- Source
- Isocrates, Vol. 3. Van Hook, Larue, editor. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd., 1945 (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:tlg0010.tlg023.humanitext-grc2:6#1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
Isocrates excuses himself to the children of Jason from visiting them due to his old age and the political climate of Athens, but expresses his intention to offer them beneficial advice through this letter.
τοῖς Ἰάσονος παισίν ἀπήγγειλέ τίς μοι τῶν πρεσβευσάντων ὡς ὑμᾶς ὅτι καλέσαντες αὐτὸν ἄνευ τῶν ἄλλων ἐρωτήσαιτ’ εἰ πεισθείην ἂν1 ἀποδημῆσαι καὶ διατρῖψαι παρ’ ὑμῖν. ἐγὼ δ’ ἕνεκα μὲν τῆς Ἰάσονος καὶ Πολυαλκοῦς ξενίας ἡδέως ἂν ἀφικοίμην ὡς ὑμᾶς· οἶμαι γὰρ ἂν τὴν ὁμιλίαν τὴν γενομένην ἅπασιν ἡμῖν συνενεγκεῖν· ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἐμποδίζει με πολλά, μάλιστα μὲν τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι πλανᾶσθαι καὶ τὸ μὴ πρέπειν ἐπιξενοῦσθαι τοῖς τηλικούτοις, ἔπειθ’ ὅτι πάντες οἱ πυθόμενοι τὴν ἀποδημίαν δικαίως ἄν μου καταφρονήσειαν, εἰ προῃρημένος τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν ἐπὶ γήρως ἀποδημεῖν ἐπιχειροίην, ὅτ’ εἰκὸς ἦν, εἰ καὶ πρότερον ἄλλοθί που διέτριβον, νῦν οἴκαδε σπεύδειν, οὕτως ὑπογυίου μοι τῆς τελευτῆς οὔσης. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις φοβοῦμαι καὶ τὴν πόλιν· χρὴ γὰρ τἀληθῆ λέγειν. ὁρῶ γὰρ τὰς συμμαχίας τὰς πρὸς αὐτὴν γιγνομένας ταχέως διαλυομένας. εἰ δή τι συμβαίη καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τοιοῦτον, εἰ καὶ τὰς αἰτίας καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους διαφυγεῖν δυνηθείην, ὃ χαλεπόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ’ οὖν αἰσχυνθείην ἄν, εἴτε διὰ τὴν πόλιν δόξαιμί τισιν ὑμῶν ἀμελεῖν, εἴτε δι’ ὑμᾶς τῆς πόλεως ὀλιγωρεῖν. μὴ κοινοῦ δὲ τοῦ συμφέροντος ὄντος2 οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅπως ἂν ἀμφοτέροις ἀρέσκειν δυνηθείην. αἱ μὲν οὖν αἰτίαι, δι’ ἃς οὐκ ἔξεστί μοι ποιεῖν ἃ βούλομαι, τοιαῦται συμβεβήκασιν. οὐ μὴν περὶ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ μόνον ἐπιστείλας οἶμαι δεῖν ἀμελῆσαι τῶν ὑμετέρων, ἀλλ’ ἅπερ ἂν παραγενόμενος πρὸς ὑμᾶς διελέχθην,3 πειράσομαι καὶ νῦν περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων ὅπως ἂν δύνωμαι διεξελθεῖν. μηδὲν δ’ ὑπολάβητε τοιοῦτον, ὡς ἄρ’ ἐγὼ ταύτην ἔγραψα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν οὐχ ἕνεκα τῆς ὑμετέρας ξενίας, ἀλλ’ ἐπίδειξιν ποιήσασθαι βουλόμενος. οὐ γὰρ εἰς τοῦθ’ ἥκω μανίας ὥστ’ ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι κρείττω μὲν γράψαι τῶν πρότερον διαδεδομένων οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην, τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀκμῆς ὑστερῶν, χείρω δ’ ἐξενεγκὼν πολὺ φαυλοτέραν ἂν λάβοιμι δόξαν τῆς νῦν ἡμῖν ὑπαρχούσης. ἔπειτ’ εἴπερ ἐπιδείξει προσεῖχον τὸν νοῦν ἀλλὰ μὴ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐσπούδαζον, οὐκ ἂν ταύτην ἐξ ἁπασῶν προειλόμην τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, περὶ ἧς χαλεπόν ἐστιν ἐπιεικῶς εἰπεῖν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ καλλίους ἑτέρας ἂν εὗρον καὶ μᾶλλον λόγον ἐχούσας. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὔτε πρότερον οὐδὲ πώποτ’ ἐφιλοτιμήθην ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἀλλ’ ἐφ’ ἑτέροις μᾶλλον, ἃ τοὺς πολλοὺς διαλέληθεν, οὔτε νῦν ἔχων ταύτην τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπραγματευσάμην, ἀλλ’ ὑμᾶς μὲν ὁρῶν ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις πράγμασιν ὄντας, αὐτὸς δ’ ἀποφήνασθαι βουλόμενος ἣν ἔχω γνώμην περὶ αὐτῶν. ἡγοῦμαι δὲ συμβουλεύειν μὲν ἀκμὴν ἔχειν,4 αἱ γὰρ ἐμπειρίαι παιδεύουσι τοὺς τηλικούτους καὶ ποιοῦσι μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων δύνασθαι καθορᾶν τὸ βέλτιστον, εἰπεῖν δὲ περὶ τῶν προτεθέντων ἐπιχαρίτως καὶ μουσικῶς καὶ διαπεπονημένως οὐκέτι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἡλικίας ἐστίν, ἀλλ’ ἀγαπῴην ἄν, εἰ μὴ παντάπασιν ἐκλελυμένως διαλεχθείην περὶ αὐτῶν. μὴ θαυμάζετε δ’ ἄν τι φαίνωμαι λέγων ὧν πρότερον ἀκηκόατε· τῷ μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ἄκων ἂν ἐντύχοιμι, τὸ δὲ καὶ προειδώς, εἰ πρέπον εἰς τὸν λόγον εἴη, προσλάβοιμι· καὶ γὰρ ἂν ἄτοπος εἴην, εἰ τοὺς ἄλλους ὁρῶν τοῖς ἐμοῖς χρωμένους αὐτὸς μόνος ἀπεχοίμην τῶν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ πρότερον εἰρημένων.
To the Children of Jason One of the envoys who went to you reported to me that, having called him aside without the others, you asked whether I could be persuaded to go abroad and spend time with you. Now, for the sake of my friendship with Jason and Polyalces, I would gladly come to you; for I think that the intercourse which would take place would be of benefit to us all; but many things hinder me, especially my inability to travel and the inappropriateness of a man of my age residing abroad as a guest, and next, because all who heard of my going abroad would justly look down on me, if, having chosen to lead a quiet life in the past, I should attempt to go abroad in my old age, when it is fitting, even if I had previously spent time elsewhere, now to hasten homeward, especially since my end is so near. In addition to these things, I also fear the city; for one must tell the truth. For I see that the alliances made with her are quickly dissolved. If, then, some such thing should happen also with you, even if I were able to escape the accusations and the dangers, which is difficult, yet I should feel ashamed, whether on account of the city I should seem to some of you to be neglectful, or on account of you to be negligent of the city. Since there is no common interest, I do not know how I could manage to please both. The reasons, therefore, why I am not permitted to do what I wish, have turned out to be of this kind. Yet, I do not think that, having written only about my own affairs, I should neglect yours; rather, what I would have discussed with you if I had been present, I will try now, in respect to these very same matters, to go through as best as I can. Do not suppose any such thing, as that I wrote this letter not for the sake of your friendship, but wishing to make a display. For I have not reached such a pitch of madness as to be ignorant that, falling so far short of my prime, I could not write better than what has previously been published, and that by publishing worse things I would gain a much poorer reputation than the one we now possess. Furthermore, if I were paying attention to display and not being serious toward you, I would not have chosen this subject out of all others, about which it is difficult to speak adequately, but I would have found others much finer and more susceptible of eloquent treatment. But indeed, neither in the past have I ever prided myself on these things, but rather on others which escape the notice of the many, nor now have I worked with this intention, but because I see you involved in many great affairs, and I wish to express the opinion which I hold about them. I believe that I am in my prime for giving advice, for experience educates men of our age and makes them more capable than others of discerning what is best; but to speak on the subjects proposed gracefully, harmoniously, and elaborately is no longer within the capacity of my age; rather, I should be content if I do not speak about them in a completely lifeless manner. Do not be surprised if I appear to say some things which you have heard before; for one thing I might hit upon perhaps unconsciously, and another I might adopt even knowingly, if it should be fitting for the discourse; for indeed I should be absurd if, seeing others using my words, I alone should abstain from what I have previously said.
- 6εἰ πεισθείην ἂν
The conjunction εἰ introducing an indirect question is followed by a potential optative with ἄν (πεισθείην ἂν). This construction retains the ἄν of the direct question ("Would you be persuaded?", ἆρ' ἂν πεισθείης;) in the indirect discourse after a secondary tense (ἐρωτήσαιτο).
- 6μὴ κοινοῦ δὲ τοῦ συμφέροντος ὄντος
A genitive absolute construction with the negative particle μή, expressing a condition ("if there is no common interest"). Typically, μή is used rather than οὐ in genitive absolute constructions that have a conditional or hypothetical force.
- 6ἅπερ ἂν παραγενόμενος πρὸς ὑμᾶς διελέχθην
The combination of ἄν and the aorist indicative (διελέχθην) expresses a past counterfactual statement (unreal apodosis). The participle παραγενόμενος is also integrated into this counterfactual force, functioning as the protasis ("if I had been present").
- 6συμβουλεύειν μὲν ἀκμὴν ἔχειν
An accusative with infinitive construction dependent on ἡγοῦμαι, with the subject omitted. The phrase ἀκμὴν ἔχειν means "to be at one's prime", and the infinitive συμβουλεύειν functions as an epexegetical infinitive limiting it ("for giving advice").