[Xenophon] Laconic phrases

[Andre Stipanovic]

Dear fellow readers,
Great discussion tonight!  Thanks to all of you for your contributions.  I
feel like we covered a lot of ground and made quite a few inroads into
Xenophon's narrative style and structure.  Good stuff.  Am looking forward
to our next conference call on Monday May 10 when we will be discussing
Books IV & V.  Lots more good stuff to come.  Meanwhile, make sure to
listen to the podcast if you weren't able to make the call tonight by
going to the Reading Odyssey website.  Also, enjoy the "laconic phrases"
below.
Andre

Laconic phraseFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A "Laconic phrase" is a very short or terse statement, named after [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Laconiaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconi
]Laconia, an area of modern and [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Ancient
Greecepedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greec ]ancient Greece. Due to the
militaristic traditions of the people of ancient [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Sparta/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spart
]Sparta, the most important city in Laconia, the Laconians focused less on
the development of [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Education.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educatio
]education, [ Arts://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art ]arts, and [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Literaturewikipedia.org/wiki/Literatur
]literature. Some view this as having contibuted to the Laconian
characteristically blunt speech. The Spartans were especially famous for
their dry wit, which is called "laconic" after the region and its people.
In modern parlance, "laconic" is used to describe speech and writing which
uses few words and is terse and concise.
[Marker]Examples
[Marker]Spartan
  · A witticism attributed to [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Lycurgus
    (Sparta)ia.org/wiki/Lycurgus_%28Sparta%2 ]Lycurgus, the legendary
    lawgiver of Sparta, is a response to a proposal to set up a democracy
    there: "Begin with your own family." 
  · One famous example comes from the time of the invasion of [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Philip II of
    Macedonorg/wiki/Philip_II_of_Macedo ]Phillip II. With key Greek
    city-states in submission, he turned his attention to [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Sparta/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spart
]Sparta and sent a message: "If I win this [
    Warp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wa ]war, you will be [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Slaveryen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slaver
]slaves forever". The Spartans sent back a one word reply: "If". Another
    version claims the famous exchange was: "You are advised to submit
    without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will
    destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city". Their reply
    was "If". Subsequently, Philip and [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Alexander the
    Great.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Grea ]Alexander both would leave them
    alone. 
[ fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Demetrius I of
Macedong/wiki/Demetrius_I_of_Macedo ]Demetrius I of [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Macedonen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedo
]Macedon was offended when the Spartans sent his court a single envoy, and
exclaimed angrily," What! Have the Lacedaemonians sent no more than one
ambassador?" The Spartan responded, " Aye, one ambassador to one king." 
A Spartan king wanted his hair prepared, so he turned to his barber and
said, "Cut it." When he was asked how he wanted it done, he answered
"Short." 
When the Persians sent envoys to the Spartans demanding the traditional
symbols of surrender, offerings of soil and water, the Spartans threw them
into a deep well, saying that they would find both at its bottom. 
On her husband [ fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Leonidas
    Iwikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_ ]Leonidas' departure for battle with the
    Persians at [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Thermopylaeikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopyla
]Thermopylae, Queen of Sparta Gorgo asked what she should do. Knowing he
    was unlikely to return, he advised: "Marry a good man and bear good
    children." 
[
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Herodotus.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotu
]Herodotus wrote that when before the [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Battle of
Thermopylaerg/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopyla ]Battle of Thermopylae, [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Dienekesn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieneke
]Dienekes the Spartan, was told the [
fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Persia/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persi
]Persian arrows would be so numerous as to blot out the sun. He responded
with "So much the better, we shall fight in the shade". Today Dienekes's
phrase is the motto of the Greek 20th Armored Division. 
When the Spartan King [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Leonidas
    Iwikipedia.org/wiki/Leonidas_ ]Leonidas was in charge of guarding the
    narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae with just 300 Spartan men in order
    to delay the invading Persian army, the Persian leader [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Xerxes I of
    Persiaa.org/wiki/Xerxes_I_of_Persi ]Xerxes offered to spare his men if
    they gave up their arms. King Leonidas replied "Molon Labe" (Greek
      "Μολών Λαβέ"), which translates to "Come and take them."
      This has been re-used by generals and politicians throughout history
      and repeated (in English) often in popular culture. It is today the
    emblem of the Greek First Army Corps. 
On the morning of the third and final day of the battle, Leonidas, knowing
they were being surrounded, exhorted his men, "Eat well, for tonight we
dine in Hades." 
When asked by a woman from [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Attica/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attic
]Attica, "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?,"
    Gorgo (wife of Leonidas) replied: "Because we are also the only ones
    who give birth to men." 
  · Spartan mothers or wives gave a departing warrior his shield with the
    words: Συν ται η επι ται! or Ή ταν ή επί τας!,
      "With it or on it!", implying that he should return (victoriously)
      with his shield, or (his cremated body in an urn) upon it, but by no
      means after saving himself by throwing away his heavy shield and
    fleeing. 
  · When a [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Hopliteen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoplit
]hoplite described his comrade's brave death in battle, a Spartan woman
    commented: "Such a noble journey; shouldn't you have gone too?" 
Spartans normally fought with a shortsword. When its size was mocked, the
Spartan responded with, "It's long enough to reach the heart." 
When a Spartan complained to his mother that his sword was too short, she
replied that it would be long enough if he took a step forward. 
Upon being asked to come hear a person who could perfectly imitate a [
    fcp://@mail.hockaday.org,%235000306/Mailbox/Nightingaleikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingal
]nightingale, a Spartan answered, "I have heard the nightingale itself." 
When asked what dowry she was giving her bridegroom, a poor Spartan girl
said: "My father's common sense." 
After an Athenian accused Spartans of being ignorant, a Spartan agreed:
"What you say is true. We have learned none of your evil ways." 


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