Athens as the School of Greece and Its Power — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 2 (2.41.1–2.41.5), Greek & English

§2.41.1

‘ξυνελών τε λέγω τήν τε πᾶσαν πόλιν τῆς Ἑλλάδος παίδευσιν εἶναι καὶ καθ’ ἕκαστον δοκεῖν ἄν μοι τὸν αὐτὸν ἄνδρα παρ’ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστ᾽ ἂν¹ εἴδη καὶ μετὰ χαρίτων μάλιστ’ ἂν εὐτραπέλως τὸ σῶμα αὔταρκες παρέχεσθαι.

‘To sum up, I say both that our city as a whole is an education to Greece, and that, individually, the same man among us seems to me to present his own person self-sufficient for the most varied forms of activity and with the greatest grace and versatility.

§2.41.2

καὶ ὡς οὐ λόγων ἐν τῷ παρόντι κόμπος τάδε μᾶλλον ἢ ἔργων ἐστὶν ἀλήθεια, αὐτὴ ἡ δύναμις τῆς πόλεως, ἣν ἀπὸ τῶνδε τῶν τρόπων ἐκτησάμεθα, σημαίνει.

And that these words are not a boast for the present occasion, but rather the reality of facts, the very power of the city, which we have acquired from these character traits, demonstrates.

§2.41.3

μόνη γὰρ τῶν νῦν ἀκοῆς κρείσσων ἐς πεῖραν ἔρχεται, καὶ μόνη οὔτε τῷ πολεμίῳ ἐπελθόντι ἀγανάκτησιν ἔχει ὑφ’ οἵων κακοπαθεῖ² οὔτε τῷ ὑπηκόῳ κατάμεμψιν ὡς οὐχ ὑπ’ ἀξίων ἄρχεται.

For she alone among the cities of today comes to the test superior to her reputation, and she alone causes neither indignation in the invading enemy at the kind of men by whom he suffers, nor reproach in the subject that he is ruled by those who are unworthy.

§2.41.4

μετὰ μεγάλων δὲ σημείων καὶ οὐ δή τοι ἀμάρτυρόν γε τὴν δύναμιν παρασχόμενοι τοῖς τε νῦν καὶ τοῖς ἔπειτα θαυμασθησόμεθα, καὶ οὐδὲν προσδεόμενοι οὔτε Ὁμήρου ἐπαινέτου οὔτε ὅστις ἔπεσι μὲν τὸ αὐτίκα τέρψει, τῶν δ’ ἔργων τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἡ ἀλήθεια βλάψει,³ ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν μὲν θάλασσαν καὶ γῆν ἐσβατὸν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ τόλμῃ καταναγκάσαντες γενέσθαι, πανταχοῦ δὲ μνημεῖα κακῶν τε κἀγαθῶν ἀίδια ξυγκατοικίσαντες.

Having shown our power with great proofs and by no means without witness, we shall be admired both by those of the present and by those of the future, needing not at all either Homer as a praiser, or anyone else who will delight for the moment with his verses, while the truth will damage the conception of the deeds, but because we have forced every sea and land to be accessible to our daring, and have everywhere established everlasting monuments of both evils and goods.

§2.41.5

περὶ τοιαύτης οὖν πόλεως οἵδε τε γενναίως δικαιοῦντες μὴ ἀφαιρεθῆναι αὐτὴν μαχόμενοι ἐτελεύτησαν, καὶ τῶν λειπομένων πάντα τινὰ εἰκὸς ἐθέλειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς κάμνειν.

For such a city, then, these men, nobly deeming it right not to be deprived of her, fought and died, and it is natural that every one of us who survive should be willing to toil on her behalf.’

Syntax notes3 items

2.41.1δοκεῖν ἄν μοι ... πλεῖστ᾽ ἂν ... μάλιστ’ ἂν
The particle ἄν appears multiple times in a single sentence. The first ἄν goes with the infinitive δοκεῖν, while the second and third ἄν belong to the final infinitive παρέχεσθαι (forming a potential construction). Such repetition of ἄν for emphasis or clarity of long-structured sentences is a common feature in classical Greek prose.
2.41.3ὑφ’ οἵων κακοπαθεῖ
The genitive of the relative pronoun οἷος. This is a condensed expression with the omission of the antecedent (equivalent to ὑπὸ τοιούτων οἵων...), meaning 'by what kind of (superior) men he suffers (i.e., is defeated)'. The entire relative clause functions as a modifier explaining the cause of indignation.
2.41.4τῶν δ’ ἔργων τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἡ ἀλήθεια βλάψει
A contrastive structure where the 'conception/imagination' (ὑπόνοια) raised in people's minds by poetic verses will be 'damaged/invalidated' (βλάψει) by the actual 'truth/reality of facts' (ἀλήθεια). It implies that the grand reality of Athenian deeds will so far surpass any poetic exaggerations as to make them seem lesser or obsolete.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.41.1-2.41.5