῦς, ἀνθηροῦ λίαν(1). Ἐγὼ δὲ περὶ τοῦ μικροῦ σφόδρα ἠγωνίων, μή τις αὐτὸ μετὰ τοῦ μεγάλου συναποσπάσῃ· καὶ τοίνυν ἐπειδὴ πλησίον ἐγενόμην, ὁρῶ τὸ μέγα μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐκτεταμένον, τὸ μικρὸν δὲ ὀρθὸν μέν, μετέωρον δὲ ἀπὸ γῆς. Ὡς οὖν εἶδον, ἀγωνιάσας ἔφην· 

«οἵου δένδρου κίνδυνός ἐστι μηδὲ τὴν παραφυάδα σωθῆναι». 

Καί τις ἀγνὼς (2) ἐμοὶ παντελῶς· 

»ὅρα», ἔφησεν, «ἀκριβῶς καὶ θάρρει· τῆς ῥίζης γὰρ ἐν τῇ γῇ μενούσης, τὸ μικρότερον ἀβλαβὲς διαμένει, καὶ βεβαιότερον ἱδρυνθήσεται». 

Τὰ μὲν δὴ τῶν ὀνειράτων τοιαῦτα, θεὸς δὲ οἶδεν εἰς ὅ τι  φέρει·

 

(1) Ὁ ἀλλόθροος σχολιαστὴς νομίζει ὅτι ἑρμηνευτέον τὸ ὄναρ ὡς ἑξῆς• Τὸ δένδρον μέν ἐστι ὁ Κωνστάντιος, ὃς καίπερ κραταιὸς ἀπέθανεν, τὸ δὲ ἔρνος ὁ Ἰουλιανός, μικρὸς καὶ ἀδύναμος ἀλλὰ ἐν τέλει νενικηκώς καὶ κεκρατηκώς. Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ μάλιστα ὅτι καὶ δευτέρα ἐστὶ ἑρμηνεία, καθ' ἣν τὸ ὑψηλὸν ἄκαρπον δένδρον συμβολίζει τὸν Χριστιανισμόν, ἐνῷ τὸ μικρὸν ἀνθηρὸν ἔρνος τὸν Ἑλληνισμόν.

(2) Συμφώνως τῷ ἰδίῳ σχολιαστῇ, ὁ μυστηριώδης οὗτος ἀνὴρ πρέπει νὰ εἶναι ὁ Ἑρμῆς μεταμφιεσμένος, καθὼς ἐν μύθῳ τινὶ ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς παρουσιάζεται ὁ καθοδηγητὴς τοῦ Ἰουλιανοῦ (ἰδὲ λέγει Λόγον 7, 230c, ἴσως ἐννοεῖ τὸ Συμπόσιον ἢ Κρόνια, ἐν ᾦ ὁ Ἑρμῆς λαμβάνει πρωταγωνιστικὸν ῥόλον, ἢ, ὃ ἐστι πιθανότερον κατ' ἐμέ, ἀναφέρεται τῷ Εἰς βασιλέα Ἥλιον, ὅπου ὀνομάζει τὸν Ἑρμῆν « Ἀλλ' ἐμοίγε τούτου παρασταίη βοηθὸς ὅ τε λόγιος Ἑρμῆς ξὺν ταῖς Μούσαις ὅ τε Μουσηγέτης Ἀπόλλων»)

 

The divinely inspired Homer says that there are two gates of dreams, and that with regard to future events we cannot trust them both equally. But I think that this time, if ever before, you have seen clearly into the future; for I too this very day saw a vision of the same sort. I thought that in a certain very spacious room a tall tree had been planted, and that it was leaning down to the ground, while at its root had sprouted another, small and young and very flourishing. Now I was very anxious on behalf of the small tree, lest someone in pulling up the large one should pull it up as well. And in fact, when I came close I saw that the tall tree was lying at full length on the ground, while the small one was still erect, but hung suspended away from the earth. Now when I saw this I said, in great anxiety, "Alas for this tall tree! There is danger that not even its offspring will be preserved." Then one who was altogether a stranger to me said: "Look carefully and take courage. For since the root still remains in the earth, the smaller tree will be uninjured and will be established even more securely than before." So much then for my dreams. God knows what they portend.