§14ἐσπούδαζον δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰ μέλη καὶ τὰς ᾠδὰς οὐδὲν ἧττον κέντρον δʼ εἶχε ταῦτα ἐγερτικὸν θυμοῦ καὶ φρονήματος καὶ παραστατικὸν ὁρμῆς ἐνθουσιώδους καὶ πρακτικῆς.
They were no less zealous about melodies and songs; for these contained a stimulus that aroused spirit and pride, and inspired an enthusiastic and practical impulse.
καὶ ἡ λέξις ἦν ἀφελὴς καὶ ἄθρυπτος· οὐδὲν δʼ ἕτερον εἶχεν ἢ ἐπαίνους τῶν γεννικῶς ζησάντων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς Σπάρτης ἀποθανόντων καὶ εὐδαιμονιζομένων, καὶ ψόγους τῶν τρεσάντων ὡς ἀλγεινὸν καὶ κακοδαίμονα βιούντων βίον ἐπαγγελίαν τε καὶ μεγαλαυχίαν πρὸς ἀρετὴν πρέπουσαν ταῖς ἡλικίαις. §15τριῶν οὖν χορῶν ὄντων κατὰ τὰς τρεῖς ἡλικίας καὶ συνισταμένων ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς, ὁ μὲν τῶν γερόντων ἀρχόμενος ᾖδεν,
"ἁμές ποκʼ ἦμες ἄλκιμοι νεανίαι· "
εἶτα ὁ τῶν ἀκμαζόντων ἀνδρῶν ἀμειβόμενος,
"ἁμὲς δέ γʼ εἰμές· αἰ δὲ λῇς, αὐγάζεο· "
ὁ δὲ τρίτος ὁ τῶν παίδων,
"ἁμὲς δὲ γʼ ἐσσόμεσθα πολλῷ κάρρονες. " §16καὶ οἱ ἐμβατήριοι δὲ ῥυθμοὶ παρορμητικοὶ πρὸς ἀνδρείαν καὶ θαρραλεότητα καὶ ὑπερφρόνησιν θανάτου, οἷς ἐχρῶντο ἔν τε χοροῖς καὶ πρὸς αὐλὸν ἐπάγοντες τοῖς πολεμίοις.
Their diction was simple and plain, containing nothing other than praises of those who had lived nobly and died for Sparta and were deemed happy, and rebukes of those who had trembled, as living a painful and wretched life, and a promise and boast directed toward virtue, fitting for each age. Thus, three choruses being established at the festivals according to the three ages, the one of the old men began by singing: "We once were valiant youths;" then the one of the men in their prime answered: "And we are so now; if you wish, look and see;" and the third, the one of the boys: "And we shall be much better still." The marching rhythms were also stimulative of courage, boldness, and contempt for death, which they used both in choruses and when advancing against the enemy to the accompaniment of the flute.
ὁ γὰρ Λυκοῦργος παρέζευξε τῇ κατὰ πόλεμον ἀσκήσει τὴν φιλομουσίαν, ὅπως τὸ ἄγαν πολεμικὸν τῷ ἐμμελεῖ κερασθὲν συμφωνίαν καὶ ἁρμονίαν ἔχῃ διὸ καὶ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις προεθύετο ταῖς Μούσαις ὁ βασιλεύς, ἵνα λόγου ἀξίας παρέχωσι τὰς πράξεις οἱ μαχόμενοι καὶ μνήμης εὐκλεοῦς. §17εἰ δέ τις παραβαίνοι τι τῆς ἀρχαίας μουσικῆς, οὐκ ἐπέτρεπον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν Τέρπανδρον ἀρχαϊκώτερον ὄντα καὶ ἄριστον τῶν καθʼ ἑαυτὸν κιθαρῳδῶν καὶ τῶν ἡρωικῶν πράξεων ἐπαινέτην, ὅμως οἱ ἔφοροι ἐζημίωσαν καὶ τὴν κιθάραν αὐτοῦ προσεπαττάλευσαν φέροντες, ὅτι μίαν μόνην χορδὴν ἐνέτεινε περισσοτέραν τοῦ ποικίλου τῆς φωνῆς χάριν μόνα γὰρ τὰ ἁπλούστερα τῶν μελῶν ἐδοκίμαζον.
For Lycurgus conjoined the love of music with training for war, so that excessive militancy, being tempered by melody, might have concord and harmony. Therefore, in battles, the king also sacrificed to the Muses beforehand, so that the combatants might perform deeds worthy of mention and glorious memory. And if anyone transgressed in any way against ancient music, they did not permit it; indeed, even though Terpander was of an older style and the best of the citharodes of his time and a praiser of heroic deeds, the ephors nevertheless fined him and took away his cithara to nail it up, because he had stretched just one extra string for the sake of variety of sound. For they approved only the simpler melodies.
Τιμοθέου δὲ ἀγωνιζομένου τὰ Κάρνεια, εἷς τῶν ἐφόρων μάχαιραν λαβὼν ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν ἐκ ποτέρου τῶν μερῶν ἀποτέμῃ τὰς πλείους τῶν ἑπτὰ χορδῶν. §18τῶν δὲ ταφῶν ἀνεῖλε τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν ἅπασαν ὁ Λυκοῦργος, ἐν τῇ πόλει θάπτειν τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ πλησίον ἔχειν τὰ μνημεῖα τῶν ἱερῶν συγχωρήσας.
And when Timotheus was competing in the Carnea, one of the ephors, taking a knife, asked him from which of the two sides he should cut away the strings that exceeded seven. Regarding burials, Lycurgus removed all superstition, allowing them to bury the dead in the city and to have the monuments near the sanctuaries.
περιεῖλε δὲ καὶ τοὺς μιασμούς.
He also abolished defilements.
συνθάπτειν δὲ οὐδὲν ἐπέτρεψεν, ἀλλʼ ἐν φοινικίδι καὶ φύλλοις ἐλαίας θέντας τὸ σῶμα περιστέλλειν κατʼ ἴσον ἅπαντας.
He permitted nothing to be buried with them, but only to wrap the body in a red cloak and olive leaves, wrapping it equally for everyone.
ἀνεῖλε δὲ καὶ τὰς ἐπιγραφὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν μνημείων, πλὴν τῶν ἐν πολέμῳ τελευτησάντων, καὶ τὰ πένθη καὶ τοὺς ὀδυρμούς. §19ἀποδημεῖν δὲ οὐκ ἐξῆν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα μὴ ξενικῶν ἐθῶν καὶ βίων ἀπαιδεύτων μετέχωσι. §20καὶ ξενηλασίας δὲ εἰσηγήσατο, ὅπως οἱ παρεισρέοντες μὴ διδάσκαλοι κακοῦ τινος τοῖς πολίταις ὑπάρχωσι. §21τῶν πολιτῶν ὃς ἂν μὴ ὑπομείνῃ τὴν τῶν παίδων ἀγωγὴν οὐ μετεῖχε τῶν τῆς πόλεως δικαίων. §22ἔνιοι δʼ ἔφασαν ὅτι καὶ τῶν ξένων ὃς ἂν ὑπομείνῃ τὴν τοιαύτην ἄσκησιν τῆς πολιτείας κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Λυκούργου μετεῖχε τῆς ἀρχῆθεν διατεταγμένης μοίρας.
He also abolished the inscriptions on the monuments, except for those who died in war, as well as mourning and lamentations. And it was not permitted for them to travel abroad, lest they share in foreign customs and uneducated ways of life. And he also introduced foreign expulsions, so that those who slipped in might not become teachers of some evil to the citizens. Whosoever of the citizens did not undergo the training of the boys did not share in the rights of the city. But some said that even of the foreigners, whosoever underwent such training of the constitution according to the will of Lycurgus shared in the portion allocated from the beginning.
πωλεῖν δʼ οὐκ ἐξῆν. §23τοῖς τῶν πλησίον δʼ οἰκέταις ὡς ἰδίοις χρῆσθαι ἔθος ἦν, εἴ που δέοιντο, καὶ κυσὶ καὶ ἵπποις, εἰ μὴ οἱ δεσπόται χρῄζοιεν καὶ ἐν ἀγρῷ δὲ εἴ τίς τινος ἐλλιπὴς γενόμενος δεηθείη, ἀνοίξας καὶ βαστάσας τὰ ἐπιτήδεια τοῦ ἔχοντος, τὰ σημεῖα σημηνάμενος κατέλειπεν. §24ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις φοινικίσιν ἐχρῶντο· ἅμα μὲν γὰρ ἡ χρόα ἐδόκει αὐτοῖς ἀνδρικὴ εἶναι, ἅμα δὲ τὸ αἱματῶδες τοῦ χρώματος πλείονα τοῖς ἀπείροις φόβον παρέχει, καὶ τὸ μὴ εὐπερίφωρον δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις εἶναι, ἐάν τις αὐτῶν πληγῇ, ἀλλὰ διαλανθάνειν διὰ τὸ ὁμόχρουν χρήσιμον. §25ὅταν στρατηγήματι τοὺς πολεμίους νικήσωσι, βοῦν τῷ Ἄρει θύουσιν· ὅταν δʼ ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ, ἀλεκτρυόνα, ἐθίζοντες τοὺς ἡγουμένους οὐ μόνον πολεμικοὺς ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγικοὺς εἶναι. §26ταῖς εὐχαῖς προστιθέασι τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι δύνασθαι. §27εὐχὴ δʼ αὐτῶν διδόναι τὰ καλὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, καὶ πλέον οὐδέν. §28Ἀφροδίτην σέβουσι τὴν ἐνόπλιον καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς θεοὺς θήλεις καὶ ἄρρενας λόγχας ἔχοντας ποιοῦνται, ὡς ἁπάντων τὴν πολεμικὴν ἀρετὴν ἐχόντων.
But it was not permitted to sell it. And it was a custom to use the servants of one's neighbors as one's own, if ever they had need, and likewise dogs and horses, unless the owners required them; and in the country, if anyone being in need of something lacked it, he would open and take the provisions of the owner, and leaving behind the seals marked. In wars they used red cloaks; for at the same time the color seemed to them to be manly, and the blood-like color inflicts greater fear upon the inexperienced, and it is also useful for not being easily detected by the enemy if anyone of them is wounded, but escaping notice because of the identical color. When they conquer the enemy by stratagem, they sacrifice a bull to Ares; but when in open fight, a cock, hardening the leaders to be not only warlike but also strategic. To their prayers they add the ability to endure being wronged. And their prayer was to give what is beautiful in addition to what is good, and nothing more. They worship Aphrodite the Armed; and they make all the gods, both female and male, holding spears, on the grounds that all of them possess warlike virtue.