Texte grec :
| [30,5] (DION) Οὔτοι ταῦτα ἐμιμεῖτο ἐκεῖνος οὔτε ἐμὲ οὔτε ἄλλον οὐδένα,
ἀλλ´ οὕτως πεφύκει.
πρότερον δὲ ἴσως ὑμᾶς ἔτι παῖς ὢν ἐλάνθανεν· ἔπειτα προϊὼν
ἐκδηλότερος ἐγένετο. πολὺ γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐκείνῳ ἔπρεπεν ἢ ἄλλῳ
τινὶ τό τε ἀνδρεῖον καὶ τὸ σεμνὸν τοῦ σχήματος. ἀλλὰ μή τι ὑμᾶς
ἐλύπει τούτοις ἢ σκυθρωπότερος ὑμῖν ἐφαίνετο; (TIMARXOS) Ἐμοὶ μὲν
γὰρ ἐδόκει τοὐναντίον πολλῶν ἱλαρώτερος καὶ πρὸς τὸ παίζειν
ἕτοιμος, ὅσαι ἐλευθέριοι παιδιαί, καὶ ἀεί πως μειδιᾶν πρὸς τοὺς
συνήθεις. γελῶντα δὲ αὐτὸν ἀνέδην οὐ πολλάκις εἶδον. οὐδὲν
οὖν ἡμᾶς ἐλύπει. καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ ἐπῃνεῖτο ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ μᾶλλον
ἐκεῖνον ᾐσχύνοντο οἱ πολῖται δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐτῶν ὄντα (τοσούτων
γὰρ ἐτελεύτησεν) ἢ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τε καὶ ἐνδόξους. {—}
(6) (DION) Ἀλλ´ ἦ τι ἄλλο ὑμῖν ἐπέστειλεν ἢ διελέχθη τελευτῶν; (TIMARXOS)
Πολλὰ καὶ δαιμόνια, ὥς γε ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ πατρὶ ὄντι· ὅς γε ἐν τούτῳ
τῆς ἡλικίας ἐκ τοῦ βίου μεθιστάμενος οὐχ ὅπως ὠλοφύρετο αὑτὸν
ἢ λυπουμένῳ ἐῴκει, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἡμᾶς παρεμυθεῖτο. καὶ
τά γε τελευταῖα τὸν παῖδα καλέσας ἐκέλευε γράφειν, ὥσπερ ἐνθουσιῶν,
παράκλησίν τινα ἡμῖν, ὥστε ὑπενόουν ἐγὼ μὴ ἄρα ἐξεστηκὼς
ἤδη διὰ τὸν θάνατον ταῦτα ποιοῖ· πλὴν ὅτι οἱ παρόντες θαυμαστῶς ἐπῄνουν.
(7) (DION) Ἔχεις οὖν τὰ γεγραμμένα; (TIMARXOS) Πῶς γὰρ
οὔ; (DION) Θέλεις οὖν εἰπεῖν; (TIMARXOS) Ἀλλ´ αἰσχύνομαι μὴ οὐκ ὀρθῶς
ἔχῃ, ὡς ὑπὸ νεωτέρου τε καὶ ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ εἰρημένα.
καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐδόκει μοι μᾶλλον ἑνὸς σοῦ παρόντος ἂν εὐλαβηθῆναί
τι εἰπεῖν ἢ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων. (DION) Οὐ πρὸς ἀλλότριον
ἀναγνώσῃ, ὦ βέλτιστε, καὶ ἅμα οὐ τὴν ἑρμηνείαν ποθῶ γνῶναι
τοσοῦτον ὅσον τὴν διάνοιαν ἀφ´ ἧς ἔλεγεν, εἰ τῷ ὄντι εὐθύμως
(8) καὶ θαρρῶν ἀπέθνησκεν. (TIMARXOS) Ἀλλ´ ἔστι ταῦτα· ‘Τὰ μὲν καθ´
ἡμᾶς οὕτω γέγονεν ὡς ἔδοξε τῷ θεῷ, χρὴ δὲ μηδὲν τῶν ὑπ´ ἐκείνου
γιγνομένων χαλεπὸν ἡγεῖσθαι μηδὲ δυσχερῶς φέρειν, ὡς παραινοῦσιν
ἄλλοι τε σοφοὶ καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα Ὅμηρος, λέγων μηδαμῇ
ἀπόβλητα εἶναι ἀνθρώποις τὰ θεῶν δῶρα, καλῶς ὀνομάζων δῶρα
τὰ ἔργα τῶν θεῶν, ὡς ἅπαντα ἀγαθὰ ὄντα καὶ ἐπ´ ἀγαθῷ γιγνόμενα.
(9) ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὕτω φρονῶ καὶ δέχομαι πρᾴως τὴν πεπρωμένην,
οὐκ ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ ταῦτα λέγων, ἀλλὰ παρούσης τε αὐτῆς
καὶ τὴν τελευτὴν ὁρῶν οὕτως ἐγγύθεν. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐμοὶ πιστεύοντες,
ἐπειδὴ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑμῶν ἐπεμελήθην ἀληθείας, καθ´ ὅσον οἷοί τέ
ἐστε, μὴ συγχωρεῖτε τῇ ἀλγηδόνι, ὡς μηδενὸς ἐμοὶ δεινοῦ συμβεβηκότος,
μηδὲ εἴ τις ἐπὶ τὸν δυσχερέστατον ἔλθοι τῶν λόγων.
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Traduction française :
| [30,5] (Dion) Oh no, he was not imitating in those matters
either me or anybody else ; but they were natural
with him. Perhaps you did not notice it at first
when he was still a child ; then as he grew older, it
became more marked. For a manly and dignified
bearing came much more naturally to him than to
anybody else. But I wonder if he pained you at
all by these characteristics or appeared to you to
be somewhat gloomy of countenance.
(Timarchus) No, on the contrary, I thought that he was
more cheerful than many and ready to play such
games as were proper for free-born children, and
always somehow ready to give a smile to people whom
he knew ; but I did not often see him laughing without
restraint. So he caused us no worry ; and what
is more, he won the commendation of many people,
and our fellow citizens had more respect for him,
although he was only twenty-two years old—for
that was his age when he died—than they had for
those who were older and in the public eye.
(6) (Dion) But did he give you any other commission
or say anything else on his death-bed ?
(Timarchus) Yes, many remarkable things—at least,
so I, his father, think. For, although he was departing
from life at such an early age, so far was he from
lamenting his fate or showing any grief that on the
contrary he tried to comfort us. Then finally, he
called the servant and dictated to him, like one inspired,
an address for our consolation, so that I began
to suspect that perhaps it was because his mind was
now wandering on account of the nearness of death
that he was doing this. Those who were at his
bedside, though, praised it highly.
(Dion) Pray, have you what he wrote ?
(Timarchus) Yes, indeed.
(Dion) Then are you willing to repeat it ?
(Timarchus) O yes, only ashamed for fear that it is not
in proper shape, because it was spoken by a comparatively
young man and at such a time. For I
really thought that he would have been more
careful in what he said, had you been the only one
present, than he was with all the rest there.
(Dion) It is no outsider that you will be reading to,
my good friend; and, at the same time, it is not the
style that I am anxious to observe so much as what
his state of mind was as revealed by what he said,
whether he was really of good cheer and courageous
on his deathbed.
(8) (Timarchus) Well, here it is :
The Dying Words of Charidemus :
" What has happened to me has happened in
accordance with God's will ; and we should not consider
anything that he brings to pass as harsh,
nor bear it with repining : so wise men advise us,
and Homer not least when he says that the gifts
of the gods to man should not be spurned by man -
rightly calling the acts of the gods 'gifts,' as being
all good and done for a good purpose. As for me,
this is my feeling, and I accept the decree of fate
calmly, saying this, not at any ordinary time, but when
that fate itself is present, and I see my end so near
at hand. And do you, I pray, believe me, since
I have had even greater concern for the truth than
for you, and, so far as in you lies, do not give way to
your grief, knowing that nothing terrible has befallen
me ; no, not even if one offers the explanation
of death which is the most difficult to accept.
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