- Source
- Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.45.1-2.45.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-22
Pericles addresses the sons and brothers of the fallen, noting the difficulty of competing with the deceased's reputation, and counsels the widows on the virtue of maintaining their natural character and remaining unspoken of among men.
παισὶ δ’ αὖ ὅσοι τῶνδε πάρεστε ἢ ἀδελφοῖς ὁρῶ μέγαν τὸν ἀγῶνα (τὸν γὰρ οὐκ ὄντα ἅπας εἴωθεν ἐπαινεῖν), καὶ μόλις ἂν καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν ἀρετῆς οὐχ ὁμοῖοι, ἀλλ’ ὀλίγῳ χείρους κριθεῖτε.1 φθόνος γὰρ τοῖς ζῶσι πρὸς τὸ ἀντίπαλον, τὸ δὲ μὴ ἐμποδὼν ἀνανταγωνίστῳ εὐνοίᾳ τετίμηται.
And on the other hand, for as many of you present as are sons or brothers of these men, I see that your contest is great (for everyone is accustomed to praise him who is no longer here), and even with an excess of virtue you would hardly be judged, I do not say equal, but even slightly inferior to them. For envy is felt by the living towards rivals, but that which is not in the way is honored with a goodwill free from rivalry.
εἰ δέ με δεῖ καὶ γυναικείας τι ἀρετῆς, ὅσαι νῦν ἐν χηρείᾳ ἔσονται, μνησθῆναι, βραχείᾳ παραινέσει ἅπαν σημανῶ. τῆς τε γὰρ ὑπαρχούσης φύσεως μὴ χείροσι γενέσθαι ὑμῖν μεγάλη ἡ δόξα2 καὶ ἧς ἂν ἐπ’ ἐλάχιστον ἀρετῆς πέρι ἢ ψόγου ἐν τοῖς ἄρσεσι κλέος ᾖ.3
And if I must make some mention of female virtue as well, for as many of you as will now be in widowhood, I shall express everything in a brief expression of encouragement. For great will be your glory not to fall short of your natural character, and great is the glory of her whose reputation, whether for virtue or for blame, is least heard of among men.
- 2.45.1μόλις ἂν ... οὐχ ὁμοῖοι, ἀλλ’ ὀλίγῳ χείρους κριθεῖτε
The optative with ἂν (κριθεῖτε) expresses a potential statement. The negative οὐχ negates only ὁμοῖοι, meaning "you would hardly be judged, not [as] equal, but as slightly inferior" (i.e., you would at best be judged slightly inferior, rather than equal).
- 2.45.2τῆς τε γὰρ ὑπαρχούσης φύσεως μὴ χείροσι γενέσθαι ὑμῖν μεγάλη ἡ δόξα
The dative ὑμῖν serves as the logical subject of the infinitive γενέσθαι (or as a dative of possessor with δόξα), and the predicate adjective χείροσι agrees with it in the dative. The comparative χείροσι takes the genitive of comparison, τῆς ὑπαρχούσης φύσεως ("your existing nature").
- 2.45.2ἧς ἂν ἐπ’ ἐλάχιστον ἀρετῆς πέρι ἢ ψόγου ἐν τοῖς ἄρσεσι κλέος ᾖ
The relative pronoun ἧς is genitive feminine singular, with its antecedent (such as γυναικός) omitted. The structure has the antecedent incorporated into the relative clause: "and [great is the glory of her] whose reputation, whether for virtue or for blame, is least heard of among men."