Gadfly, the Wisest Man: Part 3 Caption
CAPTION
XENOPHON
O Athens, my heart will always ache for your mistake.
But if I return to his life and words, I find comfort.
Perhaps in life he never received the greatest honor,
But now he has all the appreciation.
For my part, I believe he has reached a destiny pleasing to the gods,
For he gave up the hardest part of life,
And he found death easier for men.
He demonstrated in his spirit strength and wisdom,
For from his destination he sought neither departure nor exit,
He accepted death with joy.
For my part, when I think of the wisdom
And nobility of the spirit of that man,
To stop remembering is useless and clumsy,
And remembering this, I can’t help but make apologies about him.
If any of you aspire virtue,
I implore you to look at his life.
Gadfly, the happiest of men,
I bid you farewell with these locutions:
Socrates, Athens with you was unjust and proverbial,
And instead of returning his bludgeoning,
With your words and life, you gave them a blessing.
You fought against the doubt inside you,
Alone and without external understanding.
Anyone would have been overcome by grief,
But you overcame melancholy with love.
O midwife of Athens, your work was not in vain,
Even though you did not benefit from your fruit in life,
The world knows your daring.
You were great not because you lacked fear,
But because it didn’t leave you stunned.
You were the happiest, wisest and most flattering man,
From Athens you were his greatest benefactor.
With the gods, you drink,
O Socrates, now.
Wise, the goddess called you,
And if the Athenians
The hemlock gave to you, briefly
They drank it out of your mouth.
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