§347εἰ δ’ ἦσθα μὴ κάκιστος, οὔποτ’ ἂν πάτραν
τὴν σὴν ἀτίζων τήνδ’ ἂν ηὐλόγεις πόλιν· ὡς ἔν γ’ ἐμοὶ κρίνοιτ’ ἂν οὐ καλῶς φρονεῖν
ὅστις πατρῴας γῆς ἀτιμάζων ὅρους
ἄλλην ἐπαινεῖ καὶ τρόποισιν ἥδεται.
If you were not the basest, you would never, while dishonoring your own country, praise this city; for in my judgment at least, whoever dishonors the borders of his ancestral land and praises another, rejoicing in its customs, would be judged not to think wisely.
§348ἁζοίμην
I would stand in awe.
§349Αἰθιοπίαν νιν ἐξέσῳσ’ ἐπὶ χθόνα
I saved him to the Ethiopian land.
§350καί μοι, πολὺν γὰρ πέλανον ἐκπέμπεις δόμων,
φράσον σελήνας τάσδε πυρίνου χλόης
And tell me, for you send forth a large offering from the house, about these moons of wheat-green.
§351ὀλολύζετ’, ὦ γυναῖκες, ὡς ἔλθῃ θεὰ
χρυσῆν ἔχουσα Γοργόν’ ἐπίκουρος πόλει.
Raise the ritual cry, O women, so that the goddess may come, holding the golden Gorgon, as a helper to the city.
§352ὡς σὺν θεοῖσι τοὺς σοφοὺς κινεῖν δόρυ
στρατηλάτας χρή, τῶν θεῶν δὲ μὴ βίᾳ.
For wise generals should move the spear with the gods, and not by forcing the gods.
§353οὐδεὶς στρατεύσας ἄδικα σῶς ἦλθεν πάλιν.
No one who campaigned unjustly has returned safe.
§354τὰς οὐσίας γὰρ μᾶλλον ἢ τὰς ἁρπαγὰς
τιμᾶν δίκαιον· οὔτε γὰρ πλοῦτός ποτε
βέβαιος ἄδικος
For it is just to honor one's own property rather than plunder; for unjust wealth is never secure.
§355ναῦς ἡ μεγίστη κρεῖσσον ἢ μικρὸν σκάφος.
The largest ship is better than a small boat.
§356ὀλίγους ἐπαινῶ μᾶλλον ἢ πολλοὺς κακούς.
I praise a few good men rather than many bad ones.
§357ζεῦγος τριπάρθενον
A yoke of three virgins.
§358οὐκ ἔστι μητρὸς οὐδὲν ἥδιον τέκνοις· ἐρᾶτε μητρός, παῖδες, ὡς οὐκ ἔστ’ ἔρως
τοιοῦτος ἄλλος ὅστις ἡδίων ἐρᾶν.
Nothing is sweeter to children than a mother; love your mother, children, as there is no other love so sweet to experience.
§359θετῶν δὲ παίδων ποῦ κράτος;
But where is the power of adopted children?
τὰ φύντα γὰρ
κρείσσω νομίζειν τῶν δοκημάτων χρεών.
For it is necessary to consider natural-born children better than mere appearances.
§360τὰς χάριτις ὅστις εὐγενῶς χαρίζεται,
ἥδιον ἐν βροτοῖσιν· οἳ δὲ δρῶσι μέν,
χρόνῳ δὲ δρῶσι, δυσγενέστερον. .
He who confers favors nobly is sweeter among mortals; but those who do so, yet do so after a long time, are more ignoble...
ἐγὼ δὲ δώσω παῖδα τὴν ἐμὴν κτανεῖν.
But I will give my daughter to be slain.
λογίζομαι δὲ πολλά· πρῶτα μὲν πόλιν
οὐκ ἄν τιν’ ἄλλην τῆσδε βελτίω λαβεῖν· ᾗ πρῶτα μὲν λεὼς οὐκ ἐπακτὸς ἄλλοθεν,
αὐτόχθονες δ’ ἔφυμεν· αἱ δ’ ἄλλαι πόλεις
πεσσῶν ὁμοίως διαφοραῖς ἐκτισμέναι
ἄλλαι παρ’ ἄλλων εἰσὶν εἰσαγώγιμοι.
I consider many things: first, that I could not find any other city better than this; where, first, the people are not imported from elsewhere, but we were born autochthonous; whereas other cities, founded like the differences of game-pieces, are imported from one another.
ὅστις δ’ ἀπ’ ἄλλης πόλεος οἰκήσῃ πόλιν,
ἁρμὸς πονηρὸς ὥσπερ ἐν ξύλῳ παγείς,
λόγῳ πολίτης ἐστί, τοῖς δ’ ἔργοισιν οὔ.
Whoever dwells in a city from another city, like a bad joint fixed in wood, is a citizen in word, but not in deed.
ἔπειτα τέκνα τοῦδ’ ἕκατι τίκτομεν,
ὡς θεῶν τε βωμοὺς πατρίδα τε ῥυώμεθα.
Next, we bear children for this reason, that we may protect the altars of the gods and our fatherland.
πόλεως δ’ ἀπάσης τοὔνομ’ ἕν, πολλοὶ δέ νιν
ναίουσι· τούτους πῶς διαφθεῖραί με χρή,
ἐξὸν προπάντων μίαν ὑπερδοῦναι θανεῖν;
The name of the whole city is one, but many dwell in it; how is it right for me to destroy these, when it is possible to give one in place of all to die?
εἴπερ γὰρ ἀριθμὸν οἶδα καὶ τοὐλάσσονος
τὸ μεῖζον, οὑνὸς οἶκος οὐ πλέον σθένει
πταίσας ἀπάσης πόλεος οὐδ’ ἴσον φέρει.
For if indeed I know numbers and the greater than the less, a single house, though falling, does not have more strength than the whole city, nor does it bring equal weight.
εἰ δ’ ἦν ἐν οἴκοις ἀντὶ θηλειῶν στάχυς
ἄρσην, πόλιν δὲ πολεμία κατεῖχε φλόξ,
οὐκ ἄν νιν ἐξέπεμπον εἰς μάχην δορός,
θάνατον προταρβοῦσ’;
If instead of females there were a male harvest in our homes, and a hostile flame held the city, would I not send him out to the battle of the spear, fearing his death beforehand?
ἀλλ’ ἔμοιγ’ εἴη τέκνα
〈ἃ〉 καὶ μάχοιτο καὶ μετ’ ἀνδράσιν πρέποι,
μὴ σχήματ’ ἄλλως ἐν πόλει πεφυκότα.
Rather, may I have children who would both fight and be prominent among men, and not merely exist as shapes in the city.
τὰ μητέρων δὲ δάκρυ’ ὅταν πέμπῃ τέκνα,
πολλοὺς ἐθήλυν’ εἰς μάχην ὁρμωμένους.
But the tears of mothers, when they send forth children, have softened many as they rushed into battle.
μισῶ γυναῖκας αἵτινες πρὸ τοῦ καλοῦ
ζῆν παῖδας εἵλοντ’ ἢ παρῄνεσαν κακά.
I hate women who choose that their children live instead of what is beautiful, or who counsel bad things.
καὶ μὴν θανόντες γ’ ἐν μάχῃ πολλῶν μέτα
τύμβον τε κοινὸν ἔλαχον εὔκλειάν τ’ ἴσην· τἠμῇ δὲ παιδὶ στέφανος εἷς μιᾷ μόνῃ
πόλεως θανούσῃ τῆσδ’ ὑπερδοθήσεται.
And indeed, those who die in battle along with many obtain both a common tomb and equal renown; but to my daughter alone, dying for this city, a single crown will be given in place of all.
καὶ τὴν τεκοῦσαν καὶ σὲ δύο θ’ ὁμοσπόρω
σώσει· τί τούτων οὐχὶ δέξασθαι καλόν;
And she will save the mother who bore her, and you, and her two siblings; which of these is not beautiful to accept?
τὴν οὐκ ἐμὴν. . πλὴν φύσει δώσω κόρην
θῦσαι πρὸ γαίας.
I will give the girl—who is not my own except by nature—to be sacrificed for the land.
εἰ γὰρ αἱρεθήσεται
πόλις, τί παίδων τῶν ἐμῶν μέτεστί μοι;
For if the city is captured, what part in my children do I have?
οὐκ οὖν ἅπαντα τοὐπ’ ἐμοὶ σωθήσεται;
Will not everything that is mine be saved then?
ἄρξουσιν ἄλλοι, τήνδ’ ἐγὼ σώσω πόλιν.
Others will rule, but I will save this city.
ἐκεῖνο δ’ οὗ 〈τὸ〉 πλεῖστον ἐν κοινῷ μέρος,
οὐκ ἔσθ’ ἑκούσης τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς ἄτερ
προγόνων παλαιὰ θέσμι’ ὅστις ἐκβαλεῖ· οὐδ’ ἀντ’ ἐλαίας χρυσέας τε Γοργόνος
τρίαιναν ὀρθὴν στᾶσαν ἐν πόλεως βάθροις
Εὔμολπος οὐδὲ Θρῂξ ἀναστέψει λεὼς
στεφάνοισι, Παλλὰς δ’ οὐδαμοῦ τιμήσεται.
And in that place where the greatest part is in common, there is no one who, without my willing soul, will cast out the ancient laws of our ancestors; nor instead of the olive and the golden Gorgon will Eumolpus or the Thracian people crown the folk with wreaths, while the trident stands upright on the foundations of the city, and Pallas is nowhere honored.
χρῆσθ’, ὦ πολῖται, τοῖς ἐμοῖς λοχεύμασιν,
σῴζεσθε, νικᾶτ’· ἀντὶ γὰρ ψυχῆς μιᾶς
οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅπως οὐ τήνδ’ ἐγὼ σώσω πόλιν.
Use, O citizens, my offspring, save yourselves, conquer; for in place of one life, there is no way that I will not save this city.
ὦ πατρίς, εἴθε πάντες οἳ ναίουσί σε
οὕτω φιλοῖεν ὡς ἐγώ· καὶ ῥᾳδίως
οἰκοῖμεν ἄν σε κοὐδὲν ἂν πάσχοις κακόν.
O fatherland, would that all who dwell in you loved you as I do; then we would dwell in you easily and you would suffer no evil.
§361ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς καλῶς τεθνηκότας
ζῆν φημὶ μᾶλλον τοῦ βλέπειν τοὺς μὴ καλῶς.
And I say that those who have died nobly live more than those who look ignobly.