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Statues of Philosophers

Ἀριστοτέλης (16-22)

ἄγχι δ᾽ ἐκείνου ἦεν Ἀριστοτέλης, σοφίης πρόμος: ἱστάμενος δὲ
χεῖρε περιπλέγδην συνεέργαθεν, οὐδ᾽ ἐνὶ χαλκῷ
ἀφθόγγῳ φρένας εἶχεν ἀεργέας, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι βουλὴν
σκεπτομένῳ μὲν ἔικτο: συνιστάμεναι δὲ παρειαὶ
ἀνέρος ἀμφιέλισσαν ἐμαντεύοντο μενοινήν,
καὶ τροχαλαὶ σήμαινον ἀολλέα μῆτιν ὀπωπαί.

Ἀναξιμένης (50-51)

ἦν μὲν Ἀναξιμένης νοερὸς σοφός: ἐν δὲ μενοινῇ
δαιμονίης ἐλέλιζε νοήματα ποικίλα βουλῆς.

Πλάτων (97-98)

εἱστήκει δὲ Πλάτων θεοείκελος, ὁ πρὶν Ἀθήναις
δείξας κρυπτὰ κέλευθα θεοκράντων ἀρετάων.

Πυθαγόρας (120-124)

ἱστάμενος δὲ ἔπρεπε Πυθαγόρας, Σάμιος σοφός, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ
ἐνδιάειν ἐδόκευε, φύσιν δ᾽ ἐβιάζετο χαλκοῦ,
πλημμύρων νοερῇσι μεληδόσιν: ὡς γὰρ ὀίω,
οὐρανὸν ἀχράντοισιν ἐμέτρεε μοῦνον ὀπωπαῖς.

Δημόκριτος (131-135)

χαῖρέ μοι Ἀβδήρων Δημόκριτε κῦδος ἀρούρης,
ὅττι σὺ καλλιτόκοιο φυῆς ἐφράσσαο θεσμούς,
λεπτὰ διακρίνων πολυΐδμονος ὄργια Μούσης:
αἰεὶ δὲ σφαλερὰς ἐγέλας βιότοιο κελεύθους,
εὖ εἰδὼς ὅτι πάντα γέρων παραμείβεται Αἰών.

Φερεκύδης (351-353)

καὶ Σύριος σελάγιζε σαοφροσύνῃ Φερεκύδης
ἱστάμενος: σοφίης δὲ θεουδέα κέντρα νομεύων,
οὐρανὸν ἐσκοπίαζε, μετάρσιον ὄμμα τιταίνων.

Ἡράκλειτος (354-357)

καὶ σοφὸς Ἡράκλειτος ἔην, θεοείκελος ἀνήρ,
ἔνθεον ἀρχαίης Ἐφέσου κλέος, ὅς ποτε μοῦνος
ἀνδρομέης ἔκλαιεν ἀνάλκιδος ἔργα γενέθλης.

Aristotle

And near him was Aristotle, the prince of wisdom:
he stood with clasped hands, and not even in the voiceless bronze was his mind idle, but he was like one deliberating;
his puckered face indicated that he was solving
some doubtful problem,
while his mobile eyes revealed his collected mind.

Anaximenes

Anaximenes the wise philosopher was there, and in deep absorption he was revolving the subtle thoughts of his divine intellect.

Plato

There stood god-like Plato, who erst in Athens
revealed the secret paths of heaven-taught virtue.

Pythagoras

There stood, too, Pythagoras the Samian sage, but he seemed
to dwell in Olympus, and did violence to the nature of the bronze, overflowing with intellectual thought, for methinks
with his pure eyes he was measuring Heaven alone.

Democritus

Hail, Democritus, glory of the land of Abdera; for thou didst explore the laws of Nature, the mother of beautiful children,
discerning the subtle mysteries of the Muse of Science :
and ever didst thou laugh at the slippery paths of life,
well aware that ancient Time outstrippeth all.

Pherecydes

Pherecydes of Syra stood there resplendent with holiness.
Plying the holy compasses of wisdom,
he was gazing at the heavens, his eyes turned upwards.

Heraclitus

And Heraclitus the sage was there, a god-like man,
the inspired glory of ancient Ephesus,
who once alone wept for the works of weak humanity.

Source

W. R. Paton (1917), The Greek Anthology, Volume 2: Books 7-8 (Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press).