§1οὐκ ἦν ἄρʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, χαλεπώτερον οὐδὲν ἢ γείτονος πονηροῦ καὶ πλεονέκτου τυχεῖν, ὅπερ ἐμοὶ νυνὶ συμβέβηκεν.
It seems then, men of Athens, that there is nothing more difficult than to light upon a bad and greedy neighbor, which is exactly what has happened to me now.
ἐπιθυμήσας γὰρ τῶν χωρίων μου Καλλικλῆς οὕτω διατέθηκέν με συκοφαντῶν, ὥστε πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ἀνεψιὸν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κατεσκεύασεν ἀμφισβητεῖν μοι τῶν χωρίων, §2ἐξελεγχθεὶς δὲ φανερῶς καὶ περιγενομένου μου τῆς τούτων σκευωρίας πάλιν δύο δίκας ἐρήμους μου κατεδιῃτήσατο, τὴν μὲν αὐτὸς χιλίων δραχμῶν, τὴν δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τουτονὶ πείσας Καλλικράτην.
For Callicles, having coveted my land, has treated me with such slanderous harassment that, first of all, he suborned his own cousin to dispute my right to the land, and when he was clearly refuted and I overcame their conspiracy, he again obtained against me by default two decisions from an arbitrator, one for a thousand drachmas by himself, and the other after persuading his brother Callicrates here.
δέομαι δὴ πάντων ὑμῶν ἀκοῦσαί μου καὶ προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν, οὐχ ὡς αὐτὸς δυνησόμενος εἰπεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἵνʼ ὑμεῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων καταμάθητε, ὅτι φανερῶς συκοφαντοῦμαι.
I do indeed beg all of you to hear me and pay attention, not as though I were able to speak well, but so that you may learn from the facts themselves that I am being openly slandered.
§3ἓν μὲν οὖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς τούτων λόγους ὑπάρχει μοι δίκαιον.
Now, men of Athens, in the face of all their arguments, I have one prior just ground.
τὸ γὰρ χωρίον τοῦτο περιῳκοδόμησεν ὁ πατὴρ μικροῦ δεῖν πρὶν ἐμὲ γενέσθαι, ζῶντος μὲν ἔτι Καλλιππίδου τοῦ τούτων πατρὸς καὶ γειτνιῶντος, ὃς ἀκριβέστερον ᾔδει δήπου τούτων, ὄντος δὲ Καλλικλέους ἀνδρὸς ἤδη καὶ ἐπιδημοῦντος Ἀθήνησιν.
For my father walled in this land almost before I was born, while Callippides, their father, was still alive and our neighbor, who surely knew the facts more accurately than they do, and while Callicles himself was already a grown man and living in Athens.
§4ἐν δὲ τούτοις τοῖς ἔτεσιν ἅπασιν οὔτʼ ἐγκαλῶν οὐδεὶς πώποτʼ ἦλθεν οὔτε μεμφόμενος (καίτοι δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τόθʼ ὕδατα πολλάκις ἐγένετο), οὐδʼ ἐκώλυσεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, εἴπερ ἠδίκει τινὰ περιοικοδομῶν ὁ πατὴρ τὸ ἡμέτερον χωρίον, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἀπηγόρευσεν οὐδὲ διεμαρτύρατο, πλέον μὲν ἢ πεντεκαίδεκʼ ἔτη τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπιβιόντος, οὐκ ἐλάττω δὲ τοῦ τούτων πατρὸς Καλλιππίδου.
And in all these years, no one ever came to make a complaint or find fault (although it is clear that heavy rains occurred frequently then as well); nor did anyone stop my father from the beginning, if indeed he was doing any wrong to anyone by walling in our property; nor did anyone forbid him or enter a protest, although my father survived for more than fifteen years, and their father Callippides for no less a time.
§5καίτοι, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, ἐξῆν δήπου τόθʼ ὑμῖν, ὁρῶσιν ἀποικοδομουμένην τὴν χαράδραν, ἐλθοῦσιν εὐθὺς ἀγανακτεῖν καὶ λέγειν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα
Τεισία, τί ταῦτα ποιεῖς;
And yet, Callicles, when you saw the watercourse being walled off, you could surely have gone at once to show your anger and say to my father, "Tisias, what are you doing?
ἀποικοδομεῖς τὴν χαράδραν;
Are you walling off the watercourse?
εἶτʼ ἐμπεσεῖται τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὸ χωρίον τὸ ἡμέτερον
, ἵνʼ εἰ μὲν ἐβούλετο παύσασθαι, μηδὲν ἡμῖν ἦν δυσχερὲς πρὸς ἀλλήλους, εἰ δʼ ὠλιγώρησεν καὶ συνέβη τι τοιοῦτον, μάρτυσιν εἶχες τοῖς τότε παραγενομένοις χρῆσθαι.
Then the water will break into our land," so that, if he had wished to stop, there would have been no unpleasantness between us, and if he had ignored you and such a thing had happened, you would have been able to use those who were present then as witnesses.
§6καὶ νὴ Διʼ ἐπιδεῖξαί γέ σʼ ἔδει πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις χαράδραν οὖσαν, ἵνα μὴ λόγῳ μόνον, ὥσπερ νῦν, ἀλλʼ ἔργῳ τὸν πατέρʼ ἀδικοῦντʼ ἀπέφαινες.
And by Zeus, you ought to have pointed out to all men that it was a watercourse, so that you might have shown my father to be in the wrong, not by word only, as you do now, but by deed.
τούτων τοίνυν οὐδὲν πώποτʼ οὐδεὶς ποιεῖν ἠξίωσεν.
However, no one ever thought fit to do any of these things.
οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὔτʼ ἐρήμην, ὥσπερ ἐμοῦ νῦν, κατεδιῃτήσασθε, οὔτε πλέον ἂν ἦν ὑμῖν συκοφαντοῦσιν οὐδέν, §7ἀλλʼ ἀπέφαινεν ἂν ἐκεῖνος εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὅπως εἶχεν ἕκαστα τούτων, καὶ τοὺς ῥᾳδίως τούτους μαρτυροῦντας ἐξήλεγχεν.
For had you done so, you would not have obtained a default judgment against me as you have now, nor would you have gained anything by your slander, but he, knowing accurately how each of these things stood, would have shown the truth and refuted these people who testify so lightly.
ἀνθρώπου δʼ οἶμαι τηλικούτου καὶ ἀπείρου πραγμάτων ἅπαντες καταπεφρονήκατέ μου.
But I suppose you have all looked down on me because I am a young man and inexperienced in affairs.
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ πρὸς ἅπαντας τούτους, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὰς αὐτῶν πράξεις ἰσχυροτάτας μαρτυρίας παρέχομαι.
Yet against all of them, men of Athens, I present their own actions as the strongest evidence.
διὰ τί γὰρ οὐδεὶς οὔτʼ ἐπεμαρτύρατʼ οὔτʼ ἐνεκάλεσεν, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐμέμψατο πώποτε, ἀλλʼ ἐξήρκει ταῦτʼ αὐτοῖς ἠδικημένοις περιορᾶν;
For why did no one ever protest, or accuse, or complain, but they were content to overlook these things although they were being wronged?
§8ἐγὼ τοίνυν ἱκανὰ μὲν ἡγοῦμαι καὶ ταῦτʼ εἶναι πρὸς τὴν τούτων ἀναίδειαν· ἵνα δʼ εἰδῆτʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς οὔθʼ ὁ πατὴρ οὐδὲν ἠδίκει περιοικοδομῶν τὸ χωρίον οὗτοί τε κατεψευσμένοι πάντʼ εἰσὶν ἡμῶν, ἔτι σαφέστερον ὑμᾶς πειράσομαι διδάσκειν.
I, therefore, think that even this is sufficient to meet their shamelessness; but so that you may know, men of Athens, also about the other matters, how my father did no wrong in walling in the land and how these men are lying in everything against us, I will try to instruct you still more clearly.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ χωρίον ὁμολογεῖται καὶ παρʼ αὐτῶν τούτων ἡμέτερον ἴδιον εἶναι· §9τούτου δʼ ὑπάρχοντος, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, μάλιστα μὲν ᾔδειτʼ ἂν ἰδόντες τὸ χωρίον ὅτι συκοφαντοῦμαι.
For the land is admitted, even by these men themselves, to be our private property; and this being so, men of Athens, you would understand best if you saw the land that I am being slandered.
διὸ καὶ τοῖς εἰδόσιν ἐπιτρέπειν ἐβουλόμην ἐγώ, τοῖς ἴσοις.
For this reason, I wished to refer the matter to impartial persons who knew the facts.
ἀλλʼ οὐχ οὗτοι, καθάπερ νυνὶ λέγειν ἐπιχειροῦσιν· δῆλον δʼ ὑμῖν καὶ τοῦτʼ αὐτίκʼ ἔσται πᾶσιν.
But these men did not wish it, although they now attempt to say otherwise; and this too will immediately be clear to you all.
ἀλλὰ προσέχετʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πρὸς Διὸς καὶ θεῶν τὸν νοῦν.
But pay attention, men of Athens, by Zeus and the gods.
§10τοῦ γὰρ χωρίου τοῦ τʼ ἐμοῦ καὶ τοῦ τούτων τὸ μέσον ὁδός ἐστιν, ὄρους δὲ περιέχοντος κύκλῳ τοῖς χωρίοις τὸ καταρρέον ὕδωρ τῇ μὲν εἰς τὴν ὁδόν, τῇ δʼ εἰς τὰ χωρία συμβαίνει φέρεσθαι.
For between my land and theirs is a road, and as a mountain surrounds the properties in a circle, the rainwater that flows down happens to be carried partly into the road and partly into the lands.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τούτου τὸ εἰσπῖπτον εἰς τὴν ὁδόν, ᾗ μὲν ἂν εὐοδῇ, φέρεται κάτω κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, ᾗ δʼ ἂν ἐνστῇ τι, τηνικαῦτα τοῦτʼ εἰς τὰ χωρίʼ ὑπεραίρειν ἀναγκαῖον ἤδη.
And indeed, of this water falling into the road, where there is a clear passage, it is carried down along the road, but where any obstacle occurs, it must then inevitably overflow into the lands.