§234ΣΩ. ἐξ ἀγορᾶς ἢ πόθεν Μενέξενος;
SOCRATES: From the marketplace, or where from, Menexenus?
ΜΕΝ. ἐξ ἀγορᾶς, ὦ Σώκρατες, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ βουλευτηρίου.
MENEXENUS: From the marketplace, Socrates, and from the council chamber.
ΣΩ. τί μάλιστα σοὶ πρὸς βουλευτήριον;
SOCRATES: What business of yours was there especially at the council chamber?
ἢ δῆλα δὴ ὅτι παιδεύσεως καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπὶ τέλει ἡγῇ εἶναι, καὶ ὡς ἱκανῶς ἤδη ἔχων ἐπὶ τὰ μείζω ἐπινοεῖς τρέπεσθαι, καὶ ἄρχειν ἡμῶν, ὦ θαυμάσιε, ἐπιχειρεῖς τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τηλικοῦτος ὤν, ἵνα μὴ ἐκλίπῃ ὑμῶν ἡ οἰκία ἀεί τινα ἡμῶν ἐπιμελητὴν παρεχομένη;
Or is it clear that you think you have reached the end of education and philosophy, and as one who is already sufficiently equipped, you intend to turn to greater things, and you are attempting to rule us, my wonderful friend, us older people, being of such an age as you are, so that your house may not fail to always provide some guardian for us?
ΜΕΝ. ἐὰν σύ γε, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐᾷς καὶ συμβουλεύῃς ἄρχειν, προθυμήσομαι· εἰ δὲ μή, οὔ.
MENEXENUS: If you at least, Socrates, permit and advise me to rule, I shall be eager to; but if not, no.
νῦν μέντοι ἀφικόμην πρὸς τὸ βουλευτήριον πυθόμενος ὅτι ἡ βουλὴ μέλλει αἱρεῖσθαι ὅστις ἐρεῖ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀποθανοῦσιν· ταφὰς γὰρ οἶσθʼ ὅτι μέλλουσι ποιεῖν.
However, I went to the council chamber just now because I heard that the council is about to choose who is to speak over those who have died; for you know that they are about to hold a funeral.
ΣΩ. πάνυ γε·
SOCRATES: Indeed.
ἀλλὰ τίνα εἵλοντο;
But whom did they choose?
ΜΕΝ. οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ ἀνεβάλοντο εἰς τὴν αὔριον.
MENEXENUS: No one, but they postponed it till tomorrow.
οἶμαι μέντοι Ἀρχῖνον ἢ Δίωνα αἱρεθήσεσθαι.
I think, however, that Archinus or Dion will be chosen.
§235ΣΩ. καὶ μήν, ὦ Μενέξενε, πολλαχῇ κινδυνεύει καλὸν εἶναι τὸ ἐν πολέμῳ ἀποθνῄσκειν.
SOCRATES: Truly, Menexenus, in many ways it seems likely to be a fine thing to die in war.
καὶ γὰρ ταφῆς καλῆς τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεποῦς τυγχάνει, καὶ ἐὰν πένης τις ὢν τελευτήσῃ, καὶ ἐπαίνου αὖ ἔτυχεν, καὶ ἐὰν φαῦλος ᾖ, ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν σοφῶν τε καὶ οὐκ εἰκῇ ἐπαινούντων, ἀλλὰ ἐκ πολλοῦ χρόνου λόγους παρεσκευασμένων, οἳ οὕτως καλῶς ἐπαινοῦσιν, ὥστε καὶ τὰ προσόντα καὶ τὰ μὴ περὶ ἑκάστου λέγοντες, κάλλιστά πως τοῖς ὀνόμασι ποικίλλοντες, γοητεύουσιν ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχάς, καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐγκωμιάζοντες κατὰ πάντας τρόπους καὶ τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ τοὺς προγόνους ἡμῶν ἅπαντας τοὺς ἔμπροσθεν καὶ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἔτι ζῶντας ἐπαινοῦντες, ὥστʼ ἔγωγε, ὦ Μενέξενε, γενναίως πάνυ διατίθεμαι ἐπαινούμενος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἑκάστοτε ἐξέστηκα ἀκροώμενος καὶ κηλούμενος, ἡγούμενος ἐν τῷ παραχρῆμα μείζων καὶ γενναιότερος καὶ καλλίων γεγονέναι.
For even if one dies as a poor man, he obtains a beautiful and magnificent funeral; and again, even if he is of little account, he obtains praise from wise men who do not praise at random, but have prepared speeches long beforehand, who praise so beautifully that, by saying both what is present and what is not present in each person, and by coloring it somehow most beautifully with words, they bewitch our souls, and by eulogizing the city in every way, and praising those who have died in the war, and all our ancestors of former times, and even ourselves who are still living, so that I myself, Menexenus, feel thoroughly noble when praised by them, and each time, listening and spellbound, I stand out of myself, thinking on the spot that I have become taller and nobler and more handsome.
καὶ οἷα δὴ τὰ πολλὰ ἀεὶ μετʼ ἐμοῦ ξένοι τινὲς ἕπονται καὶ συνακροῶνται πρὸς οὓς ἐγὼ σεμνότερος ἐν τῷ παραχρῆμα γίγνομαι· καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ταὐτὰ ταῦτα δοκοῦσί μοι πάσχειν καὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην πόλιν, θαυμασιωτέραν αὐτὴν ἡγεῖσθαι εἶναι ἢ πρότερον, ὑπὸ τοῦ λέγοντος ἀναπειθόμενοι.
And as is usually the case, some strangers always accompany me and listen with me, in whose eyes I become more dignified on the spot; for they too seem to me to experience these very same feelings both towards me and towards the rest of the city, thinking it to be more wonderful than before, being persuaded by the speaker.
καί μοι αὕτη ἡ σεμνότης παραμένει ἡμέρας πλείω ἢ τρεῖς· οὕτως ἔναυλος ὁ λόγος τε καὶ ὁ φθόγγος παρὰ τοῦ λέγοντος ἐνδύεται εἰς τὰ ὦτα, ὥστε μόγις τετάρτῃ ἢ πέμπτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναμιμνῄσκομαι ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ αἰσθάνομαι οὗ γῆς εἰμι, τέως δὲ οἶμαι μόνον οὐκ ἐν μακάρων νήσοις οἰκεῖν· οὕτως ἡμῖν οἱ ῥήτορες δεξιοί εἰσιν.
And this dignity remains with me for more than three days; so ringing is the speech and the voice from the speaker that enters into my ears, so that only on the fourth or fifth day do I scarcely remember myself and perceive where on earth I am, while up to then I think I am living all but in the Islands of the Blessed; so clever are our orators.
ΜΕΝ. ἀεὶ σὺ προσπαίζεις, ὦ Σώκρατες, τοὺς ῥήτορας.
MENEXENUS: You are always mocking the orators, Socrates.
νῦν μέντοι οἶμαι ἐγὼ τὸν αἱρεθέντα οὐ πάνυ εὐπορήσειν· ἐξ ὑπογύου γὰρ παντάπασιν ἡ αἵρεσις γέγονεν, ὥστε ἴσως ἀναγκασθήσεται ὁ λέγων ὥσπερ αὐτοσχεδιάζειν.
However, this time I think the chosen one will not be very well off; for the selection has been made completely on the spur of the moment, so that the speaker will perhaps be forced to improvise, as it were.
ΣΩ. πόθεν, ὠγαθέ;
SOCRATES: Why so, my good friend?
εἰσὶν ἑκάστοις τούτων λόγοι παρεσκευασμένοι, καὶ ἅμα οὐδὲ αὐτοσχεδιάζειν τά γε τοιαῦτα χαλεπόν.
Every one of them has speeches already prepared; and besides, even to improvise such things is not difficult.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ δέοι Ἀθηναίους ἐν Πελοποννησίοις εὖ λέγειν ἢ Πελοποννησίους ἐν Ἀθηναίοις, ἀγαθοῦ ἂν ῥήτορος δέοι τοῦ πείσοντος καὶ εὐδοκιμήσοντος· ὅταν δέ τις ἐν τούτοις ἀγωνίζηται οὕσπερ καὶ ἐπαινεῖ, οὐδὲν μέγα δοκεῖν εὖ λέγειν.
For if one had to speak well of Athenians among Peloponnesians, or of Peloponnesians among Athenians, it would require a good orator to persuade and win reputation; but when someone competes among the very people whom he is also praising, it is no great thing to seem to speak well.
ΜΕΝ. οὐκ οἴει, ὦ Σώκρατες;
MENEXENUS: You don't think so, Socrates?
ΣΩ. οὐ μέντοι μὰ Δία.
SOCRATES: Certainly not, by Zeus.
ΜΕΝ. ἦ οἴει οἷός τʼ ἂν εἶναι αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν, εἰ δέοι καὶ ἕλοιτό σε ἡ βουλή;
MENEXENUS: Do you think you yourself would be able to speak, if there were need and the council chose you?
ΣΩ. καὶ ἐμοὶ μέν γε, ὦ Μενέξενε, οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν οἵῳ τʼ εἶναι εἰπεῖν, ᾧ τυγχάνει διδάσκαλος οὖσα οὐ πάνυ φαύλη περὶ ῥητορικῆς, ἀλλʼ ἥπερ καὶ ἄλλους πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς πεποίηκε ῥήτορας, ἕνα δὲ καὶ διαφέροντα τῶν Ἑλλήνων, Περικλέα τὸν Ξανθίππου.
SOCRATES: For me at least, Menexenus, it would be nothing wonderful to be able to speak, since I happen to have a teacher of rhetoric who is by no means bad, but the very one who has made many other good orators, and one outstanding among the Greeks, Pericles the son of Xanthippus.
ΜΕΝ. τίς αὕτη;
MENEXENUS: Who is she?
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι Ἀσπασίαν λέγεις;
Or is it clear that you mean Aspasia?