§35ἀλλὰ μὴν ὅτι παρʼ ἡμῖν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς πᾶσιν εὐδοκιμεῖν αὐτοὺς ἀναγκαῖον, ἐκ τούτων φανερόν ἐστιν· ἐν Ἅιδου δὲ λογίσασθαι ἄξιον, τίνες οἱ τὸν ἡγεμόνα δεξιωσόμενοι τὸν τούτων.
Indeed, that they must be held in high esteem among us and all others is clear from these facts; but it is worth considering who they are who will welcome their leader in Hades.
ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν οἰόμεθα ὁρᾶν Λεωσθένη δεξιουμένους καὶ θαυμάζοντας τῶν ἡμιθέων καλουμένων τοὺς ἐπὶ Τροίαν στρατεύσαντας, ὧν οὗτος ἀδελφὰς πράξεις ἐνστησάμενος τοσοῦτον διήνεγκε, ὥστε οἱ μὲν μετὰ πάσης τῆς Ἑλλάδος μίαν πόλιν εἷλον, ὁ δὲ μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδος μόνης πᾶσαν τὴν τῆς Εὐρώπης καὶ τῆς Ἀσίας ἄρχουσαν δύναμιν ἐταπείνωσεν.
Should we not think that we see Leosthenes being welcomed and admired by those of the so-called demigods who campaigned against Troy? This man, having undertaken deeds brotherly to theirs, surpassed them so far that while they, with the whole of Greece, captured a single city, he, with his own homeland alone, humbled the entire power that ruled Europe and Asia.
§36κἀκεῖνοι μὲν ἕνεκα μιᾶς γυναικὸς ὑβρισθείσης ἤμυναν, ὁ δὲ πασῶν τῶν Ἑλληνίδων τὰς ἐπιφερομένας ὕβρεις ἐκώλυσεν, μετὰ τῶν συνθαπτομένων νῦν αὐτῷ ἀνδρῶν.
And while they fought for the sake of one woman who had been insulted, he, along with the men who are now being buried with him, prevented the insults that were being brought upon all Greek women.
§37τῶν δὲ μετʼ ἐκείνους μὲν γεγενημένων, ἄξια δὲ τῆς ἐκείνων ἀρετῆς διαπεπραγμένων, λέγω δὴ τοὺς περὶ Μιλτιάδην καὶ Θεμιστοκλέα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, οἳ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλευθερώσαντες ἔντιμον μὲν τὴν πατρίδα κατέστησαν, §38ἔνδοξον δὲ τὸν αὑτῶν βίον ἐποίησαν, ὧν οὗτος τοσοῦτον ὑπερέσχεν ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ φρονήσει, ὅσον οἱ μὲν ἐπελθοῦσαν τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων δύναμιν ἠμύναντο, ὁ δὲ μηδʼ ἐπελθεῖν ἐποίησεν.
And of those who were born after them and achieved deeds worthy of their virtue—I mean Miltiades and Themistocles and the others, who, having liberated Greece, made their homeland honorable, and made their own lives glorious—this man surpassed them so far in courage and wisdom that while they repelled the power of the barbarians when it invaded, he made it not even invade.
κἀκεῖνοι μὲν ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐπεῖδον ἀγωνιζομένους, οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐχθρῶν περιεγένετο τῶν ἀντιπάλων.
And while they saw the enemies fighting in their own land, he overcame his opponents in the land of the enemies.
§39οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τοὺς τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλίαν τῷ δήμῳ βεβαιότατα ἐνδειξαμένους, λέγω δὲ Ἁρμόδιον καὶ Ἀριστογείτονα, οὐθένας οὕτως αὑτοῖς οἰκειοτέρους ὑμῖν εἶναι νομίζειν ὡς Λεωσθένη καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ συναγωνισαμένους, οὐδʼ ἔστιν οἷς ἂν μᾶλλον ἢ τούτοις πλησιάσειαν ἐν Ἅιδου.
And I think that those who most firmly demonstrated their mutual friendship to the people—I mean Harmodius and Aristogeiton—deem none to be closer to themselves than Leosthenes and those who fought alongside him, nor is there anyone to whom they would more closely draw near in Hades than to these.
εἰκότως· οὐκ ἐλάττω γὰρ ἐκείνων ἔργα διεπράξαντο, ἀλλʼ εἰ δέον εἰπεῖν, καὶ μείζω.
And with good reason; for they achieved deeds not less than theirs, but, if it must be said, even greater.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς τῆς πατρίδος τυράννους κατέλυσαν, οὗτοι δὲ τοὺς τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἁπάσης.
For the former put down the tyrants of their own homeland, but the latter put down the tyrants of the whole of Greece.
§40ὢ καλῆς μὲν καὶ παραδόξου τόλμης τῆς πραχθείσης ὑπὸ τῶνδε τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐνδόξου δὲ καὶ μεγαλοπρεποῦς προαιρέσεως ἧς προείλοντο, ὑπερβαλλούσης δὲ ἀρετῆς καὶ ἀνδραγαθίας τῆς ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις, ἣν οὗτοι παρασχόμενοι εἰς τὴν κοινὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῶν Ἑλλήνων
Oh, what beautiful and unexpected daring achieved by these men, and what a glorious and magnificent purpose which they chose, and what surpassing virtue and courage in dangers, which they displayed for the common freedom of the Greeks!
§41χαλεπὸν μὲν ἴσως ἐστὶ τοὺς ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ὄντας πάθεσι παραμυθεῖσθαι.
It is perhaps difficult to comfort those who are in such grief.
τὰ γὰρ πένθη οὔτε λόγῳ οὔτε νόμῳ κοιμίζεται, ἀλλʼ ἡ φύσις ἑκάστου καὶ φιλία πρὸς τὸν τελευτήσαντα τὸν ὁρισμὸν ἔχει τοῦ λυπεῖσθαι.
For mourning is not laid to rest by speech or by law, but each person's nature and friendship toward the deceased sets the limit of their sorrow.
ὅμως δὲ χρὴ θαρρεῖν καὶ τῆς λύπης παραιρεῖν εἰς τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον, καὶ μεμνῆσθαι μὴ μόνον τοῦ θανάτου τῶν τετελευτηκότων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἧς καταλελοίπασιν.
Nevertheless, we must take heart and diminish our grief as much as possible, and remember not only the death of those who have died, but also the virtue they have left behind.
§42εἰ γὰρ θρήνων ἄξια πεπόνθασιν, ἀλλʼ ἐπαίνων μεγάλων πεποιήκασιν.
For if they have suffered things worthy of lamentation, they have achieved things worthy of great praise.
εἰ δὲ γήρως θνητοῦ μὴ μετέσχον, ἀλλʼ εὐδοξίαν ἀγήρατον εἰλήφασιν, εὐδαίμονές τε γεγόνασι κατὰ πάντα.
And if they did not share in a mortal old age, they have received an ageless glory, and have become fortunate in every way.
ὅσοι μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἄπαιδες τετελευτήκασιν, οἱ παρὰ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἔπαινοι παῖδες αὐτῶν ἀθάνατοι ἔσονται.
For those of them who have died childless, the praises of the Greeks will be their immortal children.
ὅσοι δὲ παῖδας καταλελοίπασιν, ἡ τῆς πατρίδος εὔνοια ἐπίτροπος αὐτοῖς τῶν παίδων καταστήσεται.
And those who have left children behind, the goodwill of their homeland will be established as the guardian of their children.
§43πρὸς δὲ τούτοις, εἰ μέν ἐστι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ὅμοιον τῷ μὴ γενέσθαι, ἀπηλλαγμένοι εἰσὶ νόσων καὶ λύπης καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν προσπιπτόντων εἰς τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον· εἰ δʼ ἔστιν αἴσθησις ἐν Ἅιδου καὶ ἐπιμέλεια παρὰ τοῦ δαιμονίου, ὥσπερ ὑπολαμβάνομεν, εἰκὸς τοὺς ταῖς τιμαῖς τῶν θεῶν καταλυομέναις βοηθήσαντας πλείστης κηδεμονίας ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονίου τυγχάνειν
In addition to these, if dying is like not being born, they are free from diseases, grief, and all other things that fall upon human life; but if there is perception in Hades and care from the divine, as we assume, it is likely that those who came to the aid of the honors of the gods when they were being destroyed should receive the greatest care from the divine.