- 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-grc2:3.74.1-3.74.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Fighting resumes and the commons win with the active support of the women. In their retreat, the oligarchs set fire to the area around the marketplace to block the enemy, nearly destroying the city, before the Corinthian ship and mercenaries withdraw at night.
διαλιπούσης δ’ ἡμέρας μάχη αὖθις γίγνεται καὶ νικᾷ ὁ δῆμος χωρίων τε ἰσχύι καὶ πλήθει προύχων· αἵ τε γυναῖκες αὐτοῖς τολμηρῶς ξυνεπελάβοντο βάλλουσαι ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν τῷ κεράμῳ καὶ παρὰ φύσιν1 ὑπομένουσαι τὸν θόρυβον.
After an interval of a day, battle was joined again, and the commons won, being superior both in the strength of their positions and in numbers; the women also boldly assisted them, throwing tiles from the houses and enduring the tumult in a manner beyond their nature.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς τροπῆς περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, δείσαντες οἱ ὀλίγοι μὴ αὐτοβοεὶ ὁ δῆμος τοῦ τε νεωρίου κρατήσειεν ἐπελθὼν καὶ σφᾶς διαφθείρειεν,2 ἐμπιπρᾶσι τὰς οἰκίας τὰς ἐν κύκλῳ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τὰς ξυνοικίας, ὅπως μὴ ᾖ ἔφοδος, φειδόμενοι οὔτε οἰκείας οὔτε ἀλλοτρίας, ὥστε καὶ χρήματα πολλὰ ἐμπόρων κατεκαύθη καὶ ἡ πόλις ἐκινδύνευσε πᾶσα διαφθαρῆναι, εἰ ἄνεμος ἐπεγένετο3 τῇ φλογὶ ἐπίφορος ἐς αὐτήν.
The rout having taken place late in the afternoon, the oligarchs, fearing that the commons might advance and take the dockyard at the first onset and destroy them, set fire to the houses around the marketplace and to the lodging-houses, so that there might be no approach, sparing neither their own nor others’; consequently, much property of merchants was burned, and the whole city was in danger of being destroyed if a wind had arisen carrying the flames towards it.
καὶ οἱ μὲν παυσάμενοι τῆς μάχης ὡς ἑκάτεροι ἡσυχάσαντες τὴν νύκτα ἐν φυλακῇ ἦσαν· καὶ ἡ Κορινθία ναῦς τοῦ δήμου κεκρατηκότος ὑπεξανήγετο, καὶ τῶν ἐπικούρων οἱ πολλοὶ ἐς τὴν ἤπειρον λαθόντες4 διεκομίσθησαν.
So both sides ceased fighting and remained quiet through the night, keeping on guard; and the Corinthian ship, now that the commons were victorious, slipped out to sea, and most of the auxiliaries crossed over secretly to the continent.
- 3.74.1παρὰ φύσιν
Meaning 'contrary to their nature [as women]'. It describes how the women, who would normally avoid combat and clamor, courageously took part in the battle under these critical circumstances.
- 3.74.2δείσαντες ... μὴ ... κρατήσειεν ... καὶ ... διαφθείρειεν
A clause of fearing introduced by the participle δείσαντες, using μὴ with the optative (κρατήσειεν, διαφθείρειεν). Since the main verb ἐμπιπρᾶσι is a historical present, the dependent clause follows secondary sequence, hence the optative.
- 3.74.2ἐκινδύνευσε ... εἰ ἄνεμος ἐπεγένετο
A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence where the apodosis verb ἐκινδύνευσε ('was in danger') lacks the particle ἄν. Verbs expressing possibility, obligation, or danger commonly use the indicative past without ἄν in the apodosis to emphasize the imminence of the danger.
- 3.74.3λαθόντες
The aorist participle of λανθάνω, which modifies the main verb διεκομίσθησαν ('were conveyed across') to express the adverbial meaning of doing something 'secretly' or 'unnoticed'.