Egypt -- History -- To 332 B.C. -- Fiction; German fiction -- Translations into English
I myself would rather be the dead Lysander, son of Aristomachus, than
the living Kallias growing old in inaction away from his country.
Greece, represented by her best and bravest, carried the youth to his
grave, and his statue is to be placed in the Altis by those of Milo of
Crotona and Praxidamas of AEgina”. At length the heralds proclaimed the
sentence of the judges: ‘To Sparta be awarded a victor’s wreath for the
dead, for the noble Lysander hath been vanquished, not by Milo, but by
Death, and he who could go forth unconquered from a two hours’ struggle
with the strongest of all Greeks, hath well deserved the olive-branch.’”
Here Kallias stopped a moment in his narrative. During his animated
description of these events, so precious to every Greek heart, he had
forgotten his listeners, and, gazing into vacancy, had seen only the
figures of the wrestlers as they rose before his remembrance. Now, on
looking round, he perceived, to his astonishment, that the grey-haired
man with the wooden leg, whom he had already noticed, though without
recognizing him, had hidden his face in his hands and was weeping.
Rhodopis was standing at his right hand. Phanes at his left, and the
other guests were gazing at the Spartan, as if he had been the hero of
Kallias’s tale. In a moment the quick Athenian perceived that the aged
man must stand in some very near relation to one or other of the victors
at Olympia; but when he heard that he was Aristomachus-the father of
that glorious pair of brothers, whose wondrous forms were constantly
hovering before his eyes like visions sent down from the abodes of the
gods, then he too gazed on the sobbing old man with mingled envy and
admiration, and made no effort to restrain the tears which rushed into
his own eyes, usually so clear and keen. In those days men wept, as well
as women, hoping to gain relief from the balm of their own tears. In
wrath, in ecstasy of delight, in every deep inward anguish, we find the
mighty heroes weeping, while, on the other hand, the Spartan boys would
submit to be scourged at the altar of Artemis Orthia, and would bleed
and even die under the lash without uttering a moan, in order to obtain
the praise of the men.
For a time every one remained silent, out of respect to the old man’s
emotion. But at last the stillness was broken by Joshua the Jew, who
began thus, in broken Greek:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account