- Source
- Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.124.1-1.124.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
The Corinthians conclude their speech by urging the allies to vote immediately for war to aid Potidaea and secure the freedom of Greece, arguing that only by overthrowing the tyrant city Athens can they achieve true peace and safety.
‘ὥστε πανταχόθεν καλῶς ὑπάρχον1 ὑμῖν πολεμεῖν καὶ ἡμῶν κοινῇ τάδε παραινούντων, εἴπερ βεβαιότατον τὸ ταὐτὰ ξυμφέροντα καὶ πόλεσι καὶ ἰδιώταις εἶναι, μὴ μέλλετε Ποτειδεάταις τε ποιεῖσθαι τιμωρίαν οὖσι Δωριεῦσι καὶ ὑπὸ Ἰώνων πολιορκουμένοις, οὗ πρότερον ἦν τοὐναντίον, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μετελθεῖν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ὡς οὐκέτι ἐνδέχεται περιμένοντας τοὺς μὲν ἤδη βλάπτεσθαι, τοὺς δ᾽, εἰ γνωσθησόμεθα2 ξυνελθόντες μέν, ἀμύνεσθαι δὲ οὐ τολμῶντες, μὴ πολὺ ὕστερον τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχειν·
’Therefore, since on all sides you have good grounds for going to war, and we jointly advise this, if indeed the identity of interests is the most secure bond for both states and individuals, do not delay to bring aid to the Potidaeans, who are Dorians and are besieged by Ionians (the reverse of what was formerly the case), and to go after the freedom of the others; since it is no longer possible for us to wait, while some are already being harmed, and others—if it shall be known that we have met together but do not dare to defend ourselves—will before long suffer the same fate.
ἀλλὰ νομίσαντες ἐς ἀνάγκην ἀφῖχθαι, ὦ ἄνδρες ξύμμαχοι, καὶ ἅμα τάδε ἄριστα λέγεσθαι, ψηφίσασθε τὸν πόλεμον μὴ φοβηθέντες τὸ αὐτίκα δεινόν, τῆς δ’ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ διὰ πλείονος εἰρήνης ἐπιθυμήσαντες· ἐκ πολέμου μὲν γὰρ εἰρήνη μᾶλλον βεβαιοῦται, ἀφ’ ἡσυχίας3 δὲ μὴ πολεμῆσαι οὐχ ὁμοίως ἀκίνδυνον.
But considering, allied gentlemen, that you have come to a state of necessity, and at the same time that these proposals are the best, vote for war, not fearing the immediate danger, but desiring the longer peace that will come from it. For from war, peace is more firmly established, but from quiet, not to go to war is not equally free from danger.
καὶ τὴν καθεστηκυῖαν ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι πόλιν τύραννον4 ἡγησάμενοι ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοίως καθεστάναι, ὥστε τῶν μὲν ἤδη ἄρχειν, τῶν δὲ διανοεῖσθαι,παραστησώμεθα ἐπελθόντες, καὶ αὐτοί τε ἀκινδύνως τὸ λοιπὸν οἰκῶμεν καὶ τοὺς νῦν δεδουλωμένους Ἕλληνας ἐλευθερώσωμεν.’ τοιαῦτα μὲν οἱ Κορίνθιοι εἶπον.
And holding that the tyrant city established in Greece has been set up equally against all, so as to rule over some already and to intend to rule over others, let us attack and reduce her, so that we ourselves may live without danger for the future and liberate those Greeks who are now enslaved.’ Thus spoke the Corinthians.
- 1.124.1ὑπάρχον
The neuter accusative singular participle of the impersonal verb ὑπάρχει, forming an accusative absolute with the following infinitive πολεμεῖν. It expresses the existing favorable conditions as a ground for going to war.
- 1.124.1γνωσθησόμεθα
The future passive of γιγνώσκω. It takes the participles ξυνελθόντες and τολμῶντες, forming a construction meaning 'if we shall be known (or found out) to have met but not daring to defend ourselves.'
- 1.124.2ἀφ’ ἡσυχίας
The preposition ἀπό here signifies starting from or motivated by a state of quiet. It corresponds to the contrasted phrase ἐκ πολέμου (from war), meaning 'not to go to war out of a desire for quiet.'
- 1.124.3πόλιν τύραννον
The nouns πόλις and τύραννος are placed in apposition, meaning 'the tyrant city'—a critical reference to Athens, highlighting its authoritarian and hegemonic rule over other Greek states.