Corinthian Advance and Arrival of Athenian Reinforcements — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 1 (1.50.1–1.50.5), Greek & English

§1.50.1

τῆς δὲ τροπῆς γενομένης οἱ Κορίνθιοι τὰ σκάφη μὲν οὐχ εἷλκον ἀναδούμενοι τῶν νεῶν ἃς καταδύσειαν,¹ πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐτράποντο φονεύειν διεκπλέοντες μᾶλλον ἢ ζωγρεῖν, τούς τε αὑτῶν φίλους, οὐκ ᾐσθημένοι ὅτι ἥσσηντο οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ δεξιῷ κέρᾳ, ἀγνοοῦντες ἔκτεινον.

When the rout had taken place, the Corinthians did not tow away by lashing to their own the ships which they had disabled, but turned to slaughtering the men as they sailed through, rather than taking them alive; and they even killed their own friends, not having noticed that those on their right wing were defeated, and so slaying them in ignorance.

§1.50.2

πολλῶν γὰρ νεῶν οὐσῶν ἀμφοτέρων καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπεχουσῶν, ἐπειδὴ ξυνέμειξαν ἀλλήλοις, οὐ ῥᾳδίως τὴν διάγνωσιν ἐποιοῦντο ὁποῖοι ἐκράτουν ἢ ἐκρατοῦντο· ναυμαχία γὰρ αὕτη Ἕλλησι πρὸς Ἕλληνας νεῶν πλήθει μεγίστη δὴ τῶν πρὸ αὑτῆς² γεγένηται.

For since the ships of both sides were numerous and occupied a large space of the sea, once they had clashed with one another, they could not easily make a distinction as to who were winning or being defeated; for this naval battle, in the multitude of ships, was indeed the greatest of those before it fought by Greeks against Greeks.

§1.50.3

ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατεδίωξαν τοὺς Κερκυραίους οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἐς τὴν γῆν, πρὸς τὰ ναυάγια καὶ τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς σφετέρους ἐτράποντο, καὶ τῶν πλείστων ἐκράτησαν ὥστε προσκομίσαι πρὸς τὰ Σύβοτα, οἷ αὐτοῖς ὁ κατὰ γῆν στρατὸς τῶν βαρβάρων προσεβεβοηθήκει· ἔστι δὲ τὰ Σύβοτα τῆς Θεσπρωτίδος λιμὴν ἐρῆμος. τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσαντες αὖθις ἁθροισθέντες ἐπέπλεον τοῖς Κερκυραίοις.

When the Corinthians had chased the Corcyraeans to the land, they turned to their own wrecks and dead bodies, and secured most of them so as to bring them to Sybota, where the land army of the barbarians had come to their assistance; for Sybota is a deserted harbor of Thesprotis. Having done this, they assembled again and sailed against the Corcyraeans.

§1.50.4

οἱ δὲ ταῖς πλωίμοις καὶ ὅσαι ἦσαν λοιπαὶ μετὰ τῶν Ἀττικῶν νεῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀντεπέπλεον, δείσαντες μὴ ἐς τὴν γῆν σφῶν πειρῶσιν ἀποβαίνειν.

The Corcyraeans, with the seaworthy ships and whatever remained, together with the Attic ships, also sailed out to meet them, fearing lest they should attempt a landing on their territory.

§1.50.5

ἤδη δὲ ἦν ὀψὲ καὶ ἐπεπαιάνιστο αὐτοῖς³ ὡς ἐς ἐπίπλουν, καὶ οἱ Κορίνθιοι ἐξαπίνης πρύμναν ἐκρούοντο κατιδόντες εἴκοσι ναῦς Ἀθηναίων προσπλεούσας, ἃς ὕστερον τῶν δέκα βοηθοὺς ἐξέπεμψαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, δείσαντες, ὅπερ ἐγένετο, μὴ νικηθῶσιν οἱ Κερκυραῖοι καὶ αἱ σφέτεραι δέκα νῆες ὀλίγαι ἀμύνειν⁴ ὦσιν.

It was already late in the day and the paean had been sung by them as if for attack, when the Corinthians suddenly began to back water, having sighted twenty Athenian ships sailing up, which the Athenians had sent later as reinforcements to the ten, fearing—what actually happened—lest the Corcyraeans should be defeated and their own ten ships be too few to defend them.

Syntax notes4 items

1.50.1ἃς καταδύσειαν
The optative (aorist) in the relative clause indicates past repetition or a hypothetical generality ("whatever ships they might have disabled").
1.50.2τῶν πρὸ αὑτῆς
The genitive phrase τῶν πρὸ αὑτῆς ("of those before it") combined with the superlative μεγίστη ("greatest") forms a blend or contamination of comparative and superlative constructions, emphasizing "greater than any before it."
1.50.5ἐπεπαιάνιστο αὐτοῖς
The impersonal passive verb ἐπεπαιάνιστο ("the paean had been sung") is accompanied by αὐτοῖς as a dative of agent or interest.
1.50.5ὀλίγαι ἀμύνειν
The infinitive ἀμύνειν restricts or qualifies the adjective ὀλίγαι, expressing a result meaning "too few to defend/assist."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.50.1-1.50.5