§79πορείας ἣν ἐστείλατο, ἀλλʼ εἴπερ τις ἄλλος ἔχει καλῶς γε δὴ τὰ ἀνθρώπεια.
for the journey on which he set out, but if any other indeed has human affairs well with him, he surely does.
οὐ γὰρ Κωκυτὸς οὐδὲ Ἀχέρων τοῦτόν γε εἰλήφασιν, οὐδὲ θήκη κρύψει παραλαβοῦσα, ἀλλʼ εὐκλεὴς καὶ ἀγήρως ἤδη τὸν λοιπὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον περίεισιν ἥρως, Κυζίκου πάρεδρος, τιμηθεὶς ὑπὸ Ἀπόλλωνος πατρῴου κατὰ ταῦτα Ἀμύκλᾳ καὶ Ναρκίσσῳ καὶ Ὑακίνθῳ καὶ εἰ δή τις ἄλλος ἐπὶ εἴδει καλῷ κρείττονα ἢ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον ἀρετὴν ἐκτήσατο.
For neither Cocytus nor Acheron have taken this man, nor will the grave receive and hide him; rather, glorious and ageless for all time to come, he goes about as a hero, an assessor of Cyzicus, honored by ancestral Apollo in the same manner as Amyclas, Narcissus, and Hyacinthus, and whoever else by reason of beautiful form acquired a virtue greater than that of man.
ἑτέραις οὖν ἤδη τιμαῖς αὐτὸν τιμητέον καὶ ἑτέρως παραπεμπτέον, ὡς κρείττω δακρύων ὄντα καὶ τὴν ἀποικίαν οὐκ ἄνευ θείας μοίρας πεποιημένον.
Therefore, he must now be honored with other honors and sent on his way in another manner, as one who is above tears and who made his departure not without divine destiny.
πάντως δὲ ἡ μὲν τελευτὴ κοινὸς ἅπασιν ὅρος πρόκειται, τὸ δὲ τῶν καλλίστων ἑαυτὸν ἀξιώσαντα μετʼ εὐκλείας καταλῦσαι θεοῖς τε καὶ ἀνθρώποις ἄμεμπτον. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ πάντας, ἀλλʼ ὀλίγοις δή τισι τῶν πάντων ἀπεδόθη.
In any case, death is set before all as a common limit, but to end life with glory, having deemed oneself worthy of the finest things, blameless before both gods and men—this has been granted not to all, but only to some few of all.
βίος δὲ πᾶς ἀνθρώπου βραχὺς καὶ οὐ πολλοῦ τινος ἄξιος εἰς ἀριθμοῦ λόγον, ἀλλʼ ἐάν τε Ἀργανθώνιον ἐάν τε Τιθωνὸν λέγῃ τις ἐάν τε τὸν τὰς τρεῖς γενεὰς διαρκέσαντα Νέστορα τὸν Πύλιον, πάντας τούτους τοὺς χρόνους συνθεὶς εὑρήσεις ἔλαττον μέρος ὄντας τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἢ ὅσον εἰπεῖν.
For the whole life of man is short and of no great value in the reckoning of number; and whether one speaks of Arganthonius, or of Tithonus, or of Pylian Nestor who lasted through three generations, if you add all these times together, you will find them to be a smaller part of all eternity than one can say.
οὐ δεῖ δὴ φιλοψυχεῖν οὐδὲ τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν τούτῳ μετρεῖν, εἴ τις ὡς πλεῖστα ἔσχε πράγματα, οὐδʼ εἴ τις τοῦ μακροῦ γήρως ἀπέλαυσεν, οἷα δὴ ἀπολαύειν εἰώθασιν ἄνθρωποι, ἀλλʼ ἡγεῖσθαι τούτῳ κάλλιστʼ ἔχειν ὅστις τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἑαυτῷ τοῦ βίου μοῖραν ἐν τοῖς καλλίστοις ἐξέπλησε καὶ ὅστις ὥσπερ ποιητὴς ποθούντων ἀκούειν ἔτι καὶ ὁρᾶν κατέλυσε τὸ δρᾶμα.
One must not, then, be clingy to life, nor measure happiness by this, whether one had the most affairs, nor whether one enjoyed long old age, of such kind as men are wont to enjoy, but rather deem that he is in the fairest state who has fulfilled the portion of life given to him in the finest things, and who, like a poet, while people still yearn to hear and see, has ended the drama.
ὁδὶ δὲ εὐδαίμων τε καὶ ζηλωτὸς ἅπασι καὶ νεωτέροις καὶ πρεσβύταις πορεύεται, τοσαῦτα ἀπολαύσας τοῦ βίου, ἐφʼ οἷς μόνοις εὐκτὸν ἦν γεννᾶσθαι, ἀπαθὴς κακῶν, ἄπειρος πραγμάτων, εὐκλεὴς, ἐν λόγοις καὶ μαθήμασι καὶ ἐπαίνοις τραφεὶς, ἀπὸ τῆς φίλης καὶ ὁμοσκήνου μητρὸς, στειλάμενος παρὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν μητέρα.
And this man goes on his way, happy and envied by all, both younger and older, having enjoyed so much of life, for which alone it was desirable to be born, untouched by evils, inexperienced in affairs, glorious, nurtured in speeches, studies, and praises, departing from his dear mother who shared his tent, to his ancient mother.
εἰ δέ τῳ μὴ ἱκανῶς δοκεῖ τῆς δόξης ἀπολαῦσαι, ἀναπληροῦν χρὴ νῦν ἐπικοσμοῦντας ὡς ἥρωα.
And if to anyone he does not seem to have enjoyed glory sufficiently, one must now make it full by adorning him as a hero.
ἀπόντων δὲ ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ §80τῶν ἐπαίνων ἤδη ταῦτα χρὴ δοκεῖν ἀκούειν τῶν κρειττόνων, καὶ οὕτως ἔχοντας τῆς ἀληθείας ἂν μᾶλλον τυγχάνειν νομίζειν κἀκείνῳ ποιεῖν κεχαρισμένα.
While praises are now in safety in their absence, one must believe that he hears these things from his betters, and think that by being thus disposed, they would rather hit upon the truth and do what is pleasing to him.
καλὸν δὲ καὶ ἐν σκολίοις ὥστε Ἁρμόδιον ᾁδειν
οὔ τί που τέθνηκας
λέγοντας, ἀλλʼ εἴπερ τις ἄλλος ἐν μέσοις ἀναστρέφει τοῖς εἰδόσι καὶ πολίταις καὶ ξένοις.
And it is beautiful to sing even in drinking-songs, just like Harmodius, saying "You are not dead, surely," but if indeed any other, he goes about in the midst of those who know him, both citizens and strangers.
ὦ βιοὺς μὲν ὡς ἐν ἱεροῖς καὶ τελευτήσας κρεῖττον ἢ κατʼ ἄνθρωπον.
O you who lived as if in temples and ended your life in a manner better than human!
ὦ κόσμος καὶ φίλοις καὶ γένει καὶ πόλει, ὦ πρῶτα τῆς καθʼ ἡλικίαν ἀρετῆς ἔχων.
O ornament to friends, to family, and to the city! O you who held the first place of virtue for your age!
τάδε σοι τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ μελήσει τῇ πόλει κοινῇ.
These are the offerings from us to you, and the rest will be the concern of the city in common.