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On
the Translation
Transliteration:
Hoti men humeis, ô andres Athênaioi,
peponthate hupo tôn emôn katêgorôn,
ouk oida: egô d' oun kai autos hu'autôn oligou
emautou epelathomên, houtô pithanôs elegon.
kaitoi alêthes ge hôs epos eipein ouden eirêkasin.
malista de autôn hen ethaumasa tôn pollôn
hôn epseusanto, touto en hôi elegon hôs
chrên humas eulabeisthai mê hup' emou exapatêthête
hôs deinou ontos legein. to gar mê aischunthênai
hoti autika hup' emou exelenchthêsontai ergôi,
epeidan mêd' hopôstioun phainômai deinos
legein, touto moi edoxen autôn anaischuntotaton einai,
ei mê ara deinon kalousin houtoi legein ton talêthê legonta:
ei men gar touto legousin, homologoiên an egôge
ou kata toutous einai rhêtôr.
Translation:
I don't know how you felt
about the prosecution, gentlemen; as for me I almost forgot
myself, their
speech was so convincing. And yet as far as truth goes, they
said pretty nearly nothing. But of all the lies they told there
was one that really amazed me, where they said you had to be
careful not to let me fool you, because I am such a powerful
speaker. For them to have no shame that the facts would immediately
prove them wrong when I turn out not to be powerful at all—this
I thought was really the limit of shamelessness on their part—unless
they mean by "powerful speaker" someone who tells
the truth; if that's what they are saying, I would admit to
being—though not in their style—an orator. |
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