§8.45.1ἐπεὶ δὲ σύνεγγυς ἀλλήλων ἐγένοντο, πρώτη μὲν αὐτῷ δεξιωσομένη προσῆλθεν ἡ μήτηρ πένθιμά τʼ ἠμφιεσμένη τρύχη καὶ τὰς ὁράσεις ἐκτετηκυῖα ὑπὸ τῶν δακρύων, ἐλεεινὴ σφόδρα.
When they were near each other, his mother first approached him to greet him, dressed in mourning rags and with her eyes wasted away by tears, a most pitiable sight.
ἣν ὁ Μάρκιος ἰδὼν ἄτεγκτος τέως καὶ στερρός, οἷος ἅπασι τοῖς ἀνιαροῖς ἀντέχειν, οὐθὲν ἔτι τῶν λελογισμένων φυλάττειν ἱκανὸς ἦν, ἀλλʼ ᾤχετο φερόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ περιβαλὼν αὐτὴν ἠσπάζετο καὶ ταῖς ἡδίσταις φωναῖς ἀνεκάλει καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ κλαίων τε καὶ περιέπων κατεῖχεν ἐκλελυμένην καὶ ῥέουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.
Marcius, beholding her—he who had hitherto been unyielding and stubborn, such as to withstand all painful trials—was no longer able to maintain any of his reasoned resolutions, but was swept away by his passions toward human feelings; and throwing his arms around her, he embraced her, called her by the sweetest names, and for a long time, weeping and tending to her, held her up as she swooned and sank toward the earth.
ὡς δὲ τῶν ἀσπασμῶν τῆς μητρὸς ἅλις εἶχε, τὴν γυναῖκα προσελθοῦσαν δεξιωσάμενος ἅμα τοῖς τέκνοις εἶπεν· §8.45.2ἀγαθῆς γυναικὸς ἔργον ἐποίησας, ὦ Οὐολουμνία, μείνασα παρὰ τῇ μητρί μου καὶ οὐκ ἐγκαταλιποῦσα τὴν ἐρημίαν αὐτῆς ἔμοιγε πασῶν ἡδίστην κεχάρισαι δωρεάν. μετὰ ταῦτα τῶν παιδίων ἑκάτερον προσαγόμενος καὶ τοὺς προσήκοντας ἀσπασμοὺς ἀποδούς, ἐπέστρεψεν αὖθις πρὸς τὴν μητέρα καὶ λέγειν ἐκέλευσε, τίνος δεομένη πάρεστιν.
When he had enough of embracing his mother, he greeted his wife as she approached, together with his children, and said: “You have done the duty of a good wife, Volumnia, by remaining with my mother and not deserting her in her loneliness; you have bestowed upon me the most welcome gift of all.” After this, bringing each of his children to him and giving them the proper embraces, he turned again to his mother and bade her tell what she had come to entreat.
ἡ δὲ πάντων ἀκουόντων ἔφησεν ἐρεῖν, οὐθενὸς γὰρ ἀνοσίου δεήσεσθαι, παρεκάλει τʼ αὐτόν, ἐν ᾧ καθεζόμενος εἰώθει χωρίῳ §8.45.3δικάζειν τοῖς ὄχλοις, ἐν τούτῳ καθίσαι.
And she said she would speak in the hearing of all, for she would ask nothing unholy, and she urged him to sit in the place where he was accustomed to sit when administering justice to the multitudes.
καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος ἀσμένως τὸ ῥηθὲν ἐδέξατο ὡς δὴ περιουσίᾳ τε πολλῇ τῶν δικαίων πρὸς τὴν ἔντευξιν αὐτῆς χρησόμενος καὶ ἐν καλῷ ποιούμενος τοῖς ὄχλοις τὴν ἀπόκρισιν.
And Marcius gladly accepted her words, thinking indeed that he would have a great abundance of justice to meet her request, and making it a fine opportunity to give his answer to the multitudes.
ἐλθὼν δʼ ἐπὶ τὸ στρατηγικὸν βῆμα πρῶτον μὲν ἐκέλευσε τοῖς ὑπηρέταις καθελεῖν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὸν δίφρον καὶ θεῖναι χαμαί, μητρὸς ὑψηλότερον οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν τόπον ἔχειν, οὐδʼ ἐξουσίᾳ χρῆσθαι κατʼ ἐκείνης οὐδεμιᾷ· ἔπειτα παρακαθισάμενος τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν θʼ ἡγεμόνων καὶ λοχαγῶν, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐάσας παρεῖναι τὸν βουλόμενον, ἐκέλευσε τὴν μητέρα λέγειν.
Going to the general's tribunal, he first commanded his attendants to take down the chair from it and place it on the ground, thinking it not right that he should have a higher place than his mother, nor that he should exercise any authority over her; then, having seated beside him the most illustrious of the commanders and captains, and having permitted any other who wished to be present, he bade his mother speak.