Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Cimon §6.1-6.6

Pausanias's Fall and Cimon's Rise to Greek Leadership

Passage 6 of 19 · Greek

Summary

Cimon, appointed as general, wins the confidence of the allies without force through his gentle character in contrast to the arrogant Pausanias, thereby gaining leadership of Greece. Meanwhile, Pausanias accidentally kills the Byzantine maiden Cleonice, is tormented by her phantom, and later receives an oracle hinting at his death in Sparta.

§6.1ἐπεὶ δὲ Μήδων φυγόντων ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐπέμφθη στρατηγός, κατὰ θάλατταν οὔπω τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἀθηναίων ἐχόντων, ἔτι δὲ Παυσανίᾳ τε καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις ἑπομένων, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν ταῖς στρατείαις ἀεὶ παρεῖχε τοὺς πολίτας κόσμῳ τε θαυμαστοὺς καὶ προθυμίᾳ πολὺ πάντων διαφέροντας·
When, after the Persians had fled from Greece, Cimon was sent out as general, at a time when the Athenians did not yet hold the supremacy at sea, but were still following Pausanias and the Lacedaemonians, first of all in the expeditions he always rendered his fellow citizens wonderful for their discipline and far superior to all in their eagerness.
§6.2ἔπειτα Παυσανίου τοῖς μὲν βαρβάροις διαλεγομένου περὶ προδοσίας καὶ βασιλεῖ γράφοντος ἐπιστολάς, τοῖς δὲ συμμάχοις τραχέως καὶ αὐθαδῶς προσφερομένου καὶ πολλὰ διʼ ἐξουσίαν καὶ ὄγκον ἀνόητον ὑβρίζοντος, ὑπολαμβάνων πράως τοὺς ἀδικουμένους καὶ φιλανθρώπως ἐξομιλῶν ἔλαθεν οὐ διʼ ὅπλων τὴν τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἡγεμονίαν, ἀλλὰ λόγῳ καὶ ἤθει παρελόμενος.
Next, while Pausanias was negotiating with the barbarians about treason and writing letters to the King, and was treating the allies harshly and arrogantly, committing many outrages through his power and foolish pride, Cimon, by receiving those who were wronged gently and associating with them kindly, imperceptibly took away the leadership of Greece, not by force of arms, but by speech and character.
§6.3προσετίθεντο γὰρ οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν συμμάχων ἐκείνῳ τε καὶ Ἀριστείδῃ τὴν χαλεπότητα καὶ ὑπεροψίαν τοῦ Παυσανίου μὴ φέροντες.
For most of the allies attached themselves to him and to Aristides, unable to bear the harshness and arrogance of Pausanias.
οἱ δὲ καὶ τούτους ἅμα προσήγοντο καὶ τοῖς ἐφόροις πέμποντες ἔφραζον, ὡς ἀδοξούσης τῆς Σπάρτης καὶ ταραττομένης τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ἀνακαλεῖν τὸν Παυσανίαν.
And they, while drawing these allies to themselves, also sent word to the ephors, telling them to recall Pausanias, since Sparta was losing her reputation and Greece was being thrown into confusion.
§6.4λέγεται δὲ παρθένον τινὰ Βυζαντίαν ἐπιφανῶν γονέων, ὄνομα Κλεονίκην, ἐπʼ αἰσχύνῃ τοῦ Παυσανίου μεταπεμπομένου, τοὺς μὲν γονεῖς ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης καὶ φόβου προέσθαι τὴν παῖδα, τὴν δὲ τῶν πρὸ τοῦ δωματίου δεηθεῖσαν ἀνελέσθαι τὸ φῶς, διὰ σκότους καὶ σιωπῆς τῇ κλίνῃ προσιοῦσαν ἤδη τοῦ Παυσανίου καθεύδοντος, ἐμπεσεῖν καὶ ἀνατρέψαι τὸ λυχνίον ἄκουσαν·
And it is said of a certain Byzantine maiden of noble parentage, named Cleonice, whom Pausanias sent for to outrage her, that her parents out of necessity and fear surrendered the girl, and she, having asked those in front of the bedchamber to remove the light, approached the bed through darkness and silence while Pausanias was already asleep, but accidentally fell upon and overturned the lampstand.
§6.5τὸν δʼ ὑπὸ τοῦ ψόφου ταραχθέντα καὶ σπασάμενοντὸ παρακείμενον ἐγχειρίδιον, ὥς τινος ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐχθροῦ βαδίζοντος, πατάξαι καὶ καταβαλεῖν τὴν παρθένον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς πληγῆς ἀποθανοῦσαν αὐτὴν οὐκ ἐᾶν τὸν Παυσανίαν ἡσυχάζειν, ἀλλὰ νύκτωρ εἴδωλον αὐτῷ φοιτῶσαν εἰς τὸν ὕπνον ὀργῇ λέγειν τόδε τὸ ἡρῷον·
He, startled by the noise and drawing his dagger which lay beside him, thinking that some enemy was coming against him, struck and fell the maiden.
" στεῖχε δίκης ἆσσον· μάλα τοι κακὸν ἀνδράσιν ὕβρις. " ἐφʼ ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα χαλεπῶς ἐνεγκόντες οἱ σύμμαχοι μετὰ τοῦ Κίμωνος ἐξεπολιόρκησαν αὐτόν.
Having died from the blow, she did not let Pausanias rest, but visited his sleep by night as a phantom, saying in anger this heroic verse: "'Go closer to justice; pride is a very great evil for men.' "At this the allies, being extremely indignant, besieged him together with Cimon and drove him out.
§6.6ὁ δʼ ἐκπεσὼν τοῦ Βυζαντίου καὶ τῷ φάσματι ταραττόμενος, ὡς λέγεται, κατέφυγε πρὸς τὸ νεκυομαντεῖον εἰς Ἡράκλειαν, καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀνακαλούμενος τῆς Κλεονίκης παρῃτεῖτο τὴν ὀργήν.
Having been driven out of Byzantium and being troubled by the phantom, as it is said, he fled to the oracle of the dead at Heracleia, and calling up the soul of Cleonice, tried to deprecate her anger.
ἡ δʼ εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθοῦσα ταχέως ἔφη παύσεσθαι τῶν κακῶν αὐτὸν ἐν Σπάρτῃ γενόμενον, αἰνιττομένη, ὡς ἔοικε, τὴν μέλλουσαν αὐτῷ τελευτήν.
She, appearing to him, said that he would quickly be released from his troubles when he reached Sparta, riddling, as it seems, at his approaching death.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἱστόρηται.
These things, indeed, have been recorded by many.

Notes

  1. 6.2ἔλαθεν ... παρελόμενος — The combination of the verb `λανθάνω` (to escape notice) with the participle `παρελόμενος` (to take away) forms an idiomatic construction meaning "he took away imperceptibly" or "without being noticed." This emphasizes how Cimon quietly gained the leadership of Greece through character rather than force.
  2. 6.4λέγεται δὲ παρθένον τινὰ ... ἐμπεσεῖν καὶ ἀνατρέψαι — A long accusative with infinitive construction governed by `λέγεται` (it is said). The main skeletal structure has `παρθένον τινὰ ... Κλεονίκην` as the accusative subject, leading to the infinitives `ἐμπεσεῖν καὶ ἀνατρέψαι` (to fall upon and overturn). The clause `τοὺς μὲν γονεῖς ... προέσθαι τὴν παῖδα` (the parents surrendered the girl) is inserted as part of the `μέν ... δέ` contrast.
  3. 6.5ἐφʼ ᾧ — A combination of the preposition `ἐπί` and the neuter singular dative relative pronoun `ᾧ`. The antecedent is the entire series of events described in the preceding sentence (Pausanias's crime and the subsequent haunting), expressing cause or occasion ("whereupon," "for which reason").
  4. 6.6ἔφη παύσεσθαι τῶν κακῶν αὐτὸν ἐν Σπάρτῃ γενόμενον — Indirect discourse introduced by `ἔφη` (she said) with the future infinitive `παύσεσθαι` (would be released/cease). Its subject is the accusative `αὐτόν` (him, referring to Pausanias). `γενόμενον` is an aorist participle functioning temporally or conditionally ("when he arrived/should arrive"). `τῶν κακῶν` is a genitive of separation required by `παύομαι` (to cease from/be released from).

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Cimon §6.1-6.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:6.1-6.6

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