- 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-grc2:1.136.1-1.136.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
Fleeing his pursuers, Themistocles crosses from Corcyra to the mainland and seeks refuge with Admetus, king of the Molossians, who was not his friend; on the advice of the queen, he acts as a suppliant by holding their child at the hearth.
ὁ δὲ Θεμιστοκλῆς προαισθόμενος φεύγει ἐκ Πελοποννήσου ἐς Κέρκυραν, ὢν αὐτῶν εὐεργέτης. δεδιέναι δὲ φασκόντων Κερκυραίων ἔχειν αὐτὸν ὥστε Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἀπεχθέσθαι,1 διακομίζεται ὑπ’ αὐτῶν ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον τὴν καταντικρύ.
Themistocles, having timely information of this, fled from the Peloponnese to Corcyra, since he was their benefactor. But as the Corcyreans said they were afraid to keep him lest they should incur the enmity of the Lacedaemonians and Athenians, he was conveyed by them to the mainland opposite.
καὶ διωκόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν προστεταγμένων κατὰ πύστιν ᾗ χωροίη, ἀναγκάζεται κατά τι ἄπορον παρὰ Ἄδμητον τὸν Μολοσσῶν βασιλέα ὄντα αὐτῷ οὐ φίλον καταλῦσαι.
Being pursued by those who had been ordered to do so, following inquiries as to where he went, he was forced by a certain lack of resource to seek shelter with Admetus, the king of the Molossians, who was not a friend to him.
καὶ ὁ μὲν οὐκ ἔτυχεν ἐπιδημῶν, ὁ δὲ τῆς γυναικὸς ἱκέτης γενόμενος διδάσκεται ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς τὸν παῖδα σφῶν λαβὼν καθέζεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἑστίαν.
Since Admetus happened to be away from home, Themistocles became a suppliant of his wife and was instructed by her to take their child and sit at the hearth.
καὶ ἐλθόντος οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον τοῦ Ἀδμήτου δηλοῖ τε ὅς ἐστι καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῖ, εἴ τι ἄρα αὐτὸς ἀντεῖπεν αὐτῷ Ἀθηναίων δεομένῳ, φεύγοντα τιμωρεῖσθαι· καὶ γὰρ ἂν ὑπ’ ἐκείνου πολλῷ ἀσθενεστέρου2 ἐν τῷ παρόντι κακῶς πάσχειν, γενναῖον δὲ εἶναι τοὺς ὁμοίους ἀπὸ τοῦ ἴσου τιμωρεῖσθαι. καὶ ἅμα αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκείνῳ χρείας τινὸς καὶ οὐκ ἐς τὸ σῶμα σῴζεσθαι ἐναντιωθῆναι, ἐκεῖνον δ’ ἄν, εἰ ἐκδοίη αὐτόν (εἰπὼν ὑφ’ ὧν καὶ ἐφ’ ᾧ διώκεται),3 σωτηρίας ἂν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποστερῆσαι.
When Admetus returned not long afterwards, Themistocles declared who he was, and argued that if he had ever opposed Admetus when the latter was asking a favor of the Athenians, it was not right to take vengeance on him now that he was a fugitive; for in the present circumstances he would suffer harm from Admetus while being far weaker than him, whereas it was noble for equals to take vengeance on equal terms. Moreover, he himself had opposed Admetus only on some matter of need, and not where his personal safety was concerned, whereas Admetus, if he should surrender him (Themistocles having explained by whom and for what he was being pursued), would deprive him of his life’s safety.
- 1.136.1δεδιέναι δὲ φασκόντων Κερκυραίων ἔχειν αὐτὸν ὥστε Λακεδαιμονίοις καὶ Ἀθηναίοις ἀπεχθέσθαι
The genitive absolute φασκόντων Κερκυραίων governs the infinitive δεδιέναι, which in turn takes the infinitive clause ἔχειν αὐτόν as its object. ὥστε introduces a clause of result, meaning 'so as to incur enmity'.
- 1.136.4πολλῷ ἀσθενεστέρου
This genitive is a comparative genitive. The omitted accusative subject (Themistocles himself) has been attracted into the genitive case of the object of comparison, ἐκείνου (Admetus). It means 'as one who is much weaker than him,' modifying the subject of the infinitive ἂν ... κακῶς πάσχειν (expressing a present counterfactual or potential statement).
- 1.136.4εἰπὼν ὑφ’ ὧν καὶ ἐφ’ ᾧ διώκεται
The nominative participle εἰπών refers to the main subject, Themistocles. It governs the indirect question 'by whom (ὑφ' ὧν) and for what (ἐφ' ᾧ) he is pursued' and functions as a parenthetical remark, showing that he explained the situation before the conditional clause εἰ ἐκδοίη ('if he should surrender him').