Wherefore， O judges， be good cheer about death， and know of a certainty， that no evil can happen to a good man， either in life or after death. He and his are not neglected by the gods nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance. But I see clearly that the time had arrived when it was better for me to die and be released from trouble wherefore the oracle gave no sign. For which reason， also， I am not angry with my condemners， or with my accusers they have done me no harm， although they did not mean to do me any good and for this I may gently blame them.
Still I have a favor to ask of them. When my sons are grown up， I would ask you， O my friends， to punish them and I would have you trouble them， as I have troubled you， if they seem to care about riches， or anything， more than about virtue； or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing， — then reprove them， as I have reproved you， for not caring about that for which they ought to care and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this， both I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.
The hour of departure has arrived， and we go our ways — I to die， and you to live. Which is better God only knows.
參考譯文
如果換一種方式來思考，我們就會發現我們完全有理由相信死亡是件好事；而我們的理由就在於死亡隻有兩種可能性——一種是進入虛無或者徹底無知覺的狀態，另一種是人們常說的靈魂從一個世界移居到另一個世界。假如你認為死亡是一種失去知覺的狀態，就像一種安詳得連夢都不會來打攪的沉睡，那麽死亡就真是一種難以言說的收獲了。如果要某人將這樣一個安然無夢的夜晚，與生命中度過的其他日日夜夜相比，然後說出他一生中有多少日夜能比這樣的夜晚更加愉快，我想，任何人——且不說是平民，就是國王也無法做出回答。所以我說，如果死亡果真如此，那麽死亡就是一種收獲——永恒也不過就是一夜。