HODOI ELEKTRONIKAI
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DION CHRYSOSTOME, Au peuple de Nicomédie (discours 38; traduction anglaise)

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Texte grec :

[38,45] ἢ τῶν μὲν ἀδελφῶν θαυμάζομεν τοὺς εἰς ἅπαν τὸν κοινὸν οἰκοῦντας οἶκον καὶ μὴ νενεμημένους τὰ πατρῷα ὑπὸ μικρολογίας, ὅ τε πλοῦτος αὐτῶν {ἔτι μᾶλλον θαυμάζεται} μείζων {καὶ} κατὰ τοῦτο, τῷ μὴ νενεμῆσθαι μηδὲ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἥμισυ γεγονέναι τῶν πάντων, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὅλον ἀμφοτέρων δοκεῖν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀγαθοὺς πάντες ἐκείνους ὁρῶσι καὶ ὡς δικαίους καὶ ὡς τῷ ὄντι ἀδελφούς· ἐν δὲ ταῖς πόλεσι γενομένη αὕτη ἡ ἀδελφότης οὐχὶ καὶ μεῖζον ἀγαθὸν ἔσται καὶ κάλλιον καὶ πλουσιώτερον; (46) ἄξιον δὲ αὐτὴν γενέσθαι καὶ διὰ τοὺς προγόνους κοινοὺς ὄντας ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς πόλεσι καὶ διὰ τοὺς θεούς, ὧν καὶ παρ´ ἐκείνοις καὶ παρ´ ὑμῖν ὁμοιαί εἰσι τιμαί. τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν, ἐφ´ ᾧ καὶ μάλιστα ὀδυνηθείη τις ἄν, ὅτι πάντα κοινὰ ἔχοντες, καὶ προγόνους καὶ θεοὺς καὶ ἔθη καὶ ἑορτάς, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ συγγενείας ἰδιωτικὰς καὶ φιλίας, ὥσπερ Ἕλληνες πρὸς βαρβάρους μαχόμεθα, ἢ τὸ ἔτι τούτου τῷ γιγνομένῳ ὑφ´ ὑμῶν ὁμοιότερον, ὥσπερ ἄνθρωποι πρὸς θηρία. (47) οὐκ ὄψεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους; οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε ἀλλήλων; οὐκ ἀντιδεξιώσονται τὴν ἀρχὴν ποιησαμένων ὑμῶν ἀλλήλας αἱ πόλεις; οὐχὶ πάντα τὰ παρὰ ἀμφοτέροις ἀγαθὰ κτήσεσθε καταλλαγέντες; οὐ χρήσεσθε αὐτοῖς θέλοντες; ὄφελον ἐξῆν καὶ τὸν Ἐφεσίων δῆμον ποιήσασθαι ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν. ὄφελον καὶ τὰ Σμυρναίων {οἰκοδομήματα} κοινὰ ὑμῖν ἐγένετο. (48) ταῦτα δὲ πάντα τηλικαῦτα ὄντα ἀγαθὰ ἑνὸς ἕνεκα ὀνόματος ἀπόλλυτε, ποίαν ὠφέλειαν, τίνα ἡδονήν; ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὲν καὶ λυσιτελήσει ταῖς πόλεσιν ἡ καταλλαγὴ γενομένη καὶ μέχρι νῦν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐλυσιτέλησεν ἡ στάσις οὖσα καὶ τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ἐκ τῆς ὁμονοίας γενησόμενα καὶ τὰ κακὰ τὰ διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν ὑπάρχοντα, προείρηταί μοι μετρίως. (49) λοιπὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι καὶ μενεῖ ταῦτα διαλλαγέντων ὑμῶν. ἤδη γάρ τινές εἰσιν οἱ καὶ τοῦτο δεδοικότες, ὧν ἀποδέχομαι τοῦ φόβου τὴν αἰτίαν, εἴ γε λέγουσιν αὐτὸ ταῖς ἀληθείαις ἐπιθυμοῦντες τῆς ὁμονοίας καὶ φοβούμενοι μὴ λυθῇ καὶ οὐ τοὐναντίον αὐτοῦ χάριν τοῦ μηδὲ ὅλως αὐτὴν γενέσθαι τοῦτο προβάλλονται. τὸ μὲν οὖν μέγιστον ὑμῖν καὶ τὸ πιστότατον τοῦ μενεῖν τὴν ὁμόνοιαν ἐνέχυρον ἔστω τὸ συμφέρειν αὐτήν. ἃ γὰρ καὶ λόγῳ παραδειχθέντα διότι συνοίσει μόνον ἤδη πείθειν ὑμᾶς ἔοικε, πῶς οὐ χρὴ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων ἕξειν αὐτὰ πειθὼ βεβαιοτέραν;

Traduction française :

[38,45] Or, since we admire those brothers who share completely a common estate and have not because of stinginess divided their patrimony ; whose wealth, moreover, is even more admired, since it is greater for the very reason that it has not been divided and half of everything made the property of each, but instead the whole is thought to belong to both ; and whom, furthermore, all men regard as good and just and really brothers—since this is true, if this spirit of brotherhood is achieved in your cities, will it not be an even greater blessing, more beautiful and richer ? (46) Moreover, it deserves to be achieved, not alone because of the ancestors which both cities have in common, but also because of the gods, whose rites are alike both in their city and in yours. For this is a fast which might cause one even greater sorrow, that though we have everything in common—ancestors, gods, customs, festivals, and, in the case of most of us, personal ties of blood and friendship, still we fight like Greeks against barbarians, or, what is still more like your conduct than that, like human beings against wild beasts ! Will you not look each other in the face ? Will you not listen to each other ? Will your two cities not clasp hands together, you being the first to extend your hand ? Will you not by making peace acquire for yourselves all the good things both possess ? Will you not enjoy them eagerly ? Oh that it were possible for you to make even the Ephesians your brothers ! Oh that the edifices of Smyrna too might have been shared by you ! But all these things, mighty blessings that they are—are you forfeiting them for lack of one single word, gains so rich, pleasure so great ? However, that the reconciliation will be profitable to you two cities when it is achieved, and that the strife still going on has not been profitable for you clown to the present moment, that so many blessings will be yours as a result of concord, and that so many evils now are yours because of enmity—all this has been treated by me at sufficient length. (49) But it remains for me to add that these advantages will be permanent when you have made peace with one another. For already there are some who have fears on this score too, men whose reasons for fear I understand, at least if they give utterance to it from a genuine desire for Concord and a fear that concord may be destroyed, and if they are not, instead, putting forth this idea for the very purpose of preventing any reconciliation at all. Weil, let the greatest and rnost trustworthy guarantee that your concord will be permanent be its expediency. For if the mere recital of the reasons which show that it will be advantageous apparently is already convincing you, why should not these reasons when supported by experience have a persuasiveness even more unshakable ?





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Dernière mise à jour : 20/12/2007