§13.20.1τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἀτυχημάτων, ἄνδρες Συρακόσιοι, μέρος οὐκ ἐλάχιστον ἐγὼ μετέσχηκα· δυεῖν γὰρ υἱῶν γενόμενος πατὴρ ἐξέπεμψα μὲν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος κίνδυνον, ὑπεδεξάμην δʼ ἀντʼ αὐτῶν ἀγγελίαν, ἣ τὸν ἐκείνων θάνατον ἐμήνυεν.
Of the misfortunes of the war, men of Syracuse, I have shared no small part; for having become the father of two sons, I sent them forth into danger on behalf of our fatherland, but instead of them I received a message which made known their death.
§13.20.2διὸ καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐπιζητῶν τὴν συμβίωσιν, καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν ἀναλογιζόμενος, ἐκείνους μὲν μακαρίζω, τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ δὲ βίον ἐλεῶ, πάντων ἡγούμενος εἶναι δυστυχέστατος.
Wherefore also, day by day longing for our life together and reflecting upon their end, I count them indeed blessed, but pity my own life, considering myself to be the most unfortunate of all.
§13.20.3ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ τὸν ὀφειλόμενον τῇ φύσει θάνατον εἰς πατρίδος σωτηρίαν ἀναλώσαντες ἀθάνατον ἑαυτῶν δόξαν καταλελοίπασιν, ἐγὼ δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἡλικίας ἔρημος ὢν τῶν θεραπευσόντων τὸ γῆρας διπλοῦν ἔχω τὸ πένθος, τὴν συγγένειαν ἅμα καὶ ἀρετὴν ἐπιζητῶν· §13.20.4ὅσῳ γὰρ εὐγενέστερον ἐτελεύτησαν, τοσούτῳ ποθεινοτέραν τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν μνήμην καταλελοίπασιν.
For they, having spent the death they owed to nature for the salvation of their fatherland, have left behind an immortal glory for themselves, but I, being in the final stage of life and deprived of those who would care for my old age, have a double grief, longing at once for their kinship and their virtue; for the more nobly they died, the more desirable the memory of them they have left behind.
εἰκότως οὖν μισῶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, διʼ ἐκείνους οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν τέκνων, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ οἰκετῶν, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, χειραγωγούμενος.
Reasonably, therefore, do I hate the Athenians, because of whom I am led by the hand, as you see, not by my children, but by domestic servants.
§13.20.5εἰ μὲν οὖν ἑώρων, ὦ ἄνδρες Συρακόσιοι, τὴν παροῦσαν ἐνεστηκέναι βουλὴν ὑπὲρ Ἀθηναίων, εἰκότως ἂν καὶ διὰ τὰς κοινὰς τῆς πατρίδος συμφορὰς καὶ διὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἀτυχίας πικρῶς ἂν αὐτοῖς προσηνέχθην· ἐπεὶ δʼ ἅμα τῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἠτυχηκότας ἐλέῳ κρίνεται τό τε κοινῇ συμφέρον καὶ ἡ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐξενεχθησομένη δόξα, ἀκέραιον ποιήσομαι τὴν τοῦ συμφέροντος συμβουλίαν.
If, therefore, I saw, men of Syracuse, that the present deliberation was concerning the Athenians, I would reasonably have behaved bitterly towards them, both on account of the common disasters of our fatherland and my personal misfortunes; but since, along with pity for those who have suffered misfortune, both the common interest and the reputation to be spread to all mankind on behalf of the people of Syracuse are being judged, I shall make my advice concerning the interest unbiased.