- 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-grc2:1.73.1-1.73.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
The Athenian envoys state that they are speaking not to dispute with the allies but to caution against hasty decisions, and they begin to emphasize their city's past achievements, particularly its contributions in the Persian War at Marathon and Salamis.
‘ἡ μὲν πρέσβευσις ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐς ἀντιλογίαν τοῖς ὑμετέροις ξυμμάχοις ἐγένετο, ἀλλὰ περὶ ὧν ἡ πόλις ἔπεμψεν· αἰσθανόμενοι δὲ καταβοὴν οὐκ ὀλίγην οὖσαν ἡμῶν παρήλθομεν1 οὐ τοῖς ἐγκλήμασι τῶν πόλεων ἀντεροῦντες (οὐ γὰρ παρὰ δικασταῖς ὑμῖν οὔτε ἡμῶν οὔτε τούτων οἱ λόγοι ἂν γίγνοιντο), ἀλλ’ ὅπως μὴ ῥᾳδίως περὶ μεγάλων πραγμάτων τοῖς ξυμμάχοις πειθόμενοι χεῖρον βουλεύσησθε, καὶ ἅμα βουλόμενοι περὶ τοῦ παντὸς λόγου τοῦ ἐς ἡμᾶς καθεστῶτος δηλῶσαι ὡς οὔτε ἀπεικότως ἔχομεν ἃ κεκτήμεθα, ἥ τε πόλις ἡμῶν ἀξία λόγου ἐστίν.
’Our embassy was not sent to enter into a dispute with your allies, but to deal with the matters about which our city dispatched us. However, becoming aware of no small outcry against us, we came forward, not to reply to the charges of the cities (for your assembly is not a court of law where our words or theirs could be judged), but so that you may not, by easily yielding to the allies, make a worse decision on great matters, and at the same time wishing to make clear, with regard to the whole representation made against us, that we do not possess what we have unreasonably, and that our city is worthy of consideration.
‘καὶ τὰ μὲν πάνυ παλαιὰ τί δεῖ λέγειν, ὧν ἀκοαὶ2 μᾶλλον λόγων μάρτυρες ἢ ὄψις τῶν ἀκουσομένων; τὰ δὲ Μηδικὰ καὶ ὅσα αὐτοὶ ξύνιστε, εἰ καὶ δι’ ὄχλου μᾶλλον ἔσται αἰεὶ προβαλλομένοις, ἀνάγκη λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ ὅτε ἐδρῶμεν, ἐπ’ ὠφελίᾳ ἐκινδυνεύετο, ἧς τοῦ μὲν ἔργου μέρος μετέσχετε, τοῦ δὲ λόγου μὴ παντός, εἴ τι ὠφελεῖ, στερισκώμεθα.3
And what need is there to speak of things of the very remote past, of which the witness is rather the hearsay of talk than the eyesight of those who are to hear? But the Persian war and those things which you yourselves are well aware of, we must speak of, even if it is always somewhat tiresome to bring them forward. For when we performed those deeds, they were risked for the common benefit, of which you shared a part in the actual result, and let us not be deprived of all the credit, if indeed there is any benefit in it.
ῥηθήσεται δὲ οὐ παραιτήσεως μᾶλλον ἕνεκα ἢ μαρτυρίου καὶ δηλώσεως πρὸς οἵαν ὑμῖν πόλιν μὴ εὖ βουλευομένοις ὁ ἀγὼν καταστήσεται.
And this will be said not so much for the purpose of deprecation, but as a testimony and demonstration of what kind of city the contest will be against for you, if you do not deliberate well.
φαμὲν γὰρ Μαραθῶνί τε μόνοι προκινδυνεῦσαι τῷ βαρβάρῳ καὶ ὅτε τὸ ὕστερον ἦλθεν, οὐχ ἱκανοὶ ὄντες κατὰ γῆν ἀμύνεσθαι, ἐσβάντες ἐς τὰς ναῦς πανδημεὶ ἐν Σαλαμῖνι ξυνναυμαχῆσαι, ὅπερ ἔσχε μὴ κατὰ πόλεις αὐτὸν ἐπιπλέοντα τὴν Πελοπόννησον πορθεῖν, ἀδυνάτων ἂν ὄντων4 πρὸς ναῦς πολλὰς ἀλλήλοις ἐπιβοηθεῖν.
For we assert that at Marathon we alone stood in the forefront of danger against the barbarian, and when he came the second time, being unable to defend ourselves on land, we embarked with our whole population on our ships and fought together in the sea-fight at Salamis, which prevented him from sailing against the Peloponnese and ravaging it city by city, since they would have been unable to help one another against so many ships.
τεκμήριον δὲ μέγιστον αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν· νικηθεὶς γὰρ ταῖς ναυσὶν ὡς οὐκέτι αὐτῷ ὁμοίας οὔσης τῆς δυνάμεως κατὰ τάχος τῷ πλέονι τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀνεχώρησεν.
And he himself gave the greatest proof of this; for being defeated in the sea-fight, as though his power were no longer equal to the conflict, he retreated in haste with the greater part of his army.’
- 1.73.1παρήλθομεν
The syntax modifying the verb παρήλθομεν (we came forward) is asymmetrical (anacoluthon). It consists of three parts expressing purpose or motive: first, the future participle οὐκ ἀντεροῦντες (not to reply); second, the purpose clause ἀλλ’ ὅπως μὴ... βουλεύσησθε (but so that you may not...); and third, the participle phrase καὶ ἅμα βουλόμενοι... δηλῶσαι (and at the same time wishing to make clear...).
- 1.73.2ὧν ἀκοαὶ
The antecedent is τὰ μὲν πάνυ παλαιά (things of the very remote past). λόγων (of words) modifies ἀκοαὶ (hearsay), meaning 'oral traditions'. τῶν ἀκουσομένων (of those who are to hear) refers to the Lacedaemonians who are listening to the speech, and depends on the noun ὄψις (eyesight/direct experience).
- 1.73.2στερισκώμεθα
The first-person plural present subjunctive passive of στερέω (to deprive). Combined with the negative μή, it functions as a hortatory subjunctive (or an expression of strong subjective will), meaning 'let us not be deprived of...' or 'we must not be deprived of...', conveying the Athenians' strong demand or concern regarding their credit/reputation.
- 1.73.4ἀδυνάτων ἂν ὄντων
A genitive absolute construction, where the subject (the Peloponnesians) is implied from the context. The addition of the particle ἄν to the participle ὄντων represents a past contrary-to-fact condition (without the victory at Salamis, they would have been unable to help).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1