None shall think lightly of me, as if weak,
Of courage void, or with a soul too tame,
But form'd by Heaven in a far different mould.
The terror of my foes, and to my friends
Benignant : for most glorious are the lives
Of those who act with such determin'd zeal.
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]

Let me not be deem'd
A poor, low-thoughted, tame, and timid thing:
No; to my foes relentless is my soul,
But to my friends all gentleness; and such
Are held through life in honour's highest rank.
[tr. Potter (1814)]

Let none believe me weak and lethargic
Nor tame in spirit, but far other souled;
Dour to my foes, but to my friends most helpful:
For the lives of such do wear the nobler grace.
[tr. Webster (1868)]

Let no one deem me a poor weak woman who sits with folded hands, but of another mould, dangerous to foes and well-disposed to friends; for they win the fairest fame who live their life like me.
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]

Let no one think me mean-spirited and weak, nor of a gentle temper, but of a contrary disposition to my foes relentless, and to my friends kind: for the lives of such sort are most glorious.
[tr. Buckley (1892)]

Let none account me impotent, nor weak,
Nor meek of spirit! — Nay, in other sort,
Grim to my foes, and kindly to my friends,
For of such is the life most glorious.
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]

Names have I
Among your folk? One light? One weak of hand?
An eastern dreamer? — Nay, but with the brand
Of strange suns burnt, my hate, by God above,
A perilous thing, and passing sweet my love!
For these it is that make life glorious.
[tr. Murray (1906)]

Let no man think of me as mean or weak
Or a quiet soul, -- nay very far from it! --
As dangerous a foe as loyal friend.
For such are they that live most honourable.
[tr. Lucas, ed. Higham (1938)]

Let no one think me a weak one, feeble-spirited,
A stay-at-home, but rather just the opposite,
One who can hurt my enemies and help my friends;
For the lives of such persons are most remembered.
[tr. Warner (1944)]

Let no one think of me as “poor” or “weak”
Or “retiring”, but quite the contrary, a millstone
Around my enemies’ necks, a boon to my friends.
The lives of people like that are most renowned.
[tr. Podlecki (1989)]

Let no one think me weak, contemptible, untroublesome. No, quite the opposite, hurtful to foes, to friends kindly. Such persons live a life of greatest glory.
[tr. Kovacs (Loeb) (1994)]

Let no one think me a weak and feeble woman, or one to let things pass, but rather one of the other sort, a generous friend but an enemy to be feared. It is people like that who achieve true fame in life.
[tr. Davie (1996)]

Let no one think that I am some weak and sickly woman, or one of those quiet spirits!
Quite the opposite! I am most friendly to my friends and most fearsome to my enemies. It’s only people like me who live a life of glory.
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]

Let no one think that I am mean or weak
nor peaceful, but of the other sort,
a weight upon my enemies but to my friends most kind.
It is to such people the heroic way of life belongs.
[tr. Luschnig (2007)]

Let no one think that I’m a trivial woman,
a feeble one who sits there passively.
No, I’m a different sort — dangerous
to enemies, but well disposed to friends.
Lives like mine achieve the greatest glory.
[tr. Johnston (2008), l. 957ff]

Let no one think me weak, worthless, or docile. Let me be thought the opposite of these: harsh with my ehemies, gentle with my friends. Such people live lives of great renown.
[tr. Kovacs / Kitzinger (2016)]

Let no one think me weak, contemptible,
untroublesome; no, quite the opposite,
hurtful to foes, kindly to friends;
such persons live a life of greatest glory.
[tr. Kovacs; ed. Yeroulanos (2016)]

Let no one think me insignificant or weak,
or gentle -- I am quite the opposite;
a heavy burden on my enemies
and a great help to my friends;
people like this live the most glorious life.
[tr. Ewans (2022)]

Let no one consider me trifling and weak, as one who lives in serenity [hēsukhiā], but of another mold: dangerous to enemies [ekhthroi], and well-disposed to philoi. They win the fairest kleos who live their life like me.
[tr. Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25]

Let no one think of me as weak, contemptible, untroublesome. No, quite the opposite: hurtful to foes, to friends kindly. Such people live a life of greatest glory.
[tr. Kovacs / Zhang / Rogak]

He has no enemies, you say.
My friend, your boast is poor.
He who hath mingled in the fray
Of duty that the brave endure
Must have made foes.
If he has none,
Small is the work that he has done.
He has hit no fraud upon the hip;
He has shook no cup from perjured lip;
He has never turned the wrong to right;
He has been a coward in the fight.

What wouldst thou have me pursue; the Prudence of my Enemies, or my own?
[tr. Ozell (1736)]

Which would you have me obey -- the petty maxims that guide my enemies, or the dictates of my own free soul?
[tr. Davidson (1891)]

Which would you have me accept as a guide, -- the foresight of my enemies or my own?
[tr.https://archive.org/details/persianletters00degoog/page/n52/mode/2up?q=%22accept+as+a+guide%22">Betts (1897)]

Would you have me follow my own counsel or that of my enemies?
[tr. Healy (1964)]

Ought I to heed my enemies' prudent counsels or my own?
[tr. Mauldon (2008)]

Which would you have me follow, Rustan, my own counsel, or that of my enemies?
[tr. MacKenzie (2014)]

An overmastering desire to be abused by the newspapers during life, and have an epitaph by Hector A. Stuart after death.

If there were
Of divers-languag’d men an army here
Of fifty companies, all driving hence
Thy sheep and oxen, and with violence
Offer’d to charge us, and besiege us round,
Thou shouldst their prey reprise, and them confound.
[tr. Chapman (1616)]

Though fifty bands of men should us oppose,
You should their herds of cattle drive away.
[tr. Hobbes (1675), l. 37ff]

Were we hemm’d around
By fifty troops of shouting warriors bent
To slay thee, thou should’st yet securely drive
The flocks away and cattle of them all.
[tr. Cowper (1792), l. 54ff]

Though fifty bands stood threatening thee and me,
All breathing slaughter, their fat kine and sheep
Thou shouldst drive off, and take their wealth in fee.
[tr. Worsley (1861), st. 6]

If fifty troops of men, as good as thou
Surround us twain, and strive to slay in battle,
Of their fat kine and sheep should'st thou be captor!
[tr. Bigge-Wither (1869)]

Though fifty bands of mortals that in speech
Articulate use their tongues around us rose
In conflict fierce to kill us both intent,
Still should'st though prove the man that all those beeves
And fatten'd flocks should to thye homestall drive.
[tr. Musgrave (1869), l. 70ff]

Even should fifty companies of mortal men compass us about eager to slay us in battle, even their kine shouldst thou drive off and their brave flocks.
[tr. Butcher/Lang (1879)]

If fifty bands of menfolk, word-speaking wights that are,
Stood round about us, eager for our slaying in the war,
Yet their kine shouldst though be driving and their goodly fatted sheep.
[tr. Morris (1887)]

Should fifty troops of mortal men stand round about us, eager in the fight to slay, you still might drive them away from their oxen and sturdy sheep.
[tr. Palmer (1891)]

Even though there were fifty bands of men surrounding us and eager to kill us, you should take all their sheep and cattle, and drive them away with you.
[tr. Butler (1898)]

If fifty troops of mortal men should stand about us, eager to slay us in battle, even their cattle and goodly sheep shouldest thou drive off.
[tr. Murray (1919)]

Though fifty troops of humans hemmed us round, all mad to kill outright, yet shuld you win through to lift their flocks and herds.
[tr. Lawrence (1932)]

If you and I were surrounded by fifty companies of men-at-arms, all thirsting for your blood, you could drive away their cows and sheep beneath their very noses.
[tr. Rieu (1946)]

Even though there were fifty battalions of mortal people
standing around us, furious to kill in the spirit of battle,
even so you could drive away their cattle and fat sheep.
[tr. Lattimore (1965)]

Even if fifty bands of mortal fighters
closed around us, hot to kill us off in battle,
still you could drive away their herds and sleek flocks!
[tr. Fagles (1996)]

Even if there were fifty squadrons of armed men
All around us, doing their mortal best to kill us,
You would still be able to run off with their cattle!
[tr. Lombardo (2000)]

If in fact there were fifty battalions of men who are mortal
Standing around us, eagerly striving to kill us in battle,
even from them you would drive their cattle away and their fat sheep.
[tr. Merrill (2002)]

You and I could be surrounded by fifty companies of men-at-arms, all thirsting for our blood, but you would still drive away their cows and sheep.
[tr. DCH Rieu (2002)]

If we were ambushed, surrounded by not one but fifty gangs of men who hoped to murder us -- you would escape, and even poach their sheep and cows.
[tr. Wilson (2017)]

If there were fifty troops of mortal men in ambush all around us, firmly determined to kill us, nevertheless even then you'd drive off their cattle and fattened sheep.
[tr. Green (2018)]

Even were fifty troops around us, to kill us, you'd end by driving off their cattle!
[tr. Green (2018), summary]

If there were fifty groups
of other men standing here around us,
intent on slaughter, even so, I say,
you’d still drive off their cattle and fine sheep.
[tr. Johnston (2019), l. 55ff]

One of the hardest and most important things in life is learning to treat things with disdain. Disdain can protect, it can crush; it’s a breastplate and a club. You’ve got enemies? Why, that’s the story of every man who has done a great deed or come up with a new idea. It’s the thundercloud around everything that shines. Fame will attract enemies just as light will attract insects. Don’t fret about it. Treat it with disdain. Keep your mind calm, just as you keep your life clean. Don’t give your enemies the satisfaction of thinking that they’re hurting you and upsetting you. Be happy and cheerful and disdainful and strong.
[tr. Blackmore (2004)]