§2.34.1ἐν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ χειμῶνι Ἀθηναῖοι τῷ πατρίῳ νόμῳ χρώμενοι δημοσίᾳ ταφὰς ἐποιήσαντο τῶν ἐν τῷδε τῷ πολέμῳ πρώτων ἀποθανόντων τρόπῳ τοιῷδε.
In the same winter, the Athenians, following their ancestral custom, celebrated at the public expense the funeral of those who first fell in this war, in the following manner.
§2.34.2τὰ μὲν ὀστᾶ προτίθενται τῶν ἀπογενομένων πρότριτα σκηνὴν ποιήσαντες, καὶ ἐπιφέρει τῷ αὑτοῦ ἕκαστος ἤν τι βούληται·
They first lay out the bones of the deceased three days beforehand, having erected a tent, and each person brings to his own relative whatever offering he wishes.
§2.34.3ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἡ ἐκφορὰ ᾖ, λάρνακας κυπαρισσίνας ἄγουσιν ἅμαξαι, φυλῆς ἑκάστης μίαν· ἔνεστι δὲ τὰ ὀστᾶ ἧς ἕκαστος ἦν φυλῆς.
And when the funeral procession takes place, wagons carry coffins of cypress wood, one for each tribe; inside are the bones of those who belonged to each tribe.
μία δὲ κλίνη κενὴ φέρεται ἐστρωμένη τῶν ἀφανῶν, οἳ ἂν μὴ εὑρεθῶσιν ἐς ἀναίρεσιν.
And one empty bier, covered with a pall, is carried for the missing—those whose bodies could not be found for recovery.
§2.34.4ξυνεκφέρει δὲ ὁ βουλόμενος καὶ ἀστῶν καὶ ξένων, καὶ γυναῖκες πάρεισιν αἱ προσήκουσαι ἐπὶ τὸν τάφον ὀλοφυρόμεναι.
Anyone who wishes, both of citizens and strangers, joins in the procession, and the women who are related to the dead are present at the tomb, making lamentation.
§2.34.5τιθέασιν οὖν ἐς τὸ δημόσιον σῆμα, ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ καλλίστου προαστείου τῆς πόλεως, καὶ αἰεὶ ἐν αὐτῷ θάπτουσι τοὺς ἐκ τῶν πολέμων, πλήν γε τοὺς ἐν Μαραθῶνι· ἐκείνων δὲ διαπρεπῆ τὴν ἀρετὴν κρίναντες αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν τάφον ἐποίησαν.
So they lay them in the public sepulchre, which is in the most beautiful suburb of the city, and there they always bury those who fall in war, except indeed those who fell at Marathon; for, judging their valor to be pre-eminent, they made their tomb on the spot itself.
§2.34.6ἐπειδὰν δὲ κρύψωσι γῇ, ἀνὴρ ᾑρημένος ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως, ὃς ἂν γνώμῃ τε δοκῇ μὴ ἀξύνετος εἶναι καὶ ἀξιώσει προήκῃ, λέγει ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς ἔπαινον τὸν πρέποντα· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀπέρχονται.
And when they have covered them with earth, a man chosen by the state, who is deemed not lacking in intellect and is pre-eminent in reputation, delivers over them the fitting panegyric; and after this they depart.
§2.34.7ὧδε μὲν θάπτουσιν· καὶ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ πολέμου, ὁπότε ξυμβαίη αὐτοῖς, ἐχρῶντο τῷ νόμῳ.
In this way they bury them; and throughout the whole war, whenever the occasion arose, they followed this custom.
§2.34.8ἐπὶ δ’ οὖν τοῖς πρώτοις τοῖσδε Περικλῆς ὁ Ξανθίππου ᾑρέθη λέγειν.
Over these first victims, then, Pericles son of Xanthippus was chosen to speak.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἐλάμβανε, προελθὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ σήματος ἐπὶ βῆμα ὑψηλὸν πεποιημένον, ὅπως ἀκούοιτο ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τοῦ ὁμίλου, ἔλεγε τοιάδε.
And when the proper moment arrived, stepping forward from the tomb to a high platform which had been erected so that he might be heard by as many of the crowd as possible, he spoke as follows.