§11XI. διατάξας δὲ τῆν πολιτείαν ὅντπερ εἴρηται τρόπον, ἐπειδὴ προσιόντες αὐτῷ περὶ τῶν νόμων ἐνώχλουν, τὰ μὲν ἐπιτιμῶντες τὰ δὲ ἀνακρίνοντες, βουλόμενος μήτε ταῦτα κινεῖν μήτ᾿ ἀπεχθάνεσθαι παρών, ἀποδημίαν ἐποιήσατο σατο κατ’ ἐμπορίαν ἅμα καὶ θεωρίαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ε[ἰπ]ὼν ὡς οὐχ ἥ]ξει δέκα ἐτῶν·
Having organized the constitution in the manner described, when people troubled him by coming to him concerning the laws, criticizing some points and asking questions about others, because he wished neither to alter these laws nor to incur hatred by remaining present, he went on a journey to Egypt both for trade and for sightseeing, saying that he would not return for ten years.
οὐ γὰρ οἴεσθαι δίκαιον εἶναι τοὺς νόμους ἐξηγεῖσθαι παρών, ἀλλ᾿ ἕκαστον τὰ γεγραμμένα ποιεῖν.
For he did not think it right to remain present and interpret the laws, but rather that each person should do what was written.
ἅμα δὲ καὶ συνέβαινεν αὐτῷ τῶν τε γνωρίμων διαφόρους γεγενῆσθαι πολλοὐς διὰ τὰς τῶν χρεῶν ἀποκοπάς, καὶ τὰς στάσεις ἀμφοτέρας μεταθέσθαι διὰ τὸ παράδοξον αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι τὴν κατάστασιν.
At the same time, it also happened that many of the notables became hostile to him because of the cancellation of debts, and both factions changed their attitude because the settlement turned out contrary to their expectation.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ δῆμος ᾤετο πάντ᾿ ἀνάδαστα ποιήσειν αὐτόν, οἱ δὲ γνώριμοι πάλιν εἰς τὴν αὐτὴν τάξιν ἀποδώσειν ἢ μ[ικ]ρ[ὸ]ν παραλλάξ[ειν].
For the people thought that he would make a redistribution of all property, while the notables thought he would restore it to the same condition or make only a small change.
<ὁ δὲ> Σόλων ἀμφοτέροις ἠναντιώθη, καὶ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ μεθ᾿ ὁποτέρων ἐβούλετο συστά[ντ]α τυραννεῖν εἵλετο πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους ἀπεχθέσθαι, σώσας σώσας πατρίδα καὶ τὰ βέ[λτι]στα νομοθετήσας.
But Solon opposed both, and although it was in his power, by joining with whichever side he wished, to rule as a tyrant, he chose to incur the hatred of both sides, having saved his homeland and legislated what was best.
§12XII. ταῦτα δ᾿ ὅτι τοῦτον <τὸν> τρόπον ἔσχεν οἵ τ᾿ ἄλλοι συμφωνοῦσι πάντες, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ ποιἠσει μέμανηται περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖσδε· δήμῳ μὲν γ]ρ ἔδωκα τόσον γέρας ὅσσον ἀπαρκεῖ,
τιμῆς οὔτ᾿ ἀφελὼν οὔτ᾿ ἐπορεφάμενος· οἵ δ᾿ εἷχον δύναμιν καὶ χρήμασιν ἧσαν ἀγητοί,
καὶ τοῖς ἐφρασάμην μηδὲν ἀεικὲς ἔχειν.
That these things happened in this manner, all others agree, and he himself mentions them in his poetry in the following verses: "To the people indeed I gave as much privilege as is sufficient, neither taking away from their honor nor reaching out for more; And as for those who had power and were admired for their wealth, for them also I took thought that they should suffer nothing unseemly.
ἔστην δ᾿ ἀμφιβαλὼν κρατερὸν σάκος ἀμφοτέροισι,
νικᾶν δ᾿ οὐκ εἴασ᾿ οὐδετέρους ἀδίκως. πάλιν δ᾿ ἀποφαινόμενος περὶ τοῦ πλήθους, ὡς αὐτῷ δεῖ χρῆσθαι·
I stood throwing a strong shield over both, and did not allow either to win unjustly." And again, expressing his view on how the multitude should be treated: "Thus would the people best follow their leaders, neither being too loose nor being oppressed.
δῆμος δ᾿ ὧδ᾿ ἄν ἄριστα σὺν ἡγεμόνεσσιν ἕποιτο,
μήτε λίαν ἀνεθεὶς μήτε βιαζόμενος. τίκτει γὰρ κόρος ὕβριν, ὄταν πολὺς ὄλβος ἕπηται
ἀνθρώποισιν ὄσοις μὴ νόος ἄρτιος ᾖ. καὶ πάλιν δ᾿ ἑτέρωθί που λέγει περὶ τῶν διανείμασθαι τὴν γῆν βουλομένων·
For satiety breeds arrogance, when great wealth follows those men whose mind is not fit." And again somewhere else he says about those who wished to divide up the land: "They came for plunder, and had rich hope, and each of them expected to find great wealth, and that I, coaxing smoothly, would reveal a harsh mind.
οἵδ᾿ ἐφ᾿ ἁρπαγαῖσιν ἧλθον, ἐλπίδ᾿ εἷχον ἀφνεὰν
κἀδόκους ἕκαστος αὐτῶν ὄλβον εὑρήσειν πολύν,
καί με κωτίλοντα λείως τραχὺν ἐκφανεῖν νόον· χαῦνα μὲν τότ᾿ ἐφράσαντο, νῦν δέ μοι χολούμενοι
λοξ[ὸν ὀ]φθαλμοῖσ᾿ ὁρῶσι πάντες ὥστε δήιον.
They thought vain things then, but now, being angry with me, they all look at me askance with their eyes as if I were an enemy.
οὐ χρεών· ἅ μὲν γὰρ εἷπα σὺν θεοῖσιν ἤνυσα,
ἄ[λλ]α δ᾿ ο[ὑ] μάτην ἔερδον, οὐδέ μοι τυραννίδος
ἁνδάνει βίᾳ τι [ῥέζ]ειν, οὐδὲ πιεί[ρ]ας χθονὸς
πατρίδος κακοῖσιν ἐσθλοὺς ἰσομοιρίαν ἔχειν. [πάλιν] δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἀρ[οκ]οπῆς τῶν χ[ρε]ῶν καὶ τῶν δουλευόντων μὲv πρότερον ἐλυθερωθέντων δὲ διὰ τὴν σεισάχθειαν·
It is not right; for what I said, I accomplished with the gods, and other things I did not do in vain, nor does it please me to do anything by the violence of tyranny, nor that the good should have an equal share of the rich soil of our homeland with the bad." And again also concerning the cancellation of debts and those who were formerly slaves but set free through the 'shaking-off of burdens' (*seisachtheia*): "But as for the purposes for which I gathered the people, which of these did I stop before attaining?
ἐγὼ δὲ τῶν μὲν οὕνεκα ξ[υ]νήγαγον
δῆμον, τί τούτων πρὶν τυχεῖν ἐπαυσάμην; συμμαρτυροίη ταῦτ᾿ ἄν ἐν δίκῃ χρόνου
μήτηο μεγίστη δαιμόνων Ὀλυμπίων
ἄριστα, Γῆ μέλαινα, τῆς ἐγώ ποτε
ὅρους ἀνεῖλον πολλαχῇ πεπηγότα[ς],
πρόσθεν δὲ δουλεύουσα, νῦν ἐλευθέρα.
The great mother of the Olympian deities might best bear witness of these in the court of Time, black Earth, from whom I once removed the boundary stones (*horoi*) fixed in many places, she who was formerly enslaved, but now is free.
πολλοὺς δ᾿ Ἀθήνας. πατρίδ᾿ εἰδ θεόκτιτον,
ἀνήγαγον πραθέντας, ἄλλον ἐκδίκως,
ἄλλον δικαίως, τοὺς δ᾿ ἀναγκαίης ὑπὸ
χρειοῦς φυγόντας, γλῶσσαν οὐκέτ᾿ Ἀττικὴν
ἱέντας, ὡς ἄν πολλαχῇ πλανωμένους,
τοὺς δ᾿ ἐνθάδ᾿ αὐτοῦ δουλίην ἀεικέα
ἔχοντας, ἤθη δεσποτῶν τρομευμέν[ους],
ἐλευθέρους ἔθηκα.
And I brought back to Athens, their god-built homeland, many who had been sold, some unjustly, others justly, and those who had fled under compulsory need, no longer speaking the Attic tongue, since they had wandered in many places, and those who here at home held unseemly slavery, trembling at the ways of their masters, I set them free.
ταῦτα μὲν κράτει
νόμου, βίαν τε καὶ δίκην συναρμόσας,
ἔρεξα, καὶ διῆλθον ὡς ὑπεσχ[ό] μην.
These things indeed by the power of law, harmonizing force and justice, I performed, and I went through as I had promised.
θεσμούς θ᾿ ὁμοίως τῷ κακῷ τε κἀγαθῷ,
εὐθεῖαν εἰς ἕκαστον ἁρμόσας δίκην,
ἔγραψα.
And laws equally for the bad and the good, fitting straight justice to each, I wrote.
κέντρον δ᾿ ἄλλος ὡς ἐγὼ λαβών,
[κ]ακοφραδής τε ἰαὶ φιλοκτήμων ἀνήρ,
οὐκ ἂν κατέσχε δῆμον·
But if another had taken the goad as I did," "a man of bad counsel and greedy of wealth, he would not have held back the people.
εἰ γὰρ ἤθελον
ὅ τοῖς ἐναντίο[ισι]ν ἥνδανεν τότε,
αὖθις δ᾿ ἃ τοῖσιν οὕτεροι φρασαίατο,
πολλῶν ἂν ἀνδρῶν ἥδ᾿ ἐχηρώθη πόλις.
For if I had wished what pleased the opponents then, or again what the other party planned for them, this city would have been widowed of many men.
τῶν οὕνεκ᾿ ἀλκὴν πάντοθεν ποιούμενος
ὡς ἐν κυσὶν πολλαῖσιν ἐστράφην λύκος. καὶ πάλιν ὀνειδίζων πρὸς τὰς ὕστερον αὐτῶν μεμψιμοιρίας ἀμφοτέρων· δήμῳ μὲν εἰ χρὴ διαφάδην ὀνειδίσαι,
ἃ νῦν ἔχουσιν οὔποτ᾿ ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἂν
εὕδοντες εἶδον. ὅσοι δὲ μείζους καὶ βίαν ἀμείνονες
αἰνοῖεν ἄν με καὶ φίλον ποιοίατο· εἰ γάρ τις ἄλλος, φησί, ταύτης τῆς τιμῆς ἔτυχεν,
οὐκ ἂν κατέσχε δῆμον οὐδ᾿ ἐπαύσατο,
πρὶν ἀνταράξας πῖαρ ἐξεῖλεν γάλα.
For these reasons, making defense on every side, I turned like a wolf among many dogs." And again, reproaching both sides for their later murmurings: "If I must reproach the people openly, what they now have, they would never have seen even in their dreams." And those who are greater and superior in strength: "They should praise me and make me their friend." For if anyone else, he says, had obtained this honor: "He would not have held back the people nor stopped until, having stirred up the rich milk, he had taken out the fat.
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ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων ὥσπερ ἐν μεταιχμίῳ
ορος κατεστην.
But I, as if in the space between two armies," "stood as a boundary stone."