Eli bali lenziwa nguCicero, isithandi sobulumko soncwadi ngexesha lamaRoma.
Ukuhamba kwebali kubukumkani baseSirakuse, inkulungwane ye-IV ye-BC.
I-Damocles yayiligosa elihloniphekileyo ngexesha lolawulo luka-Dionysus I owayenguzwilakhe.
Imbali ithi uDamocles wazama ukufumana ubabalo kukumkani ngokumcenga kaninzi-ninzi, nangona ezantsi wayenomona ngaye ngenxa yegunya lakhe nobutyebi bakhe.
Kwakukho abaninzi ababemthiyile ngokufihlakeleyo uKumkani uDionysus ngenxa yokuba wayedume ngokuba nguzwilakhe okhohlakeleyo. Kodwa UDamocles akazange abone ukuba kunokuba nzima kangakanani kwisikhundla sokumkani, wabona imali yakhe kuphela.
Ngenye imini wamxelela.
- Kumkani wam, uyonwaba! Unayo yonke into ayilangazelelayo indoda… amandla, imali, abafazi.
Ukumkani, sele ediniwe kukudunyiswa okungaka, waphendula ukuba usuku bangatshintsha indawo yabo. IiDamocles ekugqibeleni zinokonwabela bonke ubunewunewu benkosi, ukuba kuphela iiyure ezimbalwa. I-Damocles yabhabha luvuyo kwaye yayonwabile kakhulu.
Ngentsasa elandelayo wafika bonwabile ebhotwe, ngamnye kwisicaka waqubuda phambi kwakhe, wayekwazi ukutya okona kutya kunencasa ebukumkanini kwaye wayewonwabela amabhinqa amahle emdanisa. Yayiyenye yezona ntsuku zibalulekileyo ebomini bakhe, kodwa into ethile yatshintsha ngesiquphe xa ejonga phezulu eluphahleni. Ngaphezulu kwentloko yakhe yayixhonywe ngekrele elikhulu elibukhali, elixhonywe kwimane yehashe elinokuthi liwe ngalo naliphi na ixesha libangele amashwa.
Kwakungelo xesha kanye kanye IiDamocles zinokuqhubeka nokonwabela lonke uvuyo lokuba yinkosi, ubuncinci usuku olunye ngendlela efanayo. UDionysus waqonda ukuba uyibonile ikrele lilenga, wathi: Damocles, kutheni uzikhathaza ngekrele? Nam ndichanabeke kwiingozi ezininzi imihla ngemihla ezinokundenza ndinyamalale.
UDamocles khange afune ukuqhubeka notshintsho lwezikhundla kwaye uxelele uDiniosio ukuba kufuneka eye.
Ngalo mzuzu kanye kanye uDamocles wayenokubona ukuba amandla kunye nobutyebi obuninzi babunenxalenye embi, ukuba intloko yakhe inganqunyulwa ngekrele nangawuphi na umzuzu. Yiyo loo nto engazange anqwenele ukuba kwisikhundla sokumkani kwakhona.
Ukuziphatha:
- Masingagwebi abanye, asazi ukuba baphi. Mhlawumbi ukusuka ngaphandle kubonakala ngathi bangcono kunathi kodwa asibazi ubunzima abanokubuthwala.
- Amandla kunye nobutyebi abuzukukwenza wonwabe kwaye ukuba bayakwenza oko ngexeshana nje. Yonke into yeyokwexeshana, kwanobomi.
