§1τῶν μὲν λόγων τῶν μελλόντων ῥηθήσεςθαι ἐπὶ τῷδε τῷ τάφῳ περί τε Λεωσθένους τοῦ στρατηγοῦ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν μετʼ ἐκείνου τετελευτηκότων ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, ὡς ἦσαν ἄνδρες ἀγαθοί, μάρτυς αὐτὸς ὁ χρόνος ὁ ς ωι τὰς πράξεις ς ἀνθρωπ ν πω κα ἑώρακε ωρ ἐν τῷ παντὶ αἰῶνι γεγενη οὔτε ἄνδρας ἀμείνους τῶν τετελευτηκότων οὔτε πράξεις μεγαλοπρεπεστέρας.
For the words which are to be spoken at this tomb concerning both the general Leosthenes and the others who have died with him in the war, showing how they were brave men, time itself is the witness, which has seen the deeds of men in all ages, having never seen either better men than those who have died or more magnificent deeds.
§2διὸ καὶ μάλιστα νῦν φοβοῦμαι, μή μοι συμβῇ τὸν λόγον ἐλάττω φαίνεσθαι τῶν ἔργων τῶν γεγενημένων.
For this reason, I am now especially afraid lest my speech should appear inferior to the deeds that have been accomplished.
πλὴν κατʼ ἐκεῖνό γε πάλιν θαρρῶ ὅτι τὰ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ ἐκλειπόμενα ὑμεῖς οἱ ἀκούοντες προσθήσετε· οὐ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τυχοῦσιν οἱ λόγοι ῥηθήσονται, ἀλλʼ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς μάρτυσι τῶν ἐκείνοις πεπραγμένων.
Nevertheless, I am encouraged on the other hand by the thought that you who listen will supply what is left out by me; for these words will not be spoken among ordinary men, but among the very witnesses of the deeds accomplished by them.
§3ἄξιον δέ ἐςτιν ἐπαινεῖν τὴν μὲν πόλιν ἡμῶν τῆς προαιρέσεως ἕνεκεν, τὸ προελέσθαι ὅμοια καὶ ἔτι σεμνότερα καὶ καλλίω τῶν πρότερον αὐτῇ πεπραγμένων, τοὺς δὲ τετελευτηκότας τῆς ἀνδρείας τῆς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, τὸ μὴ καταισχῦναι τὰς τῶν προγόνων ἀρετάς, τὸν δὲ στρατηγὸν Λεωσθένη διὰ ἀμφότερα· τῆς τε γὰρ προαιρέσεως εἰσηγητὴς τῇ πόλει ἐγένετο, καὶ τῆς στρατείας ἡγεμὼν τοῖς πολίταις κατέστη.
It is fitting to praise our city for her choice, in that she chose deeds similar to, and even more solemn and beautiful than, those she had formerly accomplished; and to praise the deceased for their courage in the war, in that they did not disgrace the virtues of their ancestors; and to praise the general Leosthenes for both, since he became the proposer of the choice to the city, and was established as the leader of the expedition for the citizens.
§4περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς πόλεως διεξιέναι τὸ καθʼ ἕκαστον ὧν πρότερον πᾶσαν τὴν Ἑλλάδα εὐεργέτηκεν οὔτε ὁ χρόνος ὁ παρὼν ἱκανός, οὔτε ὁ καιρὸς ἁρμόττων τῷ μακρολογεῖν, οὔτε ῥᾴδιον ἕνα ὄντα τοσαύτας καὶ τηλικαύτας πράξεις ἐπελθεῖν καὶ μνημονεῦσαι· ἐπὶ κεφαλαίου δὲ οὐκ ὀκνήσω εἰπεῖν περὶ αὐτῆς.
Now, to go through in detail each of the benefits which our city previously bestowed upon the whole of Greece, neither is the present time sufficient, nor is the occasion suited for speaking at length, nor is it easy for one person to traverse and recall so many and such great deeds; but I shall not hesitate to speak of her in summary.
§5ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐπέρχεται, τὰς μὲν ὥρας διακρίνων εἰς τὸ πρέπον καὶ καλῶς πάντα καθιστάς, τοῖς δὲ ςώφροσι καὶ ἐπιεικέσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελούμενος καὶ γενέσεως καὶ τροφῆς καὶ καρπῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τῶν εἰς τὸν βίον χρησίμων, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πόλις ἡμῶν διατελεῖ τοὺς μὲν κακοὺς κολάζουσα, τοῖς δὲ δικαίοις βοηθοῦσα, τὸ δὲ ἴσον ἀντί τῆς ἀδικίας ἅπασιν ἀπονέμουσα, τοῖς δὲ ἰδίοις κινδύνοις καὶ δαπάναις κοινὴν ἄδειαν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν παρασκευάζουσα.
For just as the sun traverses the whole inhabited world, dividing the seasons into what is fitting and arranging everything beautifully, and caring for those among men who are moderate and reasonable—providing birth, nourishment, fruits, and all other things useful for life—so also our city continues to punish the wicked, to aid the righteous, to dispense equality to all instead of injustice, and, by her own dangers and expenses, to secure a common safety for the Greeks.
§6περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν κοινῶν ἔργων τῆς πόλεως ὥσπερ προεῖπον φράσαι παραλείψω, περὶ δὲ Λεωσθένους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τοὺς λόγους ποιήσομαι.
Concerning, then, the common deeds of the city, as I said before, I shall omit to speak, and I shall direct my words to Leosthenes and the others.
νῦν δὲ πόθεν ἄρξωμαι λέγων, ἢ τίνος πρῶτον μνησθῶ;
But now, where shall I begin my speech, or what shall I mention first?
πότερα περὶ τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν ἑκάστου διεξέλθω;
Shall I go through the lineage of each of them individually?
§7ἀλλʼ εὔηθες εἶναι ὑπολαμβάνω· τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἄλλους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους ἐγκωμιάζοντα, οἳ πολλαχόθεν εἰς μίαν πόλιν συνεληλυθότες οἰκοῦσι γένος ἴδιον ἕκαστος συνεισενεγκάμενος, τοῦτον μὲν δεῖ κατʼ ἄνδρα γενεαλογεῖν ἕκαστον· περὶ δὲ Ἀθηναίων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς λόγους ποιούμενον, οἷς ἡ κοινὴ γένεσις αὐτόχθοσιν οὖσιν ἀνυπέρβλητον τὴν εὐγένειαν ἔχει, περίεργον ἡγοῦμαι εἶναι ἰδίᾳ τὰ γένη ἐγκωμιάζειν.
But I consider this to be foolish; for a person who praises some other men, who have come together from many places to live in one city, each bringing in his own lineage, must trace the genealogy of each man; but for one who speaks about Athenian men, whose common birth as indigenous people gives them an unsurpassable nobility, I believe it to be superfluous to praise their lineages individually.