Texte grec :
| [216] ἀλλ´ οἷον αἱ νυκτερίδες ἐν τοῖς ἄντροις ἀλλήλων τε
καὶ λίθων ἔχονται προσπεφυκυῖαι, οὕτως ὑμῶν ἅπαντες
ἐξήρτηνται σὺν πολλῷ φόβῳ καὶ προνοίᾳ μή τις ἀποπέσοι
τούτου τοῦ ὁρμαθοῦ· καὶ πρότερον ἂν δείσαιεν μὴ ὑφ´
ὑμῶν καταλειφθῶσιν ἢ ὑμᾶς ἂν αὐτοὶ καταλίποιεν. ἀντὶ
δὲ ἀμφισβητήσεως ἀρχῆς τε καὶ πρωτείων, ὑφ´ ὧν ἅπαντες οἱ πρότερον
συνερρήγνυντο πόλεμοι, οἱ μὲν ὥσπερ
ὕδωρ ἀψοφητὶ ῥέον ἥδιστα ἡσυχάζουσιν, ἄσμενοι πόνων
παυσάμενοι καὶ κακῶν, μετεγνωκότες ὡς ἄρα ἄλλως
ἐσκιαμάχουν, οἱ δ´ οὐδ´ ἥν ποτε ἦρξαν ἴσασιν οὐδ´
ἀναμιμνήσκονται, ἀλλ´ ἀτεχνῶς κατὰ τὸν Παμφύλου μῦθον, εἰ δὲ μὴ,
Πλάτωνος, οἷον ἐπὶ τῇ πυρᾷ ἤδη κείμεναι
αἱ πόλεις ὑπὸ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἔριδος καὶ ταραχῆς
ἀθρόαν ἐδέξαντο τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἀνεβίωσαν.
ὅπως δὲ εἰς τοῦτο ἀφίκοντο οὐκ ἔχουσιν εἰπεῖν, οὐδ´
ἴσασιν οὐδὲν πλὴν τὰ παρόντα θαυμάζειν, ἀλλὰ πεπόνθασιν οἷον οἱ
ἀφυπνισθέντες καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ὀνειράτων ὧν
ἀρτίως ἑώρων ἐξαίφνης ταῦτα παριδόντες καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς
γενόμενοι. πόλεμοι δὲ οὐδ´ εἰ πώποτε ἐγένοντο ἔτι πιστεύονται, ἀλλ´ ἐν ἄλλως
μύθων τάξει τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀκούονται, εἰ δέ που καὶ συμπλακεῖεν ἐπ´ ἐσχατιαῖς,
οἷα εἰκὸς ἐν ἀρχῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἀμετρήτῳ παρανοίᾳ Γετῶν ἢ δυστυχίᾳ Λιβύων ἢ
κακοδαιμονίᾳ τῶν περὶ τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλατταν, ἀγαθοῖς παροῦσι χρήσασθαι μὴ
δυναμένων, ἀτεχνῶς ὥσπερ μῦθοι ταχέως αὐτοί τε παρῆλθον καὶ οἱ
περὶ αὐτῶν λόγοι· τοσαύτη ἄρ´ ὑμῖν εἰρήνη, κἂν ᾖ πάτριον πολεμεῖν.
οὐ γὰρ οἱ χθὲς σκυτοτόμοι καὶ τέκτονες
τήμερον ὁπλῖται καὶ ἱππεῖς, οὐδ´ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς
στρατιώτης μετεσκεύασται ὃς ἀρτίως ἦν γεωργὸς, οὐδ´
οἷον ἐν οἰκίᾳ πενιχρᾷ οἱ αὐτοὶ ὀψοποιοὶ, οἰκουροῦσι,
στρωννύουσιν, οὐχ οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀνεμίξατε· οὐδὲ τοὺς
ἐπ´ ἄλλων ὄντας στρατιώτας ὑπὸ τῆς χρείας γενήσεσθαι
ἀνεμείνατε, οὐδ´ ἐπετρέψατε τοῖς πολεμίοις συγκαλεῖν ὑμᾶς.
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Traduction française :
| [216] Like bats in a cave clinging fast to one another and to rocks,
all men adhere to you with much fear and caution lest anyone should
drop away from this cluster. And sooner than desert you themselves,
they would dread being deserted by you.
Instead of quarreling over empire and primacy, through which all
wars formerly broke out, some of your subjects, like water flowing noise-lessly,
relax in the utmost delight, content to be released from troubles
and miseries, and aware at last that they were engaged in aimless
shadow-boxing. Others do not know or remember what territory they once ruled.
The cities were, just as in the legend of the Pamphylian (or of Plato),
already lying on the pyre because of the rivalry and tumult among them.
But they accepted your leadership fully and in a flash revived. How they
came to this, they cannot say. They know nothing, except to look with
awe upon the present. They feel like people roused from sleep, who
instead of the dreams they have just been seeing, suddenly wake up,
look at this world, and take hold of themselves. Whether there ever were
wars is now doubted ; most people hear of them in the category of vain
legends. Whenever they have occurred somewhere along the frontiers,
as is natural in a vast, measureless empire — through the madness of the
Getae, the misfortune of the Africans, or the foul destiny of the Red
Sea peoples, who cannot let well enough alone —then just like legends
the wars passed by quickly, and so did talk of them.
Such profound peace has come to you, although war is your hereditary
profession! Yesterday's shoemakers and carpenters are not infantry and
cavalrymen today. The man who was lately a farmer is not, as on the
stage, recostumed as a soldier. Unlike a humble home where the same
ones that cook keep house and make the beds, you have not mixed up
occupations. Nor have you waited for men in other trades to enlist because
of poverty, or left it to the enemy to call you to the colors.
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