§266νῦν ἄρα ἐσώθησαν, ἡνίκα ἀπωλώλεσαν. ἀλλʼ οὖν ἐκεῖνος μὲν τῆς πατρίδος λέγεται στερηθεὶς ταῦτα εἰπεῖν· ἡμῖν δὲ ὁμοῦ τῇ κομιδῇ τῆς πατρίδος χρήματα, κόσμοι, φιλοτιμίαι, βασιλεῖς οἰκισταί τε καὶ σύμβουλοι, πάντα ὁμοῦ γέγονε τὰ κάλλιστα.
"Now indeed they were saved, when they had been ruined." But at any rate, he is said to have uttered these words when deprived of his fatherland; whereas for us, together with the recovery of our fatherland, riches, adornments, honors, and emperors as founders and counselors—all the most beautiful things have come together.
ἆρʼ οὐ ταῦτα χρὴ φάναι τῆς ἐκείνων ἀηττήτου καὶ τῆς ἀγαθῆς τῆς πόλεως τύχης εἶναι, τοῖς μὲν ἐξ ὧν οἰκίζουσί τε καὶ πράττουσι, τῇ δʼ ἐξ ὧν οἰκίζεται μνήμην ἀθάνατον ποριζούσης;
Must we not say that these things belong to their unconquered fortune and to the good fortune of the city, providing an immortal memory to the former through the things they build and achieve, and to the latter through the things by which she is rebuilt?
οἵ γε τοσαύτην ἔσχον ὑπερβολὴν, ὥστʼ οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον ἀρκεῖν ὑπέλαβον, αὐτεπάγγελτοι πρὸς τὸν οἰκισμὸν ὁρμῆσαι, ἀλλʼ ἀντὶ τοῦ πρέσβεις παρʼ ἡμῶν ἀναμένειν, αὐτοὶ πρέσβεις περὶ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν οἴκοι βουλὴν κατέστησαν· ἃ μηδεὶς ἂν ἡμῶν ἐθάρρησεν αἰτῆσαι, ταῦτʼ ἀξιοῦντες ψηφίσασθαι.
They indeed possessed such great excellence that they did not even think it sufficient to rush voluntarily to the rebuilding, but instead of waiting for embassies from us, they themselves became ambassadors on our behalf to the senate at home, requesting them to decree what none of us would have dared to ask.
ἆρʼ οὐχ ἅπας μὲν θρῆνος τούτοις ἐξαλήλιπται καὶ μνήμη πᾶσα τῶν τε ἰδίων ἑκάστῳ καὶ τῶν κοινῶν δυσχερῶν, ἀντεισῆκται δὲ εὐφροσύνη μετʼ εὐφημίας καὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἐπιθυμία νῦν, εἴπερ ποτὲ, ἐπὶ ταῖς μελλούσαις ἐλπίσι, καὶ χάριτες πρέπουσαι τοῖς θεοῖς, τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, τῷ δεξαμένῳ τὰ τῶν κορυφαίων πολιτεύματα χορῷ ἀσμένῳ καὶ μνησθέντι τῆς Σμύρνης ἃ προσῆκεν;
Has not all lamentation been wiped away by these things, and all memory both of individual and of common difficulties for everyone, and have there not been introduced gladness with words of praise, and a desire to live now, if ever, on future hopes, and appropriate thanks to the gods, to the emperors, and to the chorus that gladly received the measures of the leaders and remembered what was fitting for Smyrna?
ἄξιον τοίνυν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἕλληνες, καὶ τοῦ καθʼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς ὁμοφύλους ἤδη μέρους μνησθῆναι, ὡς τούτοις τε ἀκολούθως διετέθητε καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἣν εἴχετε ἐκ παντὸς χρόνου τῇ πόλει, σαφέστατα ἐπεδείξασθε.
It is worthy, then, O men of Greece, to mention also the part that belongs to you, your fellow countrymen, how you were disposed in accordance with these things and most clearly demonstrated the goodwill which you had for the city from all time.
μάθοι δʼ ἄν τις ἐπισκεψάμενος τὰ τῆς πρώτης καὶ πρεσβυτάτης τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεως, λέγω δὲ τῆς Ἀθηναίων, πῶς ἔσχε παρὰ τὰς συμφοράς.
And one might learn this by examining the state of the first and oldest of the Greek cities—I mean that of the Athenians—how she fared during her misfortunes.
καὶ οὐ καθαιρεῖν ἐκείνην ἀξιῶν λέγω ταῦτα, μήποτε σφόδρα οὕτω γενοίμην φιλόπολις, ἀλλʼ ἅμα τούς τε πολίτας παραμυθεῖσθαι βουλόμενος καὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ἐνδείξασθαι ὅτι τῇ πόλει διὰ πάντων καιρῶν εὖ πράττειν ἐπιχώριον καὶ τῆς §267ἀγαπητῆς μοίρας ὡσπερεὶ κλῆρος ἐστίν.
And I do not say these things wishing to disparage her (lest I should ever become so excessively patriotic), but wanting at once to comfort the citizens and to show to those present that for our city, to fare well through all times is native to her and is, as it were, her inheritance of a beloved lot.
ἐκείνοις τοίνυν στερηθεῖσι μὲν τῶν νεῶν, στερηθεῖσι δὲ τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὅλης καὶ προελθοῦσιν εἰς τοῦτο ὥστε τὸν δῆμον φυγάδα ἀναγκασθῆναι τῆς πατρίδος γενέσθαι· τὰ γὰρ ἐν μέσῳ τοσαῦτα σιωπήσομαι· ἀλλʼ οὕτω γε πράξασι, πλὴν Φαρσάλου τε καὶ Ἄργους καὶ Θηβῶν, οὐδένες οὔτε μείζονα οὔτε ἐλάττονα ἀπεμνημόνευσαν χάριν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος εὐεργεσιῶν· οὐδʼ ὅτι τοῦ γένους ἔρεισμα ἡ πόλις ᾔδετο.
When they, therefore, were deprived of their ships, deprived of their walls and of their whole empire, and went so far that the people were forced to become exiles from their fatherland—for I shall keep silent on so many things in between—yet when they fared thus, with the exception of Pharsalus, Argos, and Thebes, no one remembered either greater or lesser gratitude for the benefits of all time, nor because the city was sung of as the bulwark of the race.
οὗτοι δὲ οὓς εἶπον τούς τε φεύγοντας δεξάμενοι καὶ τοῖς ἐξαιτοῦσιν ἀντισχόντες ταύτην δὴ χάριν τῇ πάντα ὑπερφερούσῃ πόλει κατέθεντο, παρʼ ᾗ τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἱδρῦσθαι τύχην αἱ μαντεῖαι λέγουσι.
But these whom I mentioned, by receiving the fugitives and holding out against those who demanded them back, laid up this very gratitude for the city that surpasses all, in which the oracles say that good fortune is established.
φέρε δὴ καὶ τὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας πόλεως ἐπισκεψώμεθα, μή πη τῶν ἐραστῶν αὐτῆς αἰσχυνθῆναί τῳ προσῆκεν· ἣ μέχρι μὲν τούτων τῶν χρόνων οἷον πόλεως παράδειγμα κάλλους εἱστήκει, χειρουμένη μὲν εὐθὺς ἐξ ὄψεως τούς τε ἀπὸ γῆς καὶ τοὺς ἐκ θαλάττης καταίροντας, παρελθοῦσι δὲ εἴσω τὰ κάλλιστα ἀποφαίνουσα καὶ παρασκευάζουσα ὧν οὔτʼ ὀφθαλμῶν κόρον ἦν λαβεῖν οὔτε χρόνου διατριβῆς· ἃ νῦν ἀπέραντον ἂν εἴη καταλέγειν.
Come now, let us also examine the affairs of our own city, lest it should be fitting for any of her lovers to feel ashamed; she who up to these times stood as a kind of model of beauty for a city, capturing at first sight those landing both from land and from sea, and to those who went inside showing the most beautiful things and preparing things of which there was neither satiety of eyes nor waste of time, which it would now be endless to list.
ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρας ἔδει μερίδος πεῖραν λαβεῖν, ἃ μὲν τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἐπῆλθε σπουδάσαι, διήλθομεν ἀρτίως· ἀλλʼ ἐν ὑμῖν τοῖς ὁμοτίμοις τί τῶν ἁπάντων οὐκ ἐγένετο;
But when she also had to make trial of the other portion, we have just now recounted what the rulers hastened to study; but among you, who are of equal rank, what of all things did not happen?
οὐ κατὰ πόλεις τε ὀδυρμοὶ κἀν τοῖς κοινοῖς συνεδρίοις βοώντων τὰ μήκιστα καὶ ποθούντων ἐν πατρίδος μοίρᾳ τὴν πόλιν, πανηγύρεις τε διαλύειν ἀξιούντων καὶ ῥητορευόντων εἰς αὐτὴν, ὡς ἕκαστος εἶχε δυνάμεως;
Were there not both lamentations in each city and in the common assemblies of people crying out the loudest and longing for the city as if it were their own fatherland, and demanding to dissolve the festivals and speaking on her behalf, as each one had power?
ὥσπερ γὰρ κοινοῦ πτώματος τῆς Ἀσίας γεγενημένου, οὕτω τὰς γνώμας εἴχετε.
For just as if a common fall of Asia had occurred, so you held your opinions.
ἀλλὰ μὴν τά γε τῆς ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτῶν ἐπικουρίας τίς πω μέχρι τοῦδε μέμνηται ἐν Ἕλλησι γενόμενα;
But indeed, who yet remembers such things happening among Greeks in the matter of actual assistance?
ἀγοραὶ μὲν ἁπανταχόθεν τοῖς κατὰ χώραν μένουσιν, ἐκ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης εἰσαφικνούμεναι, ἅμιλλα δὲ καὶ σπουδὴ τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν μεγίστων πόλεων, καλούντων τε ὡς αὑτοὺς καὶ
Provisions from everywhere for those remaining in the land, arriving from land and sea, and rivalry and zeal of the greatest cities on both sides, both calling them to themselves and—