[4] “Wearing this squalid and shabby garb and taking with us the rest of the women and our children, let us go to the house of Veturia, the mother of Marcius; and placing the children at her knees, let us entreat her with tears to have compassion both upon us, who have given her no cause for grief, and upon our country, now in the direst peril, and beg of her to go to the enemy’s camp, taking along her grandchildren and their mother and all of us — for we must attend her with our children — and becoming the suppliant of her son, to ask and implore him not to inflict any irreparable mischief on his country.
[5] ἀνήκεστον κατὰ τῆς πατρίδος ἐξεργάσασθαι. ὀλοφυρομένης γὰρ αὐτῆς καὶ ἀντιβολούσης οἶκτός τις εἰσελεύσεται τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ λογισμὸς ἥμερος. οὐχ οὕτω στερρὰν καὶ ἄτρωτον ἔχει καρδίαν, ὥστ᾽ ἀνασχέσθαι μητέρα πρὸς τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ γόνασι κυλιομένην.
[5] For while she is lamenting and entreating, a feeling of compassion and a tender reasonableness will come over the man. His heart is not so hard and invulnerable that he can hold out against a mother who grovels at his knees.”
[1] ὡς δ᾽ ἐπῄνεσαν αἱ παροῦσαι τὸν λόγον, [p. 183] εὐξαμένη τοῖς θεοῖς πειθὼ καὶ χάριν αὐτῶν περιθεῖναι τῇ δεήσει προῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ τεμένους, αἱ δ᾽ ἠκολούθουν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο παραλαβοῦσαι τὰς ἄλλας γυναῖκας ἐπορεύοντο ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τῆς Μαρκίου μητρὸς ἀθρόαι. ἰδοῦσα δ᾽ αὐτὰς προσιούσας ἡ τοῦ Μαρκίου γυνὴ Οὐολουμνία πλησίον καθημένη τῆς ἑκυρᾶς ἐθαύμασέ τε καὶ εἶπε: τίνος δεόμεναι, γυναῖκες, ἐληλύθατε κατὰ πλῆθος εἰς οἰκίαν δύστηνον καὶ ταπεινήν;
[40.1] This advice having been approved of by all the women who were present, she prayed to the gods to invest their plea with persuasion and charm, and then set out from the sanctuary, followed by the others. Afterwards, taking with them the rest of the women, they went in a body to the house of Marcius’ mother. His wife Volumnia saw them approaching as she sat near her mother-in-law, and being surprised at their coming, asked: “What is it you want, women, that so many of you have come to a household that is distressed and in humiliation?” Then Valeria replied:
[2] καὶ ἡ Οὐαλερία ἔλεξεν: ἐν ἐσχάτοις οὖσαι κινδύνοις καὶ αὐταὶ καὶ τὰ νήπια ταῦτα καταπεφεύγαμεν ἱκέτιδες ἐπὶ σέ, ὦ Οὐετουρία, τὴν μόνην καὶ μίαν βοήθειαν, ἀξιοῦσαί δε πρῶτον μὲν οἰκτεῖραι τὴν κοινὴν πατρίδα, ἣν οὐθενὶ πώποτε γενομένην ὑποχείριον μὴ περιίδῃς ἀφαιρεθεῖσαν ὑπ᾽ Οὐολούσκων τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, εἰ δὴ καὶ φείσονται αὐτῆς κρατήσαντες, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πρόρριζον ἐπιχειρήσουσιν ἀνελεῖν: ἔπειτα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἀντιβολοῦσαι καὶ τῶν δυστήνων παιδίων τούτων, ἵνα μὴ πέσωμεν εἰς ἐχθρῶν ὕβριν οὐθενὸς οὖσαι τῶν συμβεβηκότων ὑμῖν κακῶν αἴτιαι.
[2] “Because we are in the direst peril, both we ourselves and these children have turned as suppliants to you, Veturia, our one and only succour, entreating you, first, to take compassion on our common country and not to permit this land, which has never fallen under any man’s hand, to be robbed of its freedom by the Volscians — even supposing that they will spare it after subduing it and not endeavour to destroy it utterly; and next, imploring you in our own behalf and in behalf of these unfortunate children that we may not be exposed to the insolence of the enemy, since we are the cause of none of the evils that have befallen your family.
[3] εἴ τις ἐστὶν ἐν σοὶ ψυχῆς ἡμέρου καὶ φιλανθρώπου καταλειπομένη μερίς, ἐλέησον, ὦ Οὐετουρία, γυνὴ γυναῖκας κοινωνησάσας ἱερῶν ποτε καὶ ὁσίων, καὶ παραλαβοῦσα μετὰ σεαυτῆς Οὐολουμνίαν τε τὴν ἀγαθὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτῆς καὶ τὰς ἱκέτιδας ἡμᾶς φερούσας τὰ νήπια ταυτὶ καὶ αὐτὰς γενναίας ἴθι πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πεῖθε καὶ [p. 184] λιπάρει καὶ μὴ ἀνῇς δεομένη, μίαν ἀντὶ πολλῶν χάριν αἰτοῦσα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ σπείσασθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πολίτας καὶ κατελθεῖν εἰς τὴν δεομένην ἀπολαβεῖν αὐτὸν πατρίδα: πείσεις γάρ, εὖ ἴσθι, καὶ οὐ περιόψεταί σε ἐρριμμένην παρὰ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποσὶν ἀνὴρ εὐσεβής.
[3] If there remains in you any portion of a gentle and humane spirit, do you, Veturia, as a woman, have mercy on women who once shared with you the same sacrifices and rites, and taking with you Volumnia, the good wife of Marcius, and her children, and us suppliant women — ourselves too of noble birth — carrying in our arms these infants, go to your son and try to persuade him, implore him, and cease not to entreat him, asking of him this one favour in return for many — to make peace with his fellow citizens and return to his country that longs to get him back. For you will persuade him, be assured; a man of his piety will not permit you to lie prostrate at his feet.
[4] καταγαγοῦσα δὲ τὸν υἱὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν αὐτή τ᾽ ἀθάνατον ἕξεις κλέος ὥσπερ εἰκὸς ἐκ τηλικούτου κινδύνου καὶ φόβου ῥυσαμένη τὴν πατρίδα, καὶ ἡμῖν τιμῆς τινος αἰτία παρὰ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἔσῃ, ὅτι τὸν οὐ δυνηθέντα ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνων διασκεδασθῆναι πόλεμον αὐταὶ διελύσαμεν: ἐκείνων τ᾽ ἀληθῶς ἔγγονοι τῶν γυναικῶν φανησόμεθα, αἳ τὸν συστάντα Ῥωμύλῳ πρὸς Σαβίνους πόλεμον αὐταὶ πρεσβευσάμεναι διελύσαντο καὶ συναγαγοῦσαι τούς θ᾽ ἡγεμόνας καὶ τὰ ἔθνη μεγάλην ἐκ μικρᾶς ἐποίησαν τὴν πόλιν.
[4] And when you have brought your son back to Rome, not only will you yourself most likely gain immortal glory for having rescued your country from so great a danger and terror, but you will be the cause to us also of some honour in the eyes of our husbands for having ourselves put an end to a war which they had been unable to stop; and we shall show ourselves to be the true descendants of those women who by their own intercession put an end to the war that had arisen between Romulus and the Sabines and by bringing together both the commanders and the nations that made this city great from a small beginning.
[5] καλὸς ὁ κίνδυνος, ὦ Οὐετουρία, τὸν υἱὸν κομίσασθαι, ἐλευθερῶσαι τὴν πατρίδα, σῶσαι τὰς ἑαυτῆς πολίτιδας, κλέος ἀρετῆς ἀθάνατον τοῖς ἐσομένοις καταλιπεῖν. δὸς ἡμῖν ἑκοῦσα καὶ μετὰ προθυμίας τὴν χάριν καὶ σπεῦσον, ὦ Οὐετουρία: βουλὴν γὰρ ἢ χρόνον ὁ κίνδυνος ὀξὺς ὢν οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται.
[5] It is a glorious venture, Veturia, to recover your son, to free your native land, to save your countrywomen, and to leave to posterity an imperishable reputation for virtue. Grant us this favour willingly and cheerfully, and make haste, Veturia; for the danger is acute and admits of no deliberation or delay.”
&nbs
p; [1] ἡ μὲν δὴ ταῦτ᾽ εἰποῦσα καὶ πολλὰ προεμένη δάκρυα ἐσίγησεν: ὀδυρομένων δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γυναικῶν καὶ πολλὰς δεήσεις ποιουμένων μικρὸν ἐπισχοῦσα ἡ Οὐετουρία καὶ δακρύσασα εἶπεν: εἰς ἀσθενῆ [p. 185] καὶ λεπτὴν ἐλπίδα καταπεφεύγατε, ὦ Οὐαλερία, τὴν ἐξ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀθλίων γυναικῶν βοήθειαν, αἷς ἡ μὲν εὔνοια ἡ πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα πάρεστι καὶ τὸ θέλειν σώζεσθαι τοὺς πολίτας, οἷοί ποτέ εἰσιν, ἡ δ᾽ ἰσχὺς καὶ
[41.1] Having said this and shed many tears, she became silent. And when the other women also lamented and added many entreaties, Veturia, after pausing a short time and weeping, said:
“It is a weak and slender hope, Valeria, to which you have turned for refuge — the assistance of us wretched women who feel indeed affection for ought to country and a desire for the preservation of the citizens, no matter what their character, but lack the strength and power to do what we wish.
[2] τὸ δύνασθαι ποιεῖν ἃ θέλομεν ἄπεστιν. ἀπέστραπται γὰρ ἡμᾶς, ὦ Οὐαλερία, Μάρκιος, ἐξ οὗ τὴν πικρὰν ἐκείνην ὁ δῆμος αὐτοῦ κατέγνω δίκην, καὶ μεμίσηκε τὴν οἰκίαν ὅλην ἅμα τῇ πατρίδι: τοῦτο δ᾽ ὑμῖν οὐ παρ᾽ ἄλλου τινός, ἀλλὰ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ Μαρκίου μαθοῦσαι λέγειν ἔχομεν. ὅτε γὰρ ἁλοὺς τὴν δίκην ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν προπεμπόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἑταίρων, καταλαβὼν ἡμᾶς καθημένας ἐν πενθίμοις τρύχεσι, ταπεινάς, κρατούσας ἐν τοῖς γόνασι τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ στενούσας τε οἷα εἰκὸς καὶ ἀνακλαιομένας τὴν καθέξουσαν ἡμᾶς τύχην στερομένας ἐκείνου, στὰς μικρὸν ἄπωθεν ἡμῶν ἄδακρυς ὥσπερ λίθος καὶ ἀτενής:
[2] For Marcius has turned away from us, Valeria, ever since the people passed that bitter sentence against him, and has hated his whole family together with his country. This we can tell you as a thing we learned from the lips of none other than Marcius himself. For when, after his condemnation, he came home, escorted by his friends, and found us sitting there in garments of mourning, abased, clasping his children upon our knees, uttering such lamentations as one would expect in the circumstances and bewailing the unhappy fate which would come upon us when bereft of him, he stood at a little distance from us, tearless as a stone and unmoved, and said:
[3] οἴχεται, φησίν, ὑμῖν Μάρκιος, ὦ μῆτερ ἅμα καὶ σύ, ὦ Οὐολουμνία, κρατίστη γυναικῶν, ἐξελασθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν, ὅτι γενναῖος ἦν καὶ φιλόπολις καὶ πολλοὺς ὑπέμεινεν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἀγῶνας. ἀλλ᾽ ὡς πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἀγαθαῖς, οὕτω φέρετε τὰς συμφορὰς μηδὲν ἄσχημον ποιοῦσαι μηδὲ ἀγεννές, καὶ τὰ παιδία ταῦτα παραμύθια τῆς ἐμῆς ἐρημίας ἔχουσαι τρέφετε ἀξίως ὑμῶν τε καὶ τοῦ γένους: οἷς θεοὶ δοῖεν εἰς ἄνδρας ἐλθοῦσι τύχην μὲν κρείττονα τοῦ πατρός, ἀρετὴν δὲ μὴ χείρονα: καὶ χαίρετε. ἀπέρχομαι γὰρ ἤδη καταλιπὼν τὴν οὐκέτι [p. 186] χωροῦσαν ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς πόλιν. καὶ ὑμεῖς, ὦ θεοὶ κτήσιοι καὶ ἑστία πατρῴα καὶ δαίμονες οἱ κατέχοντες τοῦτον τὸν τόπον, χαίρετε.
[3] ‘Marcius is lost to you, mother, and to you also, Volumnia, best of wives, having been exiled by his fellow citizens because he was a brave man and a lover of his country and undertook many struggles for her sake. But bear this calamity as befits good women, doing nothing unseemly or ignoble, and with these children as a consolation for my absence, rear them in a manner worthy both of yourselves and of their lineage; and when they have come to manhood, may the gods grant them a fate better than their father’s and valour not inferior to his. Farewell. I am departing now and leaving this city in which there is no longer any room for good men. And ye too, my household gods and hearth of my fathers, and ye other divinities who preside over this place, farewell.’
[4] ὡς δὲ ταῦτ᾽ εἶπεν, ἡμεῖς μὲν αἱ δυστυχεῖς ἃς τὸ πάθος ἀπῄτει φωνὰς ἀναβοῶσαι καὶ παίουσαι τὰ στήθη περιεχύθημεν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἐσχάτους ἀσπασμοὺς κομιούμεναι: τῶν δὲ παιδίων τούτων ἐγὼ μὲν τὸ πρεσβύτερον ἦγον, ἡ δὲ μήτηρ τὸ νεώτερον εἶχεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγκάλης: ὁ δ᾽ ἀποστραφεὶς καὶ παρωσάμενος ἡμᾶς εἶπεν: οὔτε σὸς υἱὸς ἔτι, μῆτερ, ἔσται τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦδε χρόνον Μάρκιος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀφῄρηταί σε τὸν γηροβοσκὸν ἡ πατρίς, οὔτε σὸς ἀνὴρ ἀπὸ ταύτης, ὦ Οὐολουμνία, τῆς ἡμέρας, ἀλλ᾽ εὐτυχοίης ἕτερον ἄνδρα λαβοῦσα εὐδαιμονέστερον ἐμοῦ, οὔθ᾽ ὑμῶν, ὦ τέκνα φίλτατα, πατήρ, ἀλλ᾽ ὀρφανοὶ καὶ ἔρημοι παρὰ
[4] When he had thus spoken, we unhappy women, uttering the cries which our plight called for, and beating our breasts, clung to him to receive his last embraces. I led the elder of these his sons by the hand, and the younger his mother carried in her arms. But he turned away, and thrusting us back, said: ‘No longer shall Marcius be your son henceforth, mother, but our country has deprived you of the support of your old age; nor shall he be your husband, Volumnia, from this day, but may you be happy with another husband more fortunate than I; near shall he be your father, dearest children, but, orphans and forsaken, you will be reared by these women till you come to manhood.’
[5] ταύταις, ἕως εἰς ἄνδρας ἔλθητε, τραφήσεσθε. ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ἄλλ᾽ οὐθὲν οὔτε διοικησάμενος οὔτ᾽ ἐπιστείλας οὔθ᾽ ὅποι πορεύεται φράσας ἀπῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας μόνος, ὦ γυναῖκες, ἄδουλος, ἄπορος, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐφήμερον ὁ δύστηνος ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ χρημάτων τροφὴν ἐπαγόμενος. καὶ τέταρτον ἐνιαυτὸν ἤδη τοῦτον, ἐξ οὗ φεύγει τὴν πατρίδα, πάντας ἡμᾶς ἀλλοτρίους ἑαυτοῦ νενόμικεν, οὐ γράφων οὐθέν, οὐκ ἐπιστέλλων, οὐ
[5] With these words and nothing else — without arranging any of his affairs, sending any messages, or saying whither he was going — he went out of the house alone, women, without a servant, without means, and without taking from his own stores, wretched man, even a day’s supply of food. And for the fourth year now, ever since he was banished from the country, he has looked upon us all as strangers to him, neither writing anything nor sending any messages nor caring to have news of us.
[6] τὰ περὶ ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι βουλόμενος. πρὸς δὴ τοιαύτην ψυχὴν οὕτω σκληρὰν καὶ ἄτρωτον, ὦ Οὐαλερία, τίνα ἰσχὺν ἕξουσιν αἱ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν δεήσεις, αἷς οὔτ᾽ ἀσπασμῶν μετέδωκεν οὔτε φιλημάτων οὔτ᾽ ἄλλης φιλοφροσύνης [p. 187] οὐδεμιᾶς τὴν τελευταίαν πορευόμενος ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας ὁδόν;
[6] On such a mind, so hard and in
vulnerable, Valeria, what force will the entreaties of us women have, to whom he gave neither embraces nor kisses nor any other mark of affection when he left his house for the last time?
[1] ἀλλ᾽ εἰ καὶ τούτου δεῖσθε ὑμεῖς, ὦ γυναῖκες, καὶ πάντως θέλετε ἀσχημονούσας ἡμᾶς ἰδεῖν, ὑπολάβετε παρεῖναι πρὸς αὐτὸν κἀμὲ καὶ Οὐολουμνίαν ἀγούσας τὰ παιδία: τίνας ἐρῶ πρῶτον ἡ μήτηρ ἐγὼ πρὸς αὐτὸν λόγους, καὶ τίνα δέησιν ποιήσομαι τοῦ υἱοῦ; λέγετε καὶ διδάσκετέ με. φείσασθαι παρακαλῶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πολιτῶν, ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος ἐξελήλαται καὶ μηθὲν ἀδικῶν; οἰκτίρμονα δὲ καὶ συμπαθῆ πρὸς τοὺς δημοτικοὺς γενέσθαι, παρ᾽ ὧν οὔτ᾽ ἐλέου μετέσχεν οὔτε συμπαθείας; ἐγκαταλιπεῖν δ᾽ ἄρα καὶ προδοῦναι τοὺς ὑποδεξαμένους αὐτοῦ τὴν φυγήν, οἳ πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθότες ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ πρότερον, οὐ πολεμίων μῖσος, ἀλλὰ φίλων καὶ συγγενῶν εὔνοιαν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπεδείξαντο;
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 615