§248ΣΩ. ὅτῳ γὰρ ἀνδρὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἀνήρτηται πάντα τὰ πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν φέροντα ἢ ἐγγὺς τούτου, καὶ μὴ ἐν ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις αἰωρεῖται ἐξ ὧν ἢ εὖ ἢ κακῶς πραξάντων πλανᾶσθαι ἠνάγκασται καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου, τούτῳ ἄριστα παρεσκεύασται ζῆν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ σώφρων καὶ οὗτος ὁ ἀνδρεῖος καὶ φρόνιμος·
Socrates: For that man for whom all things leading to happiness depend on himself, or nearly so, and do not hang upon other men, from whose acting well or ill his own affairs are also forced to drift, has made the best preparation for living; this is the temperate, the brave, and the wise man.
οὗτος γιγνομένων χρημάτων καὶ παίδων καὶ διαφθειρομένων μάλιστα πείσεται τῇ παροιμίᾳ· οὔτε γὰρ χαίρων οὔτε λυπούμενος ἄγαν φανήσεται διὰ τὸ αὑτῷ πεποιθέναι.
This man, when wealth and children are born and perish, will most of all obey the proverb; for he will appear neither rejoicing nor grieving in excess, because of his trust in himself.
τοιούτους δὲ ἡμεῖς γε ἀξιοῦμεν καὶ τοὺς ἡμετέρους εἶναι καὶ βουλόμεθα καὶ φαμέν, καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς νῦν παρέχομεν τοιούτους, οὐκ ἀγανακτοῦντας οὐδὲ φοβουμένους ἄγαν εἰ δεῖ τελευτᾶν ἐν τῷ παρόντι.
And we indeed require our own people to be such, and we wish and declare them to be, and we now present ourselves as such, neither being indignant nor fearing in excess if it is necessary to die at the present moment.
δεόμεθα δὴ καὶ πατέρων καὶ μητέρων τῇ αὐτῇ ταύτῃ διανοίᾳ χρωμένους τὸν ἐπίλοιπον βίον διάγειν, καὶ εἰδέναι ὅτι οὐ θρηνοῦντες οὐδὲ ὀλοφυρόμενοι ἡμᾶς ἡμῖν μάλιστα χαριοῦνται, ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἔστι τοῖς τετελευτηκόσιν αἴσθησις τῶν ζώντων, οὕτως ἀχάριστοι εἶεν ἂν μάλιστα, ἑαυτούς τε κακοῦντες καὶ βαρέως φέροντες τὰς συμφοράς· κούφως δὲ καὶ μετρίως μάλιστʼ ἂν χαρίζοιντο.
We therefore request both fathers and mothers to spend the remainder of their lives holding this very same state of mind, and to know that they will not please us most by mourning and lamenting us, but if there is any perception of the living for those who have died, they would be most ungrateful in this way, by harming themselves and bearing their misfortunes heavily; whereas by bearing them lightly and moderately they would please us most.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἡμέτερα τελευτὴν ἤδη ἕξει ἥπερ καλλίστη γίγνεται ἀνθρώποις, ὥστε πρέπει αὐτὰ μᾶλλον κοσμεῖν ἢ θρηνεῖν·
For our affairs will now have an end which is the most beautiful that can happen to men, so that it is fitting to adorn rather than to mourn them.
γυναικῶν δὲ τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ παίδων ἐπιμελούμενοι καὶ τρέφοντες καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸν νοῦν τρέποντες τῆς τε τύχης μάλιστʼ ἂν εἶεν ἐν λήθῃ καὶ ζῷεν κάλλιον καὶ ὀρθότερον καὶ ἡμῖν προσφιλέστερον.
And by caring for and supporting our wives and children, and turning their minds to this, they would most of all forget their misfortune, and live more beautifully, more rightly, and in a manner more dear to us.
ταῦτα δὴ ἱκανὰ τοῖς ἡμετέροις παρʼ ἡμῶν ἀγγέλλειν· τῇ δὲ πόλει παρακελευοίμεθʼ ἂν ὅπως ἡμῖν καὶ πατέρων καὶ ὑέων ἐπιμελήσονται, τοὺς μὲν παιδεύοντες κοσμίως, τοὺς δὲ γηροτροφοῦντες ἀξίως·
Let these things indeed be sufficient to report from us to our people; but to the city we would exhort that they take care of our fathers and sons, educating the latter orderly, and supporting the old age of the former worthily.
νῦν δὲ ἴσμεν ὅτι καὶ ἐὰν μὴ ἡμεῖς παρακελευώμεθα, ἱκανῶς ἐπιμελήσεται.
But now we know that even if we do not exhort it, she will take care of them sufficiently.
ταῦτα οὖν, ὦ παῖδες καὶ γονῆς τῶν τελευτησάντων, ἐκεῖνοί τε ἐπέσκηπτον ἡμῖν ἀπαγγέλλειν, καὶ ἐγὼ ὡς δύναμαι προθυμότατα ἀπαγγέλλω· καὶ αὐτὸς δέομαι ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων, τῶν μὲν μιμεῖσθαι τοὺς αὑτῶν, τῶν δὲ θαρρεῖν ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν, ὡς ἡμῶν καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ γηροτροφησόντων ὑμᾶς καὶ ἐπιμελησομένων, ὅπου ἂν ἕκαστος ἑκάστῳ ἐντυγχάνῃ ὁτῳοῦν τῶν ἐκείνων.
These things, therefore, O children and parents of the deceased, they charged us to report, and I report them with all the eagerness I can; and I myself request on their behalf, that the children imitate their own ancestors, and the parents be of good courage concerning themselves, knowing that we, both privately and publicly, will support your old age and take care of you, wherever any of us meets any of you who belong to them.
§249ΣΩ. τῆς δὲ πόλεως ἴστε που καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὅτι νόμους θεμένη περὶ τοὺς τῶν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τελευτησάντων παῖδάς τε καὶ γεννήτορας ἐπιμελεῖται, καὶ διαφερόντως τῶν ἄλλων πολιτῶν προστέτακται φυλάττειν ἀρχῇ ἥπερ μεγίστη ἐστίν, ὅπως ἂν οἱ τούτων μὴ ἀδικῶνται πατέρες τε καὶ μητέρες·
Socrates: And you yourselves probably know the care of the city, that having established laws concerning the children and parents of those who died in war, she cares for them, and has commanded the highest authority, which is the greatest, to guard them differently from other citizens, so that the fathers and mothers of these men may not be wronged.
τοὺς δὲ παῖδας συνεκτρέφει αὐτή, προθυμουμένη ὅτι μάλιστʼ ἄδηλον αὐτοῖς τὴν ὀρφανίαν γενέσθαι, ἐν πατρὸς σχήματι καταστᾶσα αὐτοῖς αὐτὴ ἔτι τε παισὶν οὖσιν, καὶ ἐπειδὰν εἰς ἀνδρὸς τέλος ἴωσιν, ἀποπέμπει ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερʼ αὐτῶν πανοπλίᾳ κοσμήσασα, ἐνδεικνυμένη καὶ ἀναμιμνῄσκουσα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπιτηδεύματα ὄργανα τῆς πατρῴας ἀρετῆς διδοῦσα, καὶ ἅμα οἰωνοῦ χάριν ἄρχεσθαι ἰέναι ἐπὶ τὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν ἄρξοντα μετʼ ἰσχύος ὅπλοις κεκοσμημένον.
And she co-educates the children herself, desiring that their orphanhood should be as little visible to them as possible, standing herself in the place of a father to them while they are still children, and when they reach the age of manhood, she sends them to their own homes, having adorned them with a full suit of armor, showing and reminding them of their father's pursuits by giving them the instruments of ancestral virtue, and at the same time for the sake of a good omen, that they may begin to go to the ancestral hearth to rule with strength, adorned with weapons.
αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς τελευτήσαντας τιμῶσα οὐδέποτε ἐκλείπει, καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν αὐτὴ τὰ νομιζόμενα ποιοῦσα κοινῇ πᾶσιν ἅπερ ἑκάστῳ ἰδίᾳ γίγνεται, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἀγῶνας γυμνικοὺς καὶ ἱππικοὺς τιθεῖσα καὶ μουσικῆς πάσης, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τῶν μὲν τελευτησάντων ἐν κληρονόμου καὶ ὑέος μοίρᾳ καθεστηκυῖα, τῶν δὲ ὑέων ἐν πατρός, γονέων δὲ τῶν τούτων ἐν ἐπιτρόπου, πᾶσαν πάντων παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἐπιμέλειαν ποιουμένη.
And she never ceases honoring the deceased themselves, performing every year in public for all together the customary rites which belong to each individually, and in addition to these, establishing gymnastic and equestrian contests, and those of all music, and literally, for the deceased, having placed herself in the position of heir and son, for the sons in that of a father, and for their parents in that of a guardian, taking every care of all of them through all time.
ὧν χρὴ ἐνθυμουμένους πρᾳότερον φέρειν τὴν συμφοράν· τοῖς τε γὰρ τελευτήσασι καὶ τοῖς ζῶσιν οὕτως ἂν προσφιλέστατοι εἶτε καὶ ῥᾷστοι θεραπεύειν τε καὶ θεραπεύεσθαι.
Remembering these things, you must bear your misfortune more gently; for to the deceased and to the living, you would thus be most dear and easiest to care for and to be cared for.
νῦν δὲ ἤδη ὑμεῖς τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες κοινῇ κατὰ τὸν νόμον τοὺς τετελευτηκότας ἀπολοφυράμενοι ἄπιτε.
And now, you and all the others, having lamented the deceased together according to the law, depart.
οὗτός σοι ὁ λόγος, ὦ Μενέξενε, Ἀσπασίας τῆς Μιλησίας ἐστίν.
This is the speech for you, O Menexenus, of Aspasia the Milesian.
ΜΕΝ. νὴ Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες, μακαρίαν γε λέγεις τὴν Ἀσπασίαν, εἰ γυνὴ οὖσα τοιούτους λόγους οἵα τʼ ἐστὶ συντιθέναι.
Menexenus: By Zeus, Socrates, you speak of Aspasia as truly blessed, if she, being a woman, is able to compose such speeches.
ΣΩ. ἀλλʼ εἰ μὴ πιστεύεις, ἀκολούθει μετʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἀκούσῃ αὐτῆς λεγούσης.
Socrates: But if you do not believe it, follow me and you will hear her speaking.
ΜΕΝ. πολλάκις, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐγὼ ἐντετύχηκα Ἀσπασίᾳ, καὶ οἶδα οἵα ἐστίν.
Menexenus: Many times, Socrates, I have met Aspasia, and I know what she is like.
ΣΩ. τί οὖν;
Socrates: What then?
οὐκ ἄγασαι αὐτὴν καὶ νῦν χάριν ἔχεις τοῦ λόγου αὐτῇ;
Do you not admire her, and are you not grateful to her now for the speech?
ΜΕΝ. καὶ πολλήν γε, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἐγὼ χάριν ἔχω τούτου τοῦ λόγου ἐκείνῃ ἢ ἐκείνῳ ὅστις σοι ὁ εἰπών ἐστιν αὐτόν· καὶ πρός γε ἄλλων πολλῶν χάριν ἔχω τῷ εἰπόντι.
Menexenus: Yes, indeed, Socrates, I am very grateful for this speech to her, or to him, whoever it was who spoke it to you; and moreover, I am grateful to the one who spoke it.
ΣΩ. εὖ ἂν ἔχοι· ἀλλʼ ὅπως μου μὴ κατερεῖς, ἵνα καὶ αὖθίς σοι πολλοὺς καὶ καλοὺς λόγους παρʼ αὐτῆς πολιτικοὺς ἀπαγγέλλω.
Socrates: That would be well; but see that you do not betray me, so that I may report to you again many and beautiful political speeches from her.
ΜΕΝ. θάρρει, οὐ κατερῶ· μόνον ἀπάγγελλε.
Menexenus: Have no fear, I will not betray you; only report them.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτʼ ἔσται.
Socrates: Well, so it shall be.