Pausanias Analysis

Passage 4.8.5

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Passage 4.8.5: Soldiers urging one another to face death bravely

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

παρακλήσεις τε ἐγίνοντο, καὶ οἱ μὲν ζῶντες καὶ ἔτι ἄτρωτοι τοὺς τραυματίας παρώξυνον, πρὶν ἢ τὴν ἐσχάτην τινὶ ἐφεστηκέναι μοῖραν, ἀντιδράσαντα ὅ τι καὶ δύναιτο σὺν ἡδονῇ δέχεσθαι τὸ πεπρωμένον· οἱ δὲ ὁπότε αἴσθοιντο οἱ τραυματίαι τὴν ἰσχὺν σφᾶς ὑπολείπουσαν καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα οὐ παραμένον, διεκελεύοντο τοῖς ἀτρῶσι μὴ χείρονας ἢ αὐτοὶ γίνεσθαι μηδὲ ἐς ἀνωφελὲς τῇ πατρίδι καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων τελευτὴν καταστῆσαι.

English Translation

Encouragements were given; those still alive and as yet unwounded urged the wounded, before a final fate overtook them, to endure bravely and to confront their destiny with pleasure, resisting as far as their strength might allow. On their side, the wounded, whenever they perceived their strength failing and their breath slipping away, commanded the unwounded not to show themselves inferior, nor to render their deaths useless to their country.

Proper Nouns

fatherland/homeland (referring to Messenia) (πατρίς) place
Also in: 4.13.4
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